From 2014 to 2017, Senior Marketing Specialist Shelby Lobaugh was in a relationship where poor food choices and minimal physical activity were the “norm”, which resulted in her gaining a lot of weight. 2017 became a turning point in her life. She joined Camp Gladiator, an outdoor fitness boot camp and started to work out regularly. In 2018, after attending a friend’s wedding in Mexico, she did some self-reflecting: she thought about the heart disease in her family, the struggles her family has with weight loss, and family members who passed before their prime.
Shelby committed to a lifestyle change in January 2018. By June of that year, she had lost 30 pounds. She was working out 5 to 7 times a week while making healthy food choices. She felt the workouts were helping relieve stress in addition to helping with weight loss. Being mentally and physically fit is so important to Shelby that working out is now part of her daily routine despite having two jobs. She uses the office gym at lunch and Smarter Fitness Gym either before or after work.
During the holidays when there is a lot of high calorie food at work, holiday parties, and family gatherings, she modifies her workout regimen and food choices in a way that allows her to enjoy time with friends and family without sabotaging the work she puts in the rest of the year. Shelby’s learned what her body can handle and what she needs to do to maintain her desired weight while feeling good.
This didn’t happen overnight. Just like the rest of us, she hit plateaus. Her advice is be patient and don’t give up; it’s mind over matter and if you put your mind to something, you can do it. Her motivation is to be able to play with her kids and grandkids. Her long-term goal is to continue with her lifestyle change by working out and making healthy food choices for her mental and physical fitness.