"In August of 2019, I was diagnosed with insulin resistance and warned by my doctor that I was borderline pcos/prediabetic. My diagnosis was both affirming that my issues weren't solely being caused by my "diet", as many doctors had insisted. I felt like I had no control of my body. The next couple months I slowly started trying every diet culture/ lifestyle fad in the book. By March 2020, I was super tired and undernourished, deep in my body dysmorphia. Then the pandemic struck and I was, in no certain terms, THROWN. All sense of routine was gone and I spent the Spring cooking & eating away my feelings. By the time I reached out to Sal, my main purpose was to regain some control (of my body if not my life.)
From the get-go, Sal challenged me to change the way I viewed fitness. She pushed me to sleep more regularly, eat more regularly, and stop body shaming myself. Before her, being "healthy" meant eating kale, random supplements, and running as much as I could to create a "caloric defecit." Now, to be healthy, I was being pushed to have a consistent lifestyle, focusing on building my strength and finding mental clarity.
I was also pushed to give my self a sense of routine and consistency and overall wellness that I'd never considered.
Now that I've finished the program, I feel like I've just really begun my fitness journey. Consistency is so much more important than irregular perfection."
– Fatema C.