NAME, AGE & HOMETOWN

Sheri Grote, 42, West Harrison, Indiana

HI SHERI GROTE!  TELLS US A LITTLE ABOUT YOU!

I am a Registered Veterinary Nurse and a Veterinary Practice Manager (20 years now!) and have always loved my career and feel extremely lucky to do what I love to do! I decided to continue my education many years after my first nursing degree to finish a Bachelor’s in Management while raising my family and working full time.  It was one of the best decisions I ever made as shortly after found myself a single mom raising two young children on my solo income. I am divorced and have two children, 12 and 8, who keep me more than busy!  Fitness has been a big part of my adult life-which is a far cry from my teenage years where I used to walk the required mile at school!  Music and working out are my two hobbies I can selfishly call my own.

WHAT THINGS HAPPENED THAT LED TO YOU WORK WITH JULIE LOHRE AS YOUR ONLINE PERSONAL TRAINER?

I love variety and always looking to keep my workouts fresh.  I also know that as we get older, strength training becomes even more important (physically) to maintain muscle mass and bone density. I realized I needed to back off the high cardio load workout schedule and incorporate more strength conditioning. I had been doing kettlebell training for awhile but needed something I could do more than once a week if I really wanted to make a single mom fitness transformation.  I knew how important it was to find someone who really knew what they were doing to guide me along the way.  

TELL US ABOUT YOUR SINGLE MOM FITNESS TRANSFORMATION

I have done a variety of things and am proud of each one for different reasons.  I have run two Half Marathons and several 10K and 5K races and I am most grateful for what it taught me about mental stamina.  Getting through a 13 mile race when you are not an endurance runner made me understand how we can trick our bodies into doing what we think is impossible. I completed two Urban Runs and one Tough Mudder race and the mental challenges along with testing of strength led to such great experiences.  In those races I had to do things that scared me so much I left a different person!  I have also participated (and took 2^ndplace) in a canoe race even thought I am scared to death of water J  I will literally do anything that pushes me to try something new.  I love to have different goals to keep challenging myself.

WHAT UNIQUE CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED IN YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY TOWARD YOUR FITNESS COMPETITION?

I began my fitness journey after my son was born, with weight loss and aesthetics being the main focus.  Working out and calorie restriction became a focus which mentally alleviated (or what I thought, controlled) other stressors in my life. It quickly became an obsession and an outlet.  I literally started running to escape my emotional and mental concerns and unfortunately I allowed the scale to affect my self worth.  Although I thought I was doing good for my body, over the years it became more of a battleground for self loathing because I was doing it for the wrong reasons. As skinny as I became or as far as I could run, it never satisfied me.  Calorie counting and the amount of time spent working out each week became my biggest hidden habits and all consuming.  I stopped having periods and eventually had to go on insulin-like medication due to metabolic syndrome.  

Then, about five years ago I was introduced to a physical therapist who is also a strength trainer.  The very first question he asked me is “Why do you work out?”  I answered him with the standard responses of “to look good” and “to be fit”.  His response was stern and factual as he told me I needed to lose that twisted mindset and realize it’s about being strong. Strength in your mind becomes strength in your body.  His response is what changed my life in terms of how I viewed my body (over time), and the appropriate mental state in which I needed to grow from a self destructive model of fitness to a healthy, STRONG best version of myself.   I learned to train for functionality, safety, and health. I learned to train to strengthen my mind so the physicality of training made sense.  I learned to quit punishing my body for things I couldn’t control and instead reward my body by challenging it and allowing it to do physical things I never thought possible.  I learned I am much stronger-mentally, physically, and emotionally-than I ever thought.  It makes me happy to push myself, reach goals, and grow stronger in mind and body and over the years has made me realize how the mental fortitude that comes from training my body helps in many other aspects of daily life and trials and struggles.  I am beyond excited that I have been able to make this single mom fitness transformation! Being strong gives me the courage to face what life throws at me because through training I have learned my mind and body can do so much more than I think.  

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT ONLINE TRAINING WITH JULIE LOHRE?

I remembered a good friend of mine has a sister who had trained with you a few years back and was so impressed with how she changed her body.  When I decided I wanted to take my training to the next level I knew I wanted to find out who she had worked with. 

WHEN YOU FIRST CONSIDERED ONLINE TRAINING, DID YOU HAVE CONCERNS??

My initial concerns were that I wouldn’t have the equipment (and didn’t want to pay for a gym membership and the program) and also that the just how the workouts would fit into my routine with family and work.  I always found the time to workout before but with very specific times and workouts I was a little concerned with that.   But it all worked out fine. 

Sheri Grote
Single Mom Fitness Transformation

HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?  HOW HAS YOUR OUTLOOK ABOUT YOUR BODY AND YOUR LIFE CHANGED?

I feel great!  I have learned so much more about the nutritional component of training.  I understand calorie deficit and restriction, but changing the macros to what I am trying to accomplish AND eating more frequently definitely causes noticeable differences!!!!

And yes, want to continue to see what my body is capable of!

WHAT IS THE BEST AND WORST PART ABOUT WORKING WITH JULIE LOHRE?

I looove how positive and upbeat Julie is!!! I also like how I feel she listens and it is truly a one-on-one training program.  Everyone is so uniquely different I like how it seems as if this is MY program, for me! 

For the worst part… Gosh, well I wish sometimes she were here to tell me if I was doing an exercise correctly!  And I will admit I think I maybe would push myself a tad bit more if someone was in person with me. That said, I have loved this experience and you have pushed me to grow-everything I wanted!

Online Personal Training Success
Sheri Grote