Meet our Superhero of the Month for September: Chris Allcorn!
Christine Allcorn (aka Ms. Allcorn) is a vibrant, funny, and determined woman. She is one of the wittiest people I’ve ever met. I look forward to hearing the hilarious one-liners she comes up with on the spot! I wish I had Ms. Allcorn as my middle school history teacher! I probably would have learned to love history WAY sooner! Her passion for life is contagious and inspiring.
You may not have met Chris in person YET, because she is one of our rockstar Zoom members, but she attends our live events, so look out for her at our upcoming Labor Day Boot Camp!
Chris joined Mo-Mentum Fitness in early 2019 and hit the ground running! Since the day Chris started with us, she’s worked toward her goals, made everyone around her smile and laugh and inspired the people around her with her consistency and energy.
When Chris started at Mo-Mentum her goals were to get stronger, to keep her back pain under control and to keep the fat she had lost….lost! She had some back issues but that never stopped her….nothing has ever held Chris back. Back pain is a huge reason people begin exercising and then eventually have to stop if they aren’t being guided by a qualified fitness professional.
Chris understood that simply exercising wasn’t going to continue to work. She needed guidance to train her body and even more to train her movement patterns so she could use her core muscles better to protect her back for the long haul.
And to be very clear, back pain is a serious multifaceted issue that if ignored, gets worse over time, not better.
Most of us haven’t been taught how to move, especially after minor injuries. Most of us have jobs today in which we sit at a desk, or even stand for long periods of time and we tend to spend a lot of time leaning forward reading, looking at computer screens, driving, and more.) The problem arises when we start an exercise program without guidance and start exercising with the same movement patterns, we’ve been using for sitting for hours and hours in a row, day after day for years. There are so many reasons for back pain, I’ll save you the details.
The point is, Chris has been diligent about asking her trainers here for help when her movement isn’t comfortable for her back and this has allowed her to build safer and more effective movement patterns that protect her back and have made her functionally stronger for life.
One kind of exercise is never enough. Chris is a lover of yoga. At the same time, she was aware she needed to include strength training into her exercise routine in order to transform her body by building her muscle mass and consequently her bones.
Chris is incredibly consistent when it comes to her workouts. I love seeing her smiling face and getting to talk about her BFF Alex Williams before she gets to class in the mornings! I am sure like most of us (meee too) there are days Chris doesn’t want to show up for her 5:30 am “mean girls” class or her Saturday or Sunday weekend classes.
I do believe Ms. Allcorn’s drive and commitment to herself are catalysts to showing up most mornings at 5:30am, before work, for her work out from her garage. I also believe her healthy fear of Katty (one of the mean girls) is a great helper! For 25 years I’ve heard women beat themselves up for not having the “discipline” to stay consistent with their exercise program. One of the things that make Mo-Mentum Fitness so special is that we are a community of hard-working people who take our health seriously without taking ourselves that seriously. Accountability and support are VITAL to any long-term fitness program that works. Olympic and professional athletes have whole teams of people helping them to reach their goals. You don’t need to be an Olympic or professional athlete to need support!
Like Chris, you can find your tribe to help you! Your tribe needs to you too!
Thank you for being so kind, witty, vibrant and an action taker, Christine! You’re inspiring more people than you know!
Love,
Amanda and Team Mo
A few words from our Superhero herself…
Specifics:
Age: 55 years old this month!
Job: middle school history teacher
Family: I have 2 grown sons and one grown husband!
(I’ve known Alex Williams for 43 years. That makes me sound super old!)
Describe what your life (and your health) was like before fitness.
I was moderately active but always struggled with my weight and body image. I had some success periodically through life, but always carried an extra 50 pounds on my body.
Was there ever a low point or an experience that made your priorities change?
6 months before my 50th birthday – March 17, 2017 – I decided I wanted to weigh a certain amount by my birthday. I reached that goal and just kept going. I joined weight watchers and followed the program which is just common sense: healthy eating and monitoring your food. I had joined weight watchers probably 10 times over my life, but I decided this time I wasn’t going to just diet, I was going to change my life and be a person who ate healthier.
How did fitness come into your life (or back into your life)?
After losing about 35 pounds, I felt comfortable enough to go to an exercise class. I started with yoga and progressed to yoga with weights and attended my first Mo-Mentum Bootcamp on Labor Day in 2018. I didn’t die at the Boot Camp so I began adding more fitness classes to compliment my yoga practice.
What kind of results have you seen since starting a regular fitness program
The most obvious is the change in my body – I like my arms – I have more endurance, I can hike and walk long distances, take challenging classes, mountain climb – I have more confidence.
Please talk more about the actual changes in your life? (weight loss, confidence, more endurance, less medications, increased energy, better relationships etc.)
I was never on medication and I always have been blessed with good health despite the extra weight. I have had back issues my entire life, but I have had less issues since exercising and practicing yoga regularly. When I did suffer an injury, my recovery was much quicker because my body is stronger and leaner.
Let’s focus in on the blood work. What kind of changes have you seen there? What do these changes mean for your lifestyle, longevity, finances, etc?
My blood is good – no real changes there. I have good genes.
Why do you make fitness a priority in your life?
When the world shut down I was panicked because I had built a really great fitness schedule and I was so afraid that my body would fall apart. Thankfully Amanda went online and we built a gym in the garage and I have been able to work out most mornings from home and maintain my workouts. The workouts help me start my day in a positive way, make my body feel strong and energize me to meet my students everyday with enthusiasm and positivity.
I love the community of the 5:30am workout group and how even though I am not there in person, I am part of the gang. I make class a priority because I am a little bit afraid of Katty and I don’t want to find out what happens if I stop showing up.
These days, what makes you truly happy and feel at peace?
I love hanging out with friends and family – cooking healthy food – walking my dogs – travelling and going on adventures.
How do you feel compared to 1 year ago?
Not gonna lie – I was not able to out run my fork this summer and I have a little extra stuff hanging around that I will be getting rid of. Everyday I have to recommit to a healthy lifestyle. I appreciate the opportunity to tell my story to our community and hold myself accountable to the commitment I made on March 17, 2017.
So I feel a little discouraged, but at the same time I know that I have the power to change what is happening – and I am.
What is your favorite thing about Mo-Mentum Fitness?
I love the community and the fun and the encouragement from all the staff and members.
What would you say to the person who know they need to start exercising but is afraid to start?
Just start – I regret not starting sooner and enjoying the things I can do in a smaller, stronger body. Do what you can and before you know it, you’ll be exercising everyday.
HOW WE CHOOSE OUR SUPERHERO OF THE MONTH
Team Mo and I choose our SUPERHERO OF THE MONTH based on several important factors that we believe reflect the values on which the Mo-Mentum Fitness world-class culture has been built upon.
Mo-Mentum’s Core Values Include:
· Mindset for growth, constant never-ending learning – if you’re not growing, you’re shrinking.
· Over-deliver on all we do.
· Tribe – we all need a supportive and inspiring tribe, people we can be ourselves around and who nudge us to be one percent better every day.
· Transparency – We believe in honesty with ourselves and with others of course.
· Vitality – We believe in living vibrantly and living all out with courage and passion.
