I recently did one heck of a boxing class at Title Boxing in North Scottsdale: an arm-burning, butt-blasting, heart rate-rising good time! Leading the class was Lindsey Cusey, a sporty blonde with pink boxing gloves and one heck of a right hook.
Lindsey is a lean, mean fighting machine, but she hasn’t always been that way. She grew up a total jock, playing soccer and varsity golf, but during a trivial time in her early 20s gained almost 50 pounds. But rather than throw in the towel, Lindsey used this low-point as a chance to truly transform. She decided to get her personal training certification, took up boxing, and has spent the past 4 years practicing Paleo nutrition – and she’s back to her fighting weight! Here’s how she did it
Name: Lindsey Brooke Cusey
Occupation: Certified Personal Trainer and Boxing Instructor
Weight before: 180
Weight after: 135
Kept the weight off: 6 years
Worst thing about your old diet: I’d eat fast food, sugar, soda, way too many carbs and not enough whole foods. I just picked up whatever was convenient and I ate out way too much. That is how I really gained it all: not being happy and eating out all the time.
Worst thing about your old fitness regimen: It wasn’t consistent. I’d go to the gym 4 times one week and then not return for 2 weeks. I needed a schedule that I could stick to. Plus, when I went to the gym, I didn’t know what I was doing, so I slaved over a lot of cardio and bounced around to different machines with no set routine.
The key to losing weight is: Being able to make healthy choices, motivating yourself and having self-control.
The key to keeping the weight off is: Making it a lifestyle. If I eat poorly now, it’s for one meal, and not very often. I don’t let it turn into an all-out downward spiral. Otherwise, I stick to a really healthy diet and I’m always in the gym. I enjoy it. If I don’t go, I feel like something is off.
Best advice to others looking to lose weight: Just start. Don’t think about how hard it’s going to be or how long it’s going to take. Release all doubts and fears and just start. It only takes about a month to make a habit. Start going to the gym, read some fitness blogs/articles and make healthier choices at the dinner table. Just take the first step and don’t think about the process so much.
Top 3 changes…
Fitness: Boxing and lifting weights. Boxing is nice because you come in for a class, get a killer workout and don’t have to think about what to do.
Diet: Paleo diet. Now I just eat whole, real foods (meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds), nothing artificial, boxed or processed.
Motivation: I read a lot of fitness and nutrition articles and follow a lot of athletes and fitness enthusiasts on social media. I’m always surrounding myself with health, fitness and positivity.
To learn more
Visit Lindsey’s blog
