{"id":16065,"date":"2025-07-22T18:32:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T18:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/16065\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T18:32:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T18:32:12","slug":"a-12-week-fittr-challenge-eased-my-chronic-pain-helped-build-muscle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/16065\/","title":{"rendered":"‘A 12-Week FITTR Challenge Eased My Chronic Pain, Helped Build Muscle’"},"content":{"rendered":"

After having my first child at 24, my mental health took a serious toll. I didn\u2019t know it at the time, but I was in the throes of postpartum depression<\/a>\u2014constantly feeling sad, lonely, and anxious. I expected the feelings to eventually pass, but when I had my second child two years later, my depression<\/a> and anxiety<\/a> only got worse, and I didn\u2019t feel like myself mentally.<\/p>\n

Then, over the next several years, I was diagnosed with a series of physical health conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)<\/a>, osteopenia<\/a>, sciatica<\/a>, and vertigo<\/a>, as well as a herniated disk and shoulder impingement from years of poor posture<\/a>, a sedentary desk job, and very little physical activity. I was fragile in every sense: physically in pain, mentally drained, and emotionally disconnected from myself and my family. I felt trapped in my body and was at an all-time low, experiencing negative self-talk and even suicidal thoughts.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until a month before my 40th birthday that everything changed.<\/p>\n

In 2021, I randomly came across a 12-week transformation challenge run by the online fitness platform FITTR<\/a>. The goal was to achieve noticeable body recomposition<\/a>\u2014whether that was fat loss, muscle gain<\/a>, or both\u2014and submit before and after progress photos each week. I was so inspired by the incredible stories of past participants, I realized that if they could do it, so could I. <\/p>\n

The challenge didn\u2019t include a structured program, but it strongly encouraged sustainable weight training<\/a> and balanced nutrition, so I signed up, hired a coach, and committed to working hard. There were 44,000 participants worldwide and my goal was to be in the top 250. <\/p>\n

I had never lifted weights, but with the help of my coach, I began strength training<\/a> five to six days a week. At first, I had to modify exercises to tailor to my different injuries, but after six weeks of building strength and mobility<\/a>, much of my chronic pain<\/a> subsided and I felt stronger, happier, and more energetic. I was officially hooked. <\/p>\n

I also evaluated my nutrition and ended up overhauling my diet. I always thought I ate relatively healthily since I rarely consumed ultra-processed food<\/a>, but then I realized I ate mostly carbs<\/a> and little protein<\/a>. So, thanks to my coach, I learned to count and balance macros at every meal and prioritize protein for muscle growth and satiety. There\u2019s a lot of noise around diet culture, but I kept things simple by focusing on fresh, whole, unprocessed foods. <\/p>\n

Throughout the 12-week challenge, I was so focused on and excited about my goals and progress, I didn\u2019t have time to dwell on negative self-talk. It paid off: I placed in the top 50 of participants. I gained a new sense of confidence and was so empowered that I could push myself to new limits. <\/p>\n

Now, my workouts are a combination of strength training and calisthenics to build coordination and stability.<\/p>\n

At 44, I lift heavy weights three days a week, and recently added two days of calisthenic workouts <\/a>to improve my coordination, flexibility, and body awareness. I do a push\/pull<\/a>\/legs workout split<\/a> for heavy lifting days, and my calisthenics training includes bodyweight exercises<\/a> like pull-ups<\/a>, push-ups<\/a>, pistol squats<\/a>, and handstands<\/a>. My workouts are usually an hour and a half long: I typically do five to six moves per session, with three to four sets of 12 to 14 reps, depending on the exercise and weight. <\/p>\n

Upper body<\/a> is my favorite muscle group to train, and I love my pull day workouts. At the start of my strength journey, one pull-up felt impossible, but now, I can do seven. As part of my calisthenics training, I\u2019m currently working on mastering a muscle-up, but my ultimate upper body goal is to hold a handstand.<\/p>\n

On top of resistance training, I aim for 10,000 steps a day<\/a> and prioritize mobility and flexibility. Given my history of sciatica, I also stretch<\/a> before and after every workout and regularly practice yoga<\/a> as a form of active recovery<\/a> on my off days. <\/p>\n

When it comes to my diet, I aim to eat at least 100 grams of protein per day<\/a>, so my fridge is always stocked with marinated fish and chicken (I don\u2019t eat red meat<\/a>). I also incorporate a variety of fresh, anti-inflammatory foods<\/a> such as colorful fruits and dark leafy vegetables. When my meals are nourishing, I have more energy and feel better physically and mentally. <\/p>\n

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Initially, I closely counted macros<\/a> to ensure I was hitting my nutritional goals, but now I eat intuitively since I understand generally how many macros there are in my meals. I also meal prep every week to eliminate guesswork during mealtime and properly fuel my gains in the gym. <\/p>\n

I was successful in my strength transformation because of these three factors.1. I leaned on exercise as a source of peace.<\/p>\n

I used to carry a lot of shame around my mental health struggles, but instead of silently suffering, I now lean on exercise to help keep my anxiety and depression at bay. For me, the gym isn\u2019t just a place to train\u2014it\u2019s a space to breathe and recenter because every rep helps silence the noise in my head. I\u2019ve accepted that anxiety will always be a part of my life, and that\u2019s okay, but I no longer let it control me. Whether it\u2019s going for a walk<\/a>, practicing a new calisthenics skill, or crushing an intense workout, I\u2019ve learned that movement is the best medicine for mental clarity. <\/p>\n

2. I let go of self-doubt and learned to embrace confidence.<\/p>\n

After years of dissociating from my body because of my health issues, the start of my journey was full of self-doubt. But once I realized that I\u2019m the only one who can make judgments on how I feel, I unlocked a new sense of confidence. Instead of operating on a fear factor and worrying about judgement for what I can\u2019t do, I learned to embrace what I can. Believing in myself and my capabilities has truly fueled my transformation. <\/p>\n

3. I viewed fitness and balanced nutrition as a long-term lifestyle.<\/p>\n

My commitment to weight training and nutrition has allowed me to rebuild what years of neglect, stress, and injury took away\u2014it gave me a deep sense of ownership over my body while protecting my bones<\/a> and supporting my hormonal health. This journey taught me that I\u2019m worthy of self-love, and watching my body transformation allowed my mind to transform with it. <\/p>\n

What started as a 12-week body recomposition challenge quickly became my lifestyle\u2014as well as my career. After going through my own transformation, I trained to become a qualified nutritionist and fitness coach. It\u2019s been so meaningful to help other women, especially over 40, reconnect with their strength, confidence, and sense of self.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been four years since my initial transformation, but strength training has truly given me back a life I thought I\u2019d lost, and I have no intention of stopping. Today, I\u2019m so grateful to be happier and healthier than I could have ever imagined was possible. <\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Andi Breitowich is a Chicago-based writer and graduate student at Northwestern Medill. She\u2019s a mass consumer of social media and cares about women\u2019s rights, holistic wellness, and non-stigmatizing reproductive care. As a former collegiate pole vaulter, she has a love for all things fitness and is currently obsessed with Peloton Tread workouts and hot yoga. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After having my first child at 24, my mental health took a serious toll. I didn\u2019t know it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16066,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,2910,14118,784,407,787,84,1642,14117],"class_list":["post-16065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-content-type-feature","tag-contentid-db57b1c6-c60b-4c11-9bc9-10e883c4784a","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-fitness","tag-hasproduct-true","tag-health","tag-locale-us","tag-shorttitle-how-i-built-muscle-and-eased-chronic-pain-at-40"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}