8fit Success Story: Lara
Lara is a wife, mother, and full-time teacher living in Pickering, Ontario, just 20 minutes outside Toronto. After returning to work three years ago, she found herself struggling to fit exercise into her crazy routine. This is something a lot of 8fitters – moms and others – can relate to. New routines often bring new challenges.
Without further ado, let’s get into Lara’s amazing story.
Tell us a little about your family life.
My children are 12 and 15. People always say that mothers are more busy when children are older, but I thought it was an exaggeration: how could kids who can dress, eat, go to school and do many other things for themselves be more work? They are! My time is now used for discussions, homework help, guidance, driving them to activities. How do I make time for myself?
How did you discover 8fit?
I was using another app to track my food, but I was not interested in following the exercise plan. I’ve always been active; I walk, do yoga, play some sports. However, I found that I couldn’t allot more than an hour a day at one time to an activity and some past injuries like sciatica and plantar fasciitis that would flare up if I worked out for too long in one go. I needed something that I could do in small periods of time, several times a day.
I saw 8fit while I was searching up apps related to body weight resistance training and workouts that were 15-minutes or less.
What do you love about 8fit?
I instantly felt comfortable with the app’s usability. It was eye-catching and easy to follow.I also liked the reminders and notifications that I could set every day at a convenient time. I really liked how the app tracked my number of workouts. I immediately felt motivated when I would see those dots on my calendar!
Tell us about your first workout.
My first workout was terrific. I was able to grab 10 minutes in front of the TV and complete it standing up.
What motivated you to keep going?
I found it easy to fit those 10 minutes in every day. And, surprisingly, I started to feel different. I didn’t see any numbers change (and they still haven’t!) but over time the exercises felt easier to do, I felt stronger, and my body was changing in a positive way.
Are there any other benefits that you’ve noticed?
I’ve been seeing my family doctor regularly for the past ten years after being put on thyroid and diabetes medication. Diabetes runs in my family; my grandfather had it, my father has it and I had gestational diabetes with my daughter. Now that I am approaching 50, my focus has definitely been on trying to get those blood sugars down, and lose some weight and build up muscle to maintain good health in the second half of my life.
8fit does work! In addition to yoga twice a week, and trying to get 8,000 steps a day, 8fit exercising has recently reduced my blood sugar to the point where my doctor has reduced my dosage to the lowest amount and will consider discontinuing it next appointment!
What would you say to moms who struggle to carve out time for themselves?
It is so important for moms of all ages, who have children of all ages, to make time for themselves. For me, I don’t feel the need to do it outside of my home, but I do need to make my me-time about being healthy and exercising. I love putting on my favorite recorded show and watching it while I do my 8fit or listening to music while fitting it in. I can do after work right before the night begins for my family and before I run out of energy. I encourage every mom to take the time for themselves and make their health a priority.
