Meet Our Superhero of the Month for September: Tamara Devitt
Something we often hear from our clients at Mo-Mentum Fitness is that despite their commitment to exercise,the scale has hardly changed. They’ve been putting in the work. They feel great and their clothes fit better. They even feel like they’ve lost weight.
And you know what I tell them? “PERFECT!”
That’s because at Mo-Mentum Fitness in Huntington Beach, we understand that to improve your quality of life through exercise and a healthy diet, you have to look beyond the scale.
I get it. This can be super frustrating and hard to do.
But here’s the secret: it’s only frustrating if you base your success solely on what the scale says.
This is what we love about Tamara Devitt, the Mo-Mentum Fitness September Superhero of the Month.She understands that success has little to do with the scale. Tamara knows success is measured by your quality of life.
You might be wondering, if the number on the scale doesn’t show you the benefits of exercise, what does?
In this blog, we’re going to focus on three ways exercise improves your quality of life beyond the scale:
- Reduces your stress levels
- Improves your work-life balance
- Elevates your day-to-day mood
Try asking your scale if it can do any of those for you. I bet it won’t have much to say for itself. 😉
Tamara’s search to improve these areas in her life led her to Mo-Mentum Fitness in Huntington Beach. And we’re so glad she found us.
We chose Tamara to be our September Superhero of the Month because her dedication to her fitness is inspiring. She is a bright light who makes Mo-Mentum and this world a better place.
At Mo-Mentum, we believe you deserve to live your best life. Our world-class trainers help you stay focused on your goals to improve your quality of life beyond the scale.
It’s true … changes on the scale can be exciting, and they are good, but they’re not everything. Let’s talk about what Tamara discovered about the effects of regular exercise on her stress levels.
Reducing Stress Through Exercise
Tamara is a partner in a law firm. She routinely works more than 80 hours a week! During the pandemic, she started wondering, Is this as good as it gets?
You may have experienced something similar during COVID. All of a sudden, you had a lot more time on your hands. And more down time meant you had more time to reflect on things like:
- Your goals and dreams
- What you were actually doing to achieve them
- How quickly the numbers on the scale were creeping up
A lot of people let the worries of where they were going and how they were getting there bring them down. Which led to decreased activity and weight gain. Which in turn, fueled their stress levels.
But not Tamara.
She had always been an active person. And like many of us, her commitment to staying active decreased over time.
However, when she had more free time during the pandemic, she made a commitment to increase her physical activity. She started using exercise as a way to reduce stress.
According to www.mayoclinic.org,
“Regular exercise can increase self-confidence, improve your mood, help you relax, and lower symptoms of mild depression and anxiety.”
If you find yourself struggling with feelings of anxiety, stress, and overwhelm, come into Mo-Mentum Fitness. Our coaches genuinely want you to feel your best. We tailor a plan to help you create things like:
- Healthy meal plans that compliment your lifestyle
- An exercise routine — with reasonable expectations based on your abilities
- Tools to create a mindset for growth
- A plan to reduce your stress through physical fitness and clean eating
Tamara says that her quality of life has dramatically improved now that she works out every day. Which includes walking her pandemic puppy, Louie. 😍
In this next section, we’ll explore how exercise can improve your work-life balance.
Improving Your Work-Life Balance With Regular Exercise
If you’re looking for ways to improve the balance between your job and your personal life, you won’t find the answers on the scale. Sure, losing weight feels good. And there are many genuine benefits to losing weight, including:
- Lower cholesterol numbers
- Increased energy
- Decreased risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes1
- Less joint pain1
👉But a lower number on the scale isn’t the cure-all answer to your overall health.👈
That’s why Tamara didn’t start out at Mo-Mentum to simply lose weight. She wanted a more balancedrelationship between her job and her personal life. She looked beyond the scale and tackled the bigger picture by doing things like:
- Creating consistent, healthy habits like exercise
- Increasing her muscles mass, which increased her strength
- Committing to working out everyday, which helps her feel better everyday
Most importantly, Tamara knows that improving a little bit each day leads to an AMAZING, VIBRANT LIFE!
Need a few more ways to improve your work-life balance? In addition to exercise, consider these:2
- Can’t find time to exercise? Tamara comes into Mo-Mentum before work. We also have classes in the evenings if you’re not a morning person.
- Be kind to yourself. Sure, it feels good to say you can do it all. But it’s not realistic or healthy to even try. Focus on your amazing gifts and incredible strengths, not on whether you’ve “checked all the boxes.”
- Volunteer with a worthy cause. If you’ve ever helped a friend in need, you know how good it feels. To see the relief in someone’s eyes when they see your compassion and kindness — there’s really nothing that compares. And when you forget about yourself and help others, you’re not focusing on your
- Suggest healthy initiatives at work. Imagine being able to take a yoga class in the break room during your lunch hour. Or grabbing a few coworkers and enjoying a walk around your office building. How about having a wellness expert come give a presentation to you and your coworkers? Go ahead, create reasons to look forward to going to work!
If you’re ready to create a healthier work-life balance for yourself, let Mo-Mentum Fitness help you find it. Check out our class schedule for a time that’s convenient for you. Come see how our friendly, inclusive atmosphere has our members actually wanting to go to the gym.
In this next section, we’ll discuss how Tamara found that regular exercise simply helped her feel better everyday.
Elevating Your Day-to-Day Mood Through Exercise
You don’t need me to quote the Mayo Clinic for this one. We can all agree that an improved daily mood increases your overall quality of life.
Tamara found this to be true. Now that she’s exercising everyday, she’s noticed a few things:
- She feels stronger
- She’s happier overall
- She knows she’s improving her overall health
When you exercise you release “feel good” chemicals in your brain that literally change your brain chemistry. Some of these neurotransmitters and chemicals include serotonin and dopamine and a class of chemicals called endocannoabinoids which are marijuana-like substances produced naturally in our bodies. You’ve probably heard about the “runner high?”
These chemicals produce that feeling of transcendence and they are released with any sort of exercise that challenges your body out of your comfort zone including lifting heavy things, cardiovascular exercise and a mix of both.
No drug has EVER been able to match the incredibly quick changes exercises produces in our brains. And even better, you can change your brain chemistry by simply going on a walk! You will make bigger changes with a higher intensity workout. But even a walk outside can help you change your mood from bad to better!
Let Mo-Mentum Fitness Help You Improve Your Quality of Life
Today we discussed the importance of looking beyond the scale in your fitness journey. The number on the scale doesn’t define you, and it doesn’t define your progress. Instead, let more worthwhile things define you, such as:
- Your hard work and grit
- Your commitment to a healthier life
- How you treat others
- Your determination to improve your quality of life
Like Tamara Devitt, if you’re ready to level-up your quality of life, contact Mo-Mentum Fitness in Huntington Beach today. Our world-class trainers are ready to help you start living your best life.
Whether your goal is to reduce stress, improve your work-life balance, boost your mood, or simply fit into your favorite pair of jeans again, Mo-Mentum has your back.
Stop by, call us, or click here to schedule your free assessment and strategy session today.
Tamara, thank you for being such a great example of the importance of looking beyond the scale in your fitness journey. We love your bright spirit. Thank you for being our Mo-Mentum Fitness Superhero for September!
Xoxo Amanda
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
Describe what your life (and your health) was like before fitness.
I have always been active. I started dancing ballet at the age of 4 and did not stop until my mid-twenties. Since then, I have done various outdoor workouts (cheerleading, running, walking) and indoor gym workouts (yoga, Pilates, weightlifting) since then, but have never been as committed as I am now. I typically am at Mo-Mentum 7 days a week! 5 of those days at 5:30 a.m.!
How did fitness come into your life (or back into your life)?
I am a partner in a law firm. I routinely work 80 plus hour weeks and I have for more than 20 years. Like a lot of people, the pandemic made me question how much quality of life I had, and it gave me the opportunity (and time) to work out more regularly. I started exercising more during the pandemic to reduce stress. I started walking our pandemic puppy – Louie the Lab – and started thinking I wanted to increase my physical activity. I still have a more than full time job as a partner in a law firm, but my quality of life has dramatically improved now that I work out every day. I schedule it (at 5:30 a.m. on the weekdays and 8:15 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays) and even if I am out of town, I try my best to stick to the schedule.
Please talk more about the actual changes in your life? (weight loss, confidence, more endurance, less medications, increased energy, better relationships etc.)
I initially lost a little weight but more significantly I am stronger and generally happier. I think my husband agrees 😊
Why do you make fitness a priority in your life?
Being fit and exercising regularly makes me feel better. I know it is good for my overall health, but really it just makes me feel better day to day.
How do you feel compared to 1 year ago?
I definitely feel better today than I did a year ago! I started in May 2022 but ramped up my workouts at the beginning of this year. I can’t see myself ever quitting.
What is your favorite thing about Mo-Mentum Fitness?
Hands down it is the people. From the first day I walked in everyone has been welcoming and caring. The collective energy is so positive – pushing when you need it but also nurturing. Mo-Mentum has such a great culture. I also like how the classes evolve and change. For example, I regularly take Alex Williams’ class and it has changed since I started (in a good way) to respond to member ideas and just to change things up. We started doing step classes regularly since I started, which are just so fun! (And hard!)
What would you say to the person who knows they need to start exercising but is afraid to start?
Try one class at Mo-Mentum and you won’t regret it!
I am a partner in a law firm. I represent businesses in employment matters. I am happily married to an amazing man and we have an 11-year old daughter– she likes to join the fun at Mo-Mentum on the weekends and holidays!
