SPOTLIGHT on Get-Fitter of the Month!

As promised, I'm looking to expand aspects of my blogger site and start to spotlight those that are also on this crazy, challenging and always AMAZING journey of health and wellness for the mind, body and spirit. Today I'm THRILLED to pieces to feature a dear friend of mine who started a journey similar to mine, but with its own set of unique challenges. 


I'm pleased as punch to introduce the one and only Beth DiPippo!

Name:   Beth DiPippo


Age: I am 59 years old.  Can’t believe it but the birth cert don’t lie.  I’m actually proud to reveal my age.  I think it’s part of accepting myself for who I am, what I have lived through, what I have learned, etc.   It’s part of who I am.

What sparked in you the need or want to change your lifestyle? What inspired you to start working out and eating differently?

I am post-menopausal (another thing that I don’t mind revealing).  I had always heard that hormonal changes cause changes in weight, skin, hair, etc.  And it’s all true.  The changes happes gradually.  By the time I realized it, I was all ready well into those changes.

In December of 2012, I really noticed how awful I felt.  I noticed that body fat was settling around my mid-section causing a “barrel”-like appearance.  I would have shortness of breath just bending over, my clothes were too tight, my face felt puffy, and my butt had spread to my hips and thighs.

We had a vacation planned beginning on January 2, 2013.  I felt horrible in a bathing suit!  I tried to stay covered up wearing a t-shirt in the pool and shorts when poolside.  I was depressed.

I knew that there wouldn’t be any magic pill that would fix it.  All those ads for losing belly fat quick, drinks to help you slim down, pills to burn fat while you slept, sure looked enticing but unrealistic.  I was the only one who could fix it and it had to be in the right way.

How long have you been on this new healthy living journey?

Officially I started mid to late January 2013.  In early February 2013, about 2 weeks after I started my new healthy journey, I had an annual physical and blood work.  I was pre-diabetic and my cholesterol and triglycerides were exceptionally high.  My doctor was really concerned and was going to start me on a regimen of new meds.  I told her about the changes I was all ready making so we agreed to quarterly labs and physicals for the next year to see how things turned out.  Although I had all ready started workouts and meal changes, this news solidified my desire to change things.

Where and how did you begin? Meaning, what resources have you accessed for working out and healthy eating?

The first thing I did was found an online free site where I could track what I ate and how many calories I was consuming.  I don’t remember the name of the site now but I recorded everything.  That was a real eye opener for me.  I was shocked to see how many calories, fat, and carbs I was consuming.  This alone helped me discover what I was doing wrong while at the same time helping me to adjust what I ate along with portion size.

As I was going through the process of discovering what I was putting into my body, I considered how to incorporate exercise.  I looked at the Pilates tape I all ready but really didn’t think that was going to do it so I researched youtube to see what workout videos I could find.  I discovered HASfit.com from their youtube videos.

I went to their website and found not just individual workouts that can be done at home or in a gym but entire workout plans.  They had a 30 day beginner plan that included both cardio and strength.  The plan had exercise videos 5 days per week.  The workouts vary so that you don’t do the same workout everyday or work the same muscles all the time.  And you don’t become bored. What also great is that they do the entire workout with you, coaching you along the way, reminding you about form AND the 10-15 minute workouts fit easily into my day. 

What are the biggest changes and impacts you have experienced resulting from this lifestyle change? What things have pleasantly surprised you? What things have surfaced as re-occurring challenges?

The biggest challenge I had initially was motivation.  You would think that how I felt in combination with my poor health would be enough but it wasn’t.  In fact, what my doctor had to say did just the opposite because what I heard her say was that there was medication that would fix my negative health problems.

I was surprised when I started the workouts at how difficult they were for me.  I couldn’t get through 10 minutes of an easy workout.  It was discouraging.  And then there was that voice in my head that would say things like “why are you killing yourself?”  “you could be relaxing with a good book instead of suffering”  “go ahead, you’ll only be in pain tomorrow”.  I will admit, the voice won a few times.  So I decided to try some visual motivation.  I donned my bathing (ugh!), cotton socks and sneakers, put on that day’s HASfit video and do the workout in front of a mirror.  It was the most awful thing I had ever witnessed.  But - Voila! - another layer of motivation.

I also find motivation in my Facebook community and Body Made Better.   I realized that if I posted that I was going to or that I did workout, I would get feedback.  Even a simple “wtg” was encouraging and I found myself encouraging others.  But what really helps is that I was not the only one who found it challenging to stay on track.  Even those who have been at this longer than I, who have a lot more knowledge than I, sometimes ate the wrong things or slacked off or skipped a workout.  They didn’t beat themselves up like I would.  They had the negative voices in their heads that they had to ignore, too.  Slowly, I’ve beaten myself up less and realized that the bag of chips I ate isn’t going to determine whether I keep going or not.  All I had to do was pick myself up and go.

I was really surprised at how quickly I started seeing results – small changes but results nonetheless.  Within 4 weeks, I lost 4 lbs and was starting to see my waist again.  I was also becoming accustomed to eating smaller meals more frequently as well as drinking water – LOTS of water.   I was surprised at how my energy levels had increased some and how much better I slept.

I was also ecstatic at my annual exam on January 31, 2014.  All of my bloodwork was excellent!  I am no longer pre-diabetic.  My cholesterol and triglycerides came down significantly.  My doctor said that my healthy choices have helped greatly but the real change factor is the workouts.

I still have challenges with motivation and staying on track sometimes.  I don’t all ways make the healthy choice or I might do a short workout versus what I should be doing that day.  And I admit that sometimes I beat myself up over it.  Then I go back to my FB community and Body Made Better and work past it by reading about others challenges and remembering that this is an ongoing lifestyle, I’m only human and in the grander scheme of things, it will be fine as long as let go of the guilt and pick up where I left off.

What are your goals for the future? (get stronger, run/walk a 5k, etc)

I don’t have any plans to run a 5k, 10k, etc., because I’m just not there yet.  For me and in consideration of my age, I’ve got more short term goals to work at.  The reason I mention age is that things are different as we age.  More health concerns come into play.  This is the time when genetic predispositions rear their ugly heads as in my situation.

So, my plan is to continue on the path I started, at least until my next physical in July after which I may tweak it.  And that is to…

~ Go through the 30 Day to Get In Shape (HASfit) workout plan with 8lb weights .

~ Move onto the 90 Day Warrior Plan (HASfit)

~ Push myself past the “burn”

~ Ignore the negative voices in my head as much as possible

~ Further improve my sugar, cholesterol, etc., readings.

~ Lose my belly pooch (just a little more to go but obviously the hardest)

If you could give one tip to someone contemplating making a lifestyle change, what would it be?

One tip is hard to give but I guess it would be make a short term, attainable goal and finding your motivation to achieve it.  When you reach that goal, make another goal.  Those little accomplishments add up. If you have to, include it in a “to do” list, put it on the calendar, block out ½ hour of “me” time, do whatever it takes to meet the goal.