Meet Hannah… a sixteen year old client that has had dramatic results this summer. Our time together has been short really…only 6 weeks so far. But her drive and determination to change produced unbelievable results. Hannah and I came up with an eating plan she could live with together. She eats small protein based meals every 3 hours during the day. She strength trains 4-5 days a week along with 30 minutes of cardio. Her results were dramatic, because her actions were dramatic. Her goal was not a “number” or a “size” but to feel comfortable in her skin, and good in her school uniform when school starts.

Hannah had a terrific role model and support system in her Mother, who has lost 50 pounds herself. Having watched her mother plan out her meals, cook and package them ahead of time instilled within Hannah a work ethic that could not be beat. There are no excuses for not having access to the right foods if you don’t leave home without your meals. This wasn’t a diet, but a lifestyle change and once Hannah decided to do it… all it took was a plan.

I’m so thrilled Hannah has allowed me to share her story with you, because I want her to know how her story can inspire and motivate others who are struggling with getting started. The power is within each one of us to change our bodies…we just have to have committment, discipline and desire.

Hannah…thanks for the inspiration!!

Today I visited Blast 900 “The Ultimate Workout” located at 56 East Andrews Drive in Buckhead right above Souper Jenny’s.

I’ve often described myself as a gym rat…I love to lift…I love to train others…I love pushing myself into the “uncomfortable”. I needed that last quality this morning, because uncomfortable came very quickly.

I arrived at Blast at 8:30am, after making my reservation online at http://www.blast900.com with their ultra convenient scheduling system. I felt relief as I lock eyes with a veteran to Blast, and a familiar face “Denise” as soon as I walk in the door. We brought our toddlers to the same Mommy and Me music class 9 or more years ago, and thank goodness she recognized me too and quickly made me feel at home. She looked much different than I remembered her in those child bearing years…health exuded her. She told me she’d been attending Blast for a year now and has lost 40 pounds!! Ok…good start so far…

We mounted our tricked out treadmill (there are 12 total) along the side wall, (30-degree max inclines are twice the slant of standard machines) and started our warm up. Greeting me at the machine, a clean sweat towel hanging on the arm and a chilled Blast water bottle already in the cup. I’m thinking did they think of everything?

The nightclub-worthy remix tunes started to pump through the speakers…now I’m thinking boy, it’s been a long time since I’ve been out! The music quickly gets my adrenaline charging, and I’m ready. 12 people on the treadmills, 12 people on the floor all ready to sweat. Owner and Founder Steve Uria starts the class with some healthy reminders…”Abs tight! Chest Up! Let’s work…it’s all up to you…what kind of body do YOU want to have?”

The class is all about intervals…10 minutes on the treadmill…10 minutes on the floor. Each class is different so my friend Denise can’t tell me what to expect. “Some intervals are 15 minutes, she tells me. One time it was 30 minutes…I thought I was going to die that day”, she says with a smile on her face.

Our instructor Steve, continually shouts out promps like “everyone on treadmills use a 3 incline, runners 7.5, joggers 6 and walkers 4.0″ this continues for 15 minutes on this day…we sprint, we slow down and bring the incline up to 12… “pull that back leg back as far as you can….use the entire tread”. At the end of the first intervals I am already glowing. Now my turn on the floor where I see 12 BOSU’s, a pair of light dumbells and a pair of sliders. My first look around the room which is lined with motivational quotes (I LOVE them!) renergizes me. (Also helps that my heart rate is starting to return to normal and I’m catching my breath)

This won’t last for long as the 12 of us on the floor now have 15 minutes of BOSU squats, isolation squats, push ups, mountain climbers, jump overs, lateral lunges….need I go on? It is about at this time, I notice in my peripheral view a nice young lady walking around with a towel under her foot. Wiping the beads of sweat as they fall on the hard wood floor. Yes…they have thought of everything!

Time for us to switch again. This time on the treadmill I get to experience a full 2 minutes of lunges on a 30 degree incline. Amazing machines, easy to use with just one button for each level of incline. No waiting for the machine to react… Another set of floor work includes upper body dumbell work. The moves got a little “dancy” for me at times, but it was intended to keep that heart rate up. And that it did!

One more interval on the monster treadmill…this time (4) 30 second sprints at an all out pace, jumping to the outside treads for 30 sec. recovery time. Followed by 5 minutes of great ab/core exercises on the floor and a whole class active stretch. I made it!!

So…the question. Did I burn 900 calories? It sure felt like it at the time. But there is a lot to conquer with this class. Not a runner by nature, it will take some time to get my endurance up whereby I am burning the maximal amount of calories. I intend to give it a try…runner or not, I got a maxed out cardio session far exceeding anything I would have put myself through on my own!