April 29, 2015
Transformations Series: Amy Holland
23-year-old Amy Holland wasn't especially into fitness until recently, but now that she lives a healthy and active lifestyle, she couldn't imagine life any other way.
Her fitness transformation began during her final year of college, when she really started trying to change her habits and lose weight. After some not-so-healthy attempts, she realized she wasn't getting where she wanted to go. Shortly after, she participated in a weight loss challenge. "It was held at a nearby local nutrition club lead by some really amazing people," Amy explained. "I dropped from a size 13/14 to a 5/6 and have maintained a healthy weight since then."
In the beginning, more than anything else, her own beliefs were what stood in the way. Having not been athletic her entire life, and struggling with weight from age 7 onward, it almost seemed unrealistic to her to even imagine the possibility of change.
The night before she began the weight loss challenge was a pivotal moment. She composed a blog post detailing her goals and how she would attain them, describing her hopes for the future and what she would have to sacrifice to achieve them. Writing out her goals and plans made them real, and zeroing in on changing her mindset was a game changer.
Amy is inspired by the hard work of people from all walks of life doing what they need to do to accomplish their goals. In her daily life as an independent Herbalife member, she meets a great deal of people who have transformed their bodies and minds, which is another constant source of inspiration."I made a point to say that I was changing my lifestyle, not just going on a diet, and that mindset change was key."
"I had heard a saying before, 'Be your own motivation.' About 3 or 4 weeks into my show prep I began seeing my abs, for the first time EVER, and understood what that saying meant."
Actually being able to see the changes pushed Amy to keep it up. "Every time I notice some new definition, growth or strength, it motivates me to work even harder," Amy told us. She doesn't, however, focus on weight, because, as she told us, "I learned quickly over the year that weight is a tricky number. I focus on how my clothes fit and body fat percent." She has always paid more attention to nutrition, because without the proper diet, you won't be able to achieve your fitness goals.
When she got serious about meal management, she came to realize the difficulties of traveling with food. She had to travel to Chicago for a conference over the summer in the midst of show prep, and she was nervous about bringing her food along.
To take her results to the next level and inspire others to better themselves, Amy decided that she wanted to do a bikini competition. After discussing with her husband, whose encouragement and support were vital to her, she decided to go for it. She ended up competing in the 2014 NPC Oklahoma Grand Prix in November and had an amazing experience."The 6 Pack bag made it easy. My food lasted the entire 12+ hour drive! Plus I love all the recipes 6 Pack Fitness offers! I'm always looking to add some new ideas to my meal prep."
With a baby now on the way (she's due in October), Amy will be holding off on competitions for a while. She would love to do more in the future, but in the meantime, she's excited to see how the pregnancy will change her fitness journey. With her dedication to staying healthy and active, we're sure Amy will continue to do great.
For more exciting fitness transformation stories, check out our Transformations Series and find out how people use their meal management systems to help achieve dream bodies and minds.