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EXERCISE VIDEO SUCCESS STORY

Couch Potato to Sweet Potatoes!

The videos I used:
Cathe Kick, Punch, Crunch/Legs & Glutes
TaeBo Get Ripped
Cathe Gym Style Series
Cia Kick Box Boot Camp
Kathy Smith Kickboxing Workout
Kick Box Boot Camp
Reebok Step Intense Moves
Cathe Drill Max
Cathe Butts & Guts
Hardcore Kickbox Circuit
Cathe Pyramid Lower & Upper Body
Cathe Muscle Max

My story:
I gained 50 pounds with each of my three pregnancies. A little came off each time. But two months after my third child was born, I weighed 199 pounds at 5'4" -- I was shocked. I didnt feel like I weighed that much. I remember crying in the bathroom after I weighed, I was so ashamed I had let myself get so big.

When my baby turned three months old, my journey began. That was in 2003, I have lost 72 pounds. I am now 127 lbs and 24% body fat! It has been a gradual process for me. I began working out to vhs tapes from Collage. My very first tape -- and my favorite at the time -- was Kathy Smith's Fat Burning Workout (I couldn't even use dumbells back then!). Now I can curl 20-lb. dumbells! I exercised everyday and was amazed how much better I felt, how much more positive I was and how much more energy I had to keep up with three little girls! Some days I would get up a 5 am to have my workout done before everyone got up.

Several ladies I worked with joined Weight Watchers and talked me into going. Wow, I didn't have to eat salads forever! WW taught me portion control -- I had never heard about that before. I could still have my M&Ms, but only half a bag! I could still have a burger, just a plain childs size! It worked for me! Between exercising and WW, I started losing weight! I feel like exercise did it all for me!

Last year I lost my last 12 pounds, and you can now see my "sweet potatoes" when I flex my arms! I have now started eating clean and putting good fuel into my body. I do 30 minutes of cardio 6 days a week, and work one muscle group a day for 30 minutes! I work out at home with heavy dumbbells now and do advanced Dvds. I also get to the park and go running or do "suicide sprints" or run the stairs at the local college. I get all my Dvds from Collage -- I don't know what I would have done without them. I remembering finding their tiny free catalog ad in the back of a magazine and sent off for my copy! I couldn't believe there was so many workouts! I look at my old pictures and can't believe that was me. Then, I look at my new pictures and say "wow thats me!"

Exercise is my life now -- I love it. I love how it makes me feel and love how it makes me look! My 13-year-old daughter has even gone running with me and sometimes will get those tiny 2-lb. dumbbells out and work out with me!

It has truly been a journey -- 6 years in the making and I can't believe the person I am now. I have so much more confidence and such a positive attitude. I would love to go back to school and get my degree in Exercise Physiology and get my personal trainer certificate so I can help others like me. I've been there and know how it feels. It's not easy but, if I can do it, anyone can!

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