My Journey
Hello 🙂
My name is Shannon Satovich and that goofy person you see there is me.
The tiny little shirt I’m wearing is my absolute favorite shirt of all time! I love that my journey has led me to not be skinny but rather strong. Strong because sure I can lift more, but more importantly, strong in who I am, in what I can do, in what has changed in me to become this person and strong in how I feel about myself now!
I am a person that had been active my entire life up until a couple years ago and I always loved that!
I grew up playing in many different sports, from softball and basketball to cross country and track. I would go on long bike rides and hikes in the summer and skiing and ice skating in the winter. I loved walking up stairs rather than an elevator or escalator. And I loved taking long walks.
After having children, I loved being active with them!
We moved from Montana to Maui in 2009 and I loved being able to be outdoors year round, hiking, biking, kayaking, paddling, swimming, walking and running.
I completed a couple of “Hana Relays” and even a half marathon. That’s when I started training for a marathon.
The inside of my right knee was bothering me from the workouts but I kept going, kept training.
I was 3/4 of the way through training for that marathon, running 16 miles, when that annoying little knee pain got so bad I made one of the hardest decisions of my life and stopped running, completely, cold turkey. I was devastated but felt I had to do it before I did something I couldn’t reverse.
That annoying little pain had turned into a consistent, constant, barely wanting to walk, agonizing pain that I could no longer ignore!
It was December 2013 when I had to give up my goal of running a marathon due to constant knee pain. And I didn’t just stop running, I stopped exercising completely (first time in my life)!
I thought if I just gave my knee a break from any type of impact (other than walking to the car) it would be fine! But instead it got to where every time I took a step it felt like my right leg was going to give out.
It felt like I had no muscle in my thigh at all! None! It actually felt like it was jelly!
If you can’t already tell, I avoid the doctor, and this usually serves me fine because things are minor. Clearly by this time, I realized things were different and it wasn’t a minor thing.
I finally made an appointment and they ran some X-rays. To my general doctor, my knee looked good, there was nothing he could see that could be causing any pain. He referred me to a Sports Medicine Doctor and he said the same thing, he didn’t see anything, no arthritis or anything, but recommended some specific knee exercises and also referred me to Physical Therapy. Once I got in to see the Physical Therapist, he ran some tests and said my knee pain had nothing to do with my knee!
What?
He said it was my hip even though I had never experienced any pain in my hip, ever! He continued by saying the hip was overcompensating but the knee was what was feeling the brunt of it so I started working my hip to make it stronger. This helped a little, not completely, but at least it was starting to feel like I could walk again without my leg feeling like jelly.
Jump ahead a year and while not constant, I still had problems. By this time though I had started exercising again using workout DVDs I had gotten at the store and while I loved it (working out does help my problems), I didn’t push myself and fell into what I will call a failure cycle.
How I spent most of my day… on my computer or the couch and off my feet 🙁
I’d workout but gave up after 2 – 3 weeks because I would start experiencing pain again and by now the pain had moved to my back and would start in my lower back, run down my right leg to an area on the inner portion of my right knee so I was still trying to figure my issues out. After a couple weeks of doing nothing, I’d start up once more just to have it happen all over, again. I was very on again off again for about 9 months to a year.
During this span of about a year and a half, my eating habits also began to change and while I’ve never been a big eater, I started eating things I shouldn’t be eating more and more often 🙁
I have been addicted to sugar since I was a child, no question there, but this addiction hit new levels! I slowly starting eating more and more candy (multiple candy bars a day) and drinking more and more soda (at least one 32 oz fountain a day). And for the first time, I started gaining weight!
I was averaging 3 of these candy bars AND either 3 or more root beers or fountain Dr. Peppers every single day 🙁
I am tiny, only 5′ 3″, and have a very petite frame. I also gain in my hips and thighs mostly. These two combinations actually made it fairly easy for me to hide the weight gain. I also just stopped putting on a bathing suit, except rare occasions, around only my family, and didn’t take many pictures so pretty much no one knew I had put on about 15 – 20lbs.
Then last summer a friend of mine was starting a free Beachbody challenge group (though I didn’t realize that’s what it was at the time) and I decided to join it. Just like everything else I had done for the previous year and a half, I did this half-heartedly.
After a couple months of these free challenges, I joined my friend’s 21-day Beachbody challenge group where we pick a workout and commit to all things healthy and good for 21 days, supporting each other along the way.
I ordered a program that I didn’t really like and tried it on and off again for about 2 months and actually considered quitting the 21-day challenge group.
However during this time, I had found a massage therapist that really helped me pinpoint my back and hip problems (and why it is SO important for me to workout) as well as a Yoga instructor that taught me how to stretch my back and hip properly.
Right when I was ready to give up on the challenge group, without my friend having any idea, she recommended I give Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix Extreme a try. I figured “ok, I’ll do this one more time.”
Nobody really knew I had gained the weight… amazing how well you can hide it with the right clothes
I ordered it and started pouring through the material online before I received the physical product.
I can’t pinpoint exactly what was different this time but something in me said I knew I had to do it! For the first time since all these issues started I knew I had to commit, completely, 100%, no holding back! This was non-negotiable!!!
I got a journal. I planned everything… every meal, every workout, my water intake and my sleep! I started my first round of 21 days on October 21, 2015 and focused! I didn’t waiver even one bit from my plan during the 21 days!
The results shocked me!!!
I lost 7 inches in 21 days! Yes, my small petite frame lost 7 inches!!! So I kept with the plan for another round and lost another 6 inches!
The problem area that I hid with clothes…
Waist, hips, chest, arms and thighs = 7in. in 21 days 🙂
I am so glad I completed two back to back 21-day challenges 100% following everything to the letter, especially the nutrition plan!
After completing those first two rounds I moved over to a more liberal eating plan that allows a few cheats a week but going extreme to start is exactly what I needed to straighten out my nutrition and get myself going in the right direction.
I never would have had the success I had (11 inches lost in 42 days) without that complete commitment! I know I would have fallen back into my failure cycle.
After 3 1/5 rounds of 21 Day Fix Extreme, I had lost a total of 18 inches! Yes, in less than 75 days I lost 18 inches from my hips, thighs, stomach, arms and the one I’d actually like to have back, my chest 😉
It is still crazy to me to think how quickly it happened!
But it was through this process that I realized how important 4 key pieces are to succeeding, I committed to all 4 (scroll down to learn all 4) and that is why I was finally successful! That is why I am now, at 39, in the best shape of my life!
After that I completed one round of Hammer and Chisel and I gained back a couple inches of pure muscle, yay! Then I moved over to Tony Horton, completing 22 Minute Hard Corps as well as adding Performance Energize (for stamina and focus) and Recover (to help heal, repair and build my muscles) to support my body through the workouts! Now I’m in the middle of Insanity Max 30 with Shaun T and wow it is intense, but I love, love, love it!!! I feel stronger, healthy and have my energy back, meaning I play with my kids more 🙂
I still have work to do, am still getting stronger every day! I’m still working on my back and hip issues on a regular basis (though they have gotten SO much better and now I know what to do when they start to act up)! And I still struggle with food at times too! But I plan to keep working, keep pushing, keep going because it means too much to me. This journey has been so amazing to me, so completely life changing and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next 🙂
These last images are the ones I took for myself, the ones I was certain I would never share with anyone!
Well, things change, and for you to fully grasp my “why” for all of this I decided I had to share these with you! You see, I wasn’t comfortable with myself anymore, I felt blah, and tired and I hated putting on my bathing suit! I live in Hawaii, you can’t live in Hawaii and hate to put on a bathing suit!
So, whatever your “why” is, no matter how big or small, I’m here to tell you that by following the right plan, surrounding yourself by the right people, you can push yourself to achieve your goals as well!
That is why I decided to become a coach and help others! I know everyone has their own journey, their own story. On the outside, yours is probably completely different than mine, but we all have a common goal… to be happy, have fun, get fit and be strong and together, supporting each other, we can do this!
Before – October 21, 2015
Now…
Success comes from 4 key areas and I can help you achieve all 4 if you will commit to achieving your “why”!
- Commitment 100%
- Workouts 100%
- Nutrition 100%
- Get a coach/Be part of an accountability group 100%
Contact me to get more information or sign up for a free 30 trial of Body on Demand:
info@funfitandstrong.com
www.FunFitAndStrong.com
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