“I had no idea how much power comes with the right support system.” – Rebecca Buss

When Rebecca Buss first joined the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, she had “hit rock bottom.” Now, she celebrates everyday accomplishments, in addition to a total of 50 pounds lost.* For Rebecca, the entire team at the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center played a role in her success, including the fitness center with consistent workouts and improved strength, and the wellness clinic in helping her confidently handle challenging food situations, showing gratitude, and have a more positive outlook on life.

“I was depressed. I was a binge eater. I was steadily gaining more and more weight.  I had dreams of the kind of person I wanted to be, but my destructive behavior and attitude were taking me further away from those dreams every day.  I decided I had to do something about it because I didn’t want to live with the sadness, embarrassment, and shame that I was feeling.  I didn’t want a quick fix.  I had been there and done that before.  I knew it was going to mean hard work and dedication, but I needed to be happy with myself again and I needed help.”

Rebecca’s biggest challenges involved making herself a priority and allowing herself to be vulnerable.  “My previous pattern was to fall into the position of forfeiting my own desires to accommodate others or simply because I was too shy and afraid.” Rebecca found the help she was seeking through the support of nutrition and personal training services at the Center. “I needed all-around support to ensure this was a long term change for me.  This new support system helped me get to the root of my issues around food, achieve nutrition that was personalized and healthy, and put together a fitness plan that I enjoy and love.”

Rebecca worked with one of our registered dietitians to develop a food lifestyle that allowed her to take control of her diet. “I feel like I have found the secret decoder ring to a great relationship with food!  Working on the tough foods that I previously binged on will always be a challenge, but we talk about them and work on my fears and guilt around them.”

Being paired with a fitness specialist that understands your specific needs is an essential part of the process. For Rebecca, fitness specialist Shane Thomas was her perfect match.  “Shane is incredible. He understood me that first day I sat with him, and approaches every session with positivity and excitement. He not only pushes my body to do things that amaze me but time with him is always educational.  He has taught me the power of gratitude, positivity, and consistency.   He has taught me how to put together a maintainable, injury free, and challenging fitness routine. I always get a challenging and effective workout, but I can also count on him being a huge champion for me in this process, and that support is immeasurable.”

Rebecca recommends three key items to help stay on track: planning, consistency, and using your support system. For example, every week Rebecca plans her workouts for the next week ahead.  “This gives me an opportunity to identify any upcoming challenges like travel and houseguests.”  Rebecca also records her workouts on a monthly calendar, “having the visual reminder of my workouts and achievements is very powerful.  Seeing consistency encourages more consistency!” She says the effort is worth it. “I will forever be a work in progress, but if I consistently put in the work, the progress is inevitable.”

Rebecca puts in a lot of physical labor in achieving her wellness goals, but there is also a lot of mental prep that she works on daily. “Approach everything with positivity! I have mantras for everything! When I am about to pick up my heaviest set on the bench press, I focus on one word as I push the weight:  “LOVE”.  This mantra encompasses love for myself, love for the muscles that are working, love for the challenge, and love for that very moment.”

Rebecca’s journey has been more than just a number on a scale or pounds shed. “I have enjoyed every step of this journey. This has been the most exciting, surprising, challenging, fascinating, and fun adventure I have ever experienced.  I am learning more about myself every day and I like being me!  I don’t want that feeling to end.”

 

 

*Individual results may vary.

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