Autumn's Story: Learning to Love Fitness

For years, Autumn Wright, 38, lived life around the needs of others. Pressure and stress eating took a toll, and finally she knew it was time for a change. Between work and the busyness of everyday life, the Calgary, Alberta native needed a fitness regime that worked with her schedule. Her solution? The BowFlex^® TreadClimber^®.

Autumn started with a simple fitness routine, committing to 30 to 45 minutes a day on the TreadClimber. In addition, she decided it was time to eat a healthy diet and focus on having a positive attitude, instead of putting herself down. The resulting transformation happened both inside and out. Within months, Autumn had lost almost half of her body weight — dropping from 235 to 135 in just nine months.

The weight loss also changed Autumn's outlook. "I don't feel like a shy little wallflower like I did when my weight was holding me back," she explains.

Never a big fan of hitting the gym, Autumn looked for ways to insert fitness naturally into her lifestyle. Alternative methods of working out, such as going for a run outside or chasing her two young nephews around, have also transformed her relationship with fitness. Changing her perspective helped Autumn make fitness part of her normal daily routine.

"There was so much that I wouldn't go out and do — I was being held back by my own negativity and depression," Autumn recalls. "Now I've been able to experience all kinds of wonderful things I've always wanted to do."

Since losing the weight, she also picked up new hobbies she never previously thought were possible. Autumn's life now includes snowboarding, playing baseball, camping, bike riding and jumping on the trampoline with her nephews.

Learning to love fitness can require changes both inside and out. To others struggling to get started in their own personal journey to health, Autumn offers the following advice: "You don't have to change everything at once. If you change one thing and stick with it, more positive changes will happen. Push yourself to be open and take on one new thing at a time."

See more of Autumn's story in this video: