Believe it or not, I have lost 20 pounds since October. And the best part - I wasn’t setting out to lose weight. I simply wanted to change up my workout routine and one day, in Donna Lewis shopping for workout clothes, I recognized Betsy Weissman from an Old Town Boutique District party. We chatted and she said I should come by to try out her pilates studio, Sculp’d. I told her the reformers were super intimidating and that’s why I had never tried any of them. Some convincing later, she offered to give me a private session on her own time to show me how to use the machine on my own - no shame.

Forward about 3 months later, and I was hooked. I was (and am) attending pilates classes 3-5 times per week. And again, the best part- I NEVER got tired of it and no joke I witnessed extremely fast results. Betsy had told me I would “build a core,” but I guess I never knew what that meant before… I thought I had a strong core, but planks were previously REALLY hard and nothing had really targeted the abdominal region like this had. Quickly I started to lose inches and define my abs, arms and legs. Plus, I look forward to the workouts and it truly switches up enough to keep it fresh.

Then, one day at the studio I noticed a “challenge” (those always get me- I'm competitive) for a 30 day clean eating lifestyle. Since I am already gluten free (true allergy), I know when I am sensitive to foods and I had been feeling like I was sensitive to something, but I didn’t know what. When I inquired about the 30 day challenge, it was exactly what I was hoping: a clean eating diet that would eliminate potential allergens and inflammatory foods.

I signed up the next day, and I quickly began my “sober October” - part of the challenge. It eliminated gluten, dairy, soy, corn, and potato (and alcohol..and coffee) from my diet… but I had been feeling like I was in a rut with my body and was willing to take the step.

What did the cleanse include? Through a company called Arbonne, the daily schedule was 1-2 shakes/day with digestive supplements and caffeine-free energy boosts called “fizz sticks.” The rest of the day.. you were free to eat whatever as long as it fit within the guidelines of GF/DF/soy free/corn free etc. Weirdly easy to do if you cook at home.. just google “whole 30” or “vegan” recipes and you’re generally ok! Eating out - protein sources are all good, just tell your waiter you’re gluten and dairy free! In addition, by the time you get through the shake, the fizz, the tea, etc you’re actually so full you don’t want anything else.

Was the 30 days difficult? Yes, but only for about 7 days before I became adjusted to it. I had previously been what I considered “addicted” to coffee and that was the hardest transition. Going from 2-3 coffee/day to 0, the “fizz sticks” (vitamin B and natural energy supplements) kept me alive. The feeling of not having a mid-afternoon slump? Priceless.

I ended up losing 20 pounds and, through Arbonne and Sculp’d, being in the best shape of my life despite being a division I rower in college. I feel the best I have, probably ever, and continue my workouts 3-5 times/week at sculpted and various local Old Town gyms!

I continue to live the “80/20” life, in that I still do my shakes and still follow the guidelines mostly, since I realized dairy and coffee were definitely the culprit to my sensitivities. I was able to add everything else back into my diet in small amounts (read: WINE!).

I still do my workouts 3-5 times/week. At sculp’d, it’ s easy because they also offer barre, yoga, boot camp and kickboxing so it’s easy to switch it up.

Other workouts I love in the area are Barre 3, Refresh Yoga, Mind the Mat, Xtend Barre and Ascend Cycle. Although I wish I could have all the memberships in the world, I actually don’t have the time, so I visit these places when I can and ALWAYS have a great workout. (side note - the rower inside of me is more than pumped for the July opening of Rowhouse Alexandria!)

If anyone would like to do a workout with me or join me in the 30 day challenge, please connect with me at Stephanie.m.parkes@gmail.com. I so truly believe in the results I have had and can’t wait to share them with you all !

Photos by Sarah Marcella Creative.

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