Client Showcase: Claire
I started with working with Claire about seven months ago, when her mother Mary referred her to me (you can see their previous mother-daughter feature here). At the time I started coaching her, Claire was already active and fit, but she wanted to really look fit for her wedding day and honeymoon, which was six months away.
Claire ended up losing 8 pounds over the course of her wedding prep, but we didn’t only focus on weight itself – we kept tuning up her strength training and running performance as well, to prevent the loss of lean mass. As a result, she was in absolutely peak physical shape for her wedding day and Italian coastal honeymoon.
Although it may sound easy to “just” lose 8 pounds, anyone who is on the leaner side knows that it’s not easy to lose fat. The less fat you have, the more your body prioritizes holding onto it. In terms of lifestyle, there are also fewer course corrections to make when you’re already eating very healthfully. This was especially true for Claire, since she was also training for a 10-mile race at the beginning of our work together. So for her, we started a slow ramp-up approach where we focused first on building muscle, driving calories upward, and fueling intense runs with carbs, and then only truly reversing into a calorie deficit about 8 weeks before her wedding.
While this might sound counterintuitive, this is almost always what I recommend for someone who is already a lean, active person wanting to see more definition. It keeps your metabolism healthier, keeps the “diet” shorter, and prevents long-term burnout. Now, Claire is back in maintenance mode, focusing again on building muscle and finding a happy medium, and she is still about four pounds below her starting point.
Now, I’ll let Claire tell her story in her own words…
Client Showcase: Claire
I feel like I’ve done a little bit of everything — Orangetheory, Peloton strength / cardio, Pilates, and just doing workouts on my own. The thing I loved most about classes, which was my go-to for several years, was not having to come up with the workouts myself.
The thing that didn’t work well, though, was the limited concentration on my personal goals. Following a class-based workout template was awesome, but it was also harder to track my progress over time with such variable workouts.
Looking for more personalization…
By the time I reached out to Rachel, I was struggling with the same workouts I’d been doing for years suddenly not having the results I’d been used to. For someone who near-religiously worked out six times per week, it was really frustrating to feel like it wasn’t working anymore! Coupled with honing in my nutrition, I really wanted something holistic to fine tune the habits that I already had.
At that point, I felt a lot less enamored with the idea of simply being small and much more focused on feeling, and looking, strong.
I think my exact words to Rachel when we started were, “I’d like to look like I work out 5-6 days a week, but I don’t want it to consume my life.”
More than anything, I wanted to look strong, feel confident, and get to my wedding day feeling like the best version of myself—not like I’d spent months consumed by trying to get there.
Finding unexpected “me time” with online training…
In terms of switching to online personal training, I was initially skeptical of how hands-on someone could be from afar, and felt nervous about trying new workouts and exercises without someone there to guide me.
Funnily enough, I now LOVE this model. I really relish my workouts as “me time” each morning, so I have always struggled with in-person personal trainers since it required sacrificing the mental recharge. The fact that I have such great coaching, clarity of structure, intentional workouts, and that “me time” is such a win to me.
Also, this is one of the only models I can adapt easily as someone who travels for work. I truly feel like I have more support now than I did with anything else I’ve tried. The workouts are more creative than anything I’ve ever done and it has been so refreshing.
Rachel also uses such a good app with built-in instructional videos and even suggestions for alternative exercises if I find myself in a gym without the equipment I’m looking for. Being able to connect nutrition and put it all together is so convenient – I am completely bought into this model now!
On nutrition changes (and more carbs)…
I felt like I was eating a decent amount of protein, but I really wasn’t!
And with carbohydrates – the 10-mile race completely changed my attitude to what critical fuel source they are in combination with protein. I remember Rachel telling me to add a pretty decent amount to my daily intake the couple weeks leading up to it and at the time I felt like, “Whoa, that’s a lot!”
Rachel explained that those stores were going to be critical in sustaining me on race day and the proof is in the results. The only thing I really changed the two weeks prior was that portion of my nutrition and the result was nearly an entire minute off my race pace. I never thought I could have done that!
Rachel here: for women who run, cycle, or swim competitively, carbs are incredibly important. They can make or break performance, and the numbers that need to be consumed are surprisingly high!
I also feel very lucky that my relationship with nutrition and exercise is probably the best and healthiest it’s ever been around / leading up to my wedding, and I feel so lucky to be able to say that. I owe that entirely to this program and the thoughtfulness with which Rachel coached me along the way.
Obstacles to consistency…
Traveling so much in the few months leading up to the wedding was definitely a bit of a challenge in terms of figuring out how to stay committed or feel on track. Not knowing what I’d be eating and if I’d have the ability to squeeze workouts in can felt stressful when I really wanted to feel my best.
Over time – and certainly through a career in consulting – I have learned to be brutally honest with myself about where my own expertise starts and ends. I think this philosophy is applicable to many personal challenges we face, because solving said challenges feels really hard and draining when you are not the “expert”; and so for me it has become a simple matter of knowing when to ask for help and being intentional about who I go to.
To assume that I can be more creative in solving this than Rachel could be (someone who has made a career out of solving this exact issue) is doing myself a disservice. Being able to chat with her to help come up with solutions took SO much mental anguish out of it, and frankly, allowed me to participate in things like trips with my friends with less stress.
Rachel here: Claire actually had several girls trips in the month leading up to her wedding, and she struck the perfect balance of flexibility, consistency, and moderation. She was able to enjoy herself but still stay true to her overall trajectory.
The wedding prep…
I truly felt like the best version of myself throughout the entire wedding weekend and headed into our honeymoon. I was very happy with how I looked, but what mattered most was that I felt strong, confidant, and like myself. I did not finish the weekend feeling like I’d done this massive overhaul of my life to look a certain way, and there was a powerful freedom in that.
I was also able to really enjoy my wedding weekend – I am a big believer that food is also a way that we build community, and so I loved that we backed off the leaning out nutrition the week leading up to it. I had all the mental models in place to make sure I was eating enough protein and maintaining some sort of balance, but it allowed me to focus on what was most important – all the friends and family that came to celebrate such a big step in our lives.
Results beyond weight loss…
One of our favorite days of the honeymoon involved a 45 minute hike to lunch. The hike, realistically, was a 45-minute stair climb. This was supposed to be one of the highlight restaurants in Amalfi, and it was a day where I found myself extremely grateful for my fitness and health. It was 90 degrees, and I remember looking at my husband once we arrived and saying, “We are so lucky to be able to do that.”
The views and farm-to-table restaurant were absolutely incredible, and literally would not have been possible if it weren’t for our fitness. Coupled with our AirBnb having 300 stairs (with luggage at one point!) to climb each time we went back, without our physical health and endurance, we would have been stuck up there or unable to visit Amalfi entirely. Despite the heat and the exertion, it was a very rewarding feeling to know that we could go as far up or down as we wanted and be able to recover and do it again in an hour or so…or maybe 5 minutes later if we forgot something at the apartment!
On the importance of habits…
Habits and routines are the path of least resistance! I have always been a very big proponent of being intentional with habit building. As someone who not only works 70-80 hour weeks pretty consistently, and who is on the road more often than I’m home, being able to rely on habits is so key.
If you can do a really good job of building a consistent workout schedule, for example, there’s no question in your mind or body of whether you should make time for it. It’s just a given. So on the road, during a busy week, the internal dialogue can shift from, “Should I work out this week?” to: “What days this week are going to give me the most flexibility to make time for this?” That mental shift has been everything for me.
In this same vein, though, you have to have patience with yourself that not every week and day will look the same. Sometimes all I can do is spend a couple hours on my under-desk treadmill, and other times all I can manage is 20 minutes with a pair of dumbbells. But being able to fall back on those habits is what enables longevity.
Practical sustainable strategies…
I am a huge proponent of becoming a morning person — I can’t guarantee that my evenings will be available. The best way to think about this is that it’s not worth the mental anguish of creating stress around something that’s supposed to be a form of self care!
I also pack my lunch (and breakfast if needed) whenever I can. Even if lunch is being provided at work, I still just feel better eating my own food. That certainly doesn’t mean I do not ever indulge in a happy hour or Friday lunch, and actually I believe it’s really important to engage in these things periodically! My goal is more because otherwise I end up eating something I don’t really want or like anyways…and so if I have the flexibility to bring something myself, I always do.
Physically, I feel like the work I have been putting in matches how I see myself, which was one of the frustrations that led me to Rachel. I work out consistently and being strong is something I’m proud of, and I feel like that shows now. Looking back at the wedding photos, I don’t just think, “I looked lean.” I think I looked strong, healthy, happy, and confident, which was exactly what I wanted going into this.
I am so impressed with Claire – not only the results she accomplished, but also the balance, self-empowerment, and consistency of her mindset.
If you have goals like Claire’s, feel free to set up a free 30-minute Zoom consultation with me to chat about what you’re looking to achieve!
