Hi friends! I wanted to share a little about my fitness journey and why I think everyone should try Chloe's dumbbell focused programs at least once :)

My history: Throughout my life my view on fitness was always very focused on weight maintenance and cardio. I was a big runner and spent a ton of time on the pavement and the treadmill. I always felt intimidated by the weights section of my university gym but I also never wanted to try it because I felt like the most effective workout was a run and anything else wouldn't keep me slim. However, after a knee injury running became very difficult to do without risking hurting myself more and I fell off the fitness bandwagon almost entirely for years. My doctor even told me some of my issues healing from my knee injury were due to weak leg muscle! I was shocked at how that could be possible when I was always on my feet! Turns out, just running and walking isn't enough to build strong muscle, go figure! haha

When I healed enough to start focusing on fitness again, I knew I needed to do something different and that running wasn't going to be able to be the main part of my routine. That's when I started doing Chloe's programs after a lucky internet search led me to her 2019-2021 challenges. During my first program, one of the days included a lower body workout with resistance bands and option for a dumbbell for squats - my first time ever doing a sumo squat. I really enjoyed the video and I was having fun working out for the first time ever in my life. I didn't even have a dumbbell, just a big water bottle! (I was later able to find some 10lb dumbbells at a local yard sale and I was thrilled!). It was only 2-3 days during the program where I needed the weights, but I felt so strong and good when I would use them to exercise. I couldn't wait to find a program that would incorporate weights daily.

Fast forward to now and I've completed several of Chloe's dumbbell programs (actually working on 2023 hourglass for the second time!) and they have changed my view of what I'm capable of! I've lost extra weight that was stubborn and wasn't coming off with walking alone, I'm so excited to feel stronger and less easy to tire when doing chores or running errands, and I'm no longer intimidated by the gym and weights. I'm having so much fun and my focus is being strong! I've had the confidence to join a local gym and do some of the components of Chloe's videos there as well as branch out to using other equipment because now I have the baseline knowledge to do so safely and with good form. I can truly say I wouldn't have been able to have that confidence without Chloe's weight based programs and I encourage you to give them a chance even if you're like I was a skeptical and nervous about incorporating weights into your routine! Even if all you have is some water bottles, you might find yourself itching to get some dumbbells and keep moving forward!

Hope this encourages you to try some weights ! :)