Congratulations to our 2021 Fall 8 Week #1uptransformationchallenge Female 3rd place \\$4,000 cash prize winner Evelyn Dejesus @evelyndejesus__
This is her story
“I remember reading the many success transformation stories from previous winners looking for a spark of hope. I wanted to know exactly what they did so I could do it too. I figured if it worked for them it should work for me…. Right!? Ultimately everyone had a different plan. What worked for me was of course eating clean, utilizing the right supplements, exercising, personal development, and working on my own personal healing.
The truth is I am far from perfect. I don’t eat 100 percent healthy 100 percent of the time and I don’t work out as much as I probably could. For me it is about progress, growth and doing better today than I did yesterday or last week. What I did despite self sabotage, despite unforeseen obstacles, despite feeling tired, beside wanting to quit, I kept on going! On the days I felt like I failed with my diet, I still followed through with my workout regimen, I still walked on the inclined treadmill for thirty minutes. ESPECIALLY during those times when I did NOT feel like it the most. Throughout this process I would pay very close attention to how I felt. I could feel the difference in my body and performance depending on what I ate or how I exercised. I found healthy, tasty food\xa0 options\xa0 that I could enjoy eating so this journey could not only be doable for now but be doable long term. I had to look for new “favorites” to consume. The Variety of the Vegan One Up protein definitely helped me to stay on track whether for its convenience or tasty smoothies I could make anytime during the day(preferably around workout times). Now, I was not vegan, I just prefer to keep my animal protein for the middle of my day. I had at least one rest day every week, and if I was really sore I would throw in an active rest day and got as much sleep as possible at night.\xa0
The 1UP beauty Dream was my go to, good rest while burning fat!? Yes please!
I managed my stress! Oh this is a big one! I would encourage anyone who is beginning this journey to examine their stress levels. I have always been an emotional/ stress eater so minimizing my stress during this process was big. I said NO to anything that didn’t feel good and immediately replaced it with something that was good for me. I made myself the priority.\xa0
I made a decision. Not the same kind of decision I’ve made over and over and over again in the past. Not like all of the other times I have tried to lose weight and have given up. This time I would not quit, no matter how long it would take. I would not accept excuses, I would not tolerate stagnancy. I failed so many times before, I figured out what I would do differently this time, to make this plan stick! I put my money where my mouth was. I invested in my health with great supplements, great quality food and a great trainer to keep me accountable throughout the process . Most days felt hard, veryyyyy veryyyyy hard. Like really hard, the pain is very real. It hurt me to workout . It hurt me mentally, emotionally and physically. It felt at the time like torture. I needed to motivate myself, encourage myself to keep going, and I chose to show up for myself every single day. If nothing else were to come from this challenge but greater strength, I would be happy. I didn’t feel like going to the gym. I didn’t feel like having portion control, I didn’t want to stick to a routine. These were the days when detoxing was most important for me.\xa0
My routine really helped me remain consistent.\xa0 I used my cardio time of 30 minutes to elevate my mind. I would listen to what I felt I needed for that time whether it was an e book, prayer, meditation or some good ol’ motivation. I worked out with my trainer 3x per week for an hour. Days I was not with my trainer I did cardio 2x per day for 30 minutes. I took my supplements every day and detoxed every other day.\xa0 I wish I could light a spark in those beginning this journey but the truth is the spark is already there! Feel it, know it, you’re worthy of living your best life as your best, healthiest version of you.”
