Alex F., Carleton Faculty
I have participated in the Lifestyles program since I first came to Carleton in 2007 and it has really made all the difference in the world to me, in terms of my health, weight, and general sense of well-being. I schedule two or three sessions per week most terms. Lifestyles makes it affordable to meet with a coach--in my case Shelley Levi, who is awesome--who knows how to keep the workouts fresh and challenging, how to push you farther than you could ever push yourself, who keeps track of what you have done, so your workouts remain balanced, and who can also advise you about nutrition and general fitness habits. The lifestyles coaches--or maybe mentors is a better word--tailor your session to your particular needs and even to your particular schedule. It is an amazingly effective and incalculably valuable program! Thanks!

Sarah N., Carleton Senior
I was always the last one to finish sprints. I was always the one that couldn’t share clothes with my friends. I was the one that got defeated first by Shelley’s workouts. I was a college athlete, but couldn’t finish a workout without feeling like I was going to puke. I was fit but fat.
Last year at Christmas I was my heaviest at 192 lbs. I was eating poorly, going out too many nights, and avoiding going to the rec center to workout. I realized that I was letting my body fall apart and I needed to make some serious changes in my life if I was going to enjoy the last few years of collegiate volleyball I had. I decided that the only way I was going to conquer one of Shelley’s workouts was to take to take one of her classes, so I signed up for beginner kettlebells that winter term. Those first few sessions I thought I had gone crazy. I couldn’t figure out why I had at one point felt that this was a good idea. I was sore, still feeling defeated, and I wanted to give up. Shelley, however, had different plans. She could see I was struggling, and continuously pushed me and encouraged me, and made my stick with it. Gradually, the workouts went from something I dreaded to a time I actually enjoyed. I realized I was feeling great after workouts, I noticed my hitting started to improve in volleyball open gyms, and I started to have some confidence in my athletic self I didn’t have before.
Still, I wasn’t feeling as great as I wanted to. I was still eating unhealthy and kettlebells was only twice a week. It was during last year’s spring break that I had a “mid-college crisis”. It finally hit me that I only had two more years of volleyball. I had always dreamed of one day being the player that every team dreaded to face, but every off season I always told myself I had the following year to do it. I didn’t have the option of saying that anymore. If I wanted to have an accomplished season, I needed to make the changes right then and there.
I also come from an obese family where red meat is often the main course, where more soda is bought than milk, and where more ice cream is gone through in a week than vegetables. I have seen both of my parents deal with medical challenges and be incapable of doing things with my brother and me because of their weight and health. That wasn’t something I wanted to experience. I was scared that would happen to me if I didn’t get my lifestyle under control at a young age. I wasn’t going to short myself in how I could live my life.I knew that making this many changes and making them permanent would mean that I would need someone helping me along the way.
I knew immediately I could put my trust in Shelley. She had been so encouraging during the kettlebell class, and I knew as one of my volleyball coaches that she understood my goals as an athlete. I told her about my goals, and why I wanted to do this. We talked about my desires and my fears. She walked me through a healthy daily diet plan and we also decided on a workout routine that would not only help me shed fat, but also help me gain muscle.
At first it was a huge struggle. My body went through the same shock and soreness as it did during beginner kettlebells and I craved certain foods to the point that I had to get up in leave if I saw someone eating them. But it didn’t take long to notice the effect this lifestyle change was having on my body. I noticed after just a couple of weeks of eating healthier and organic foods that my skin cleared up, my hair felt healthier, and I felt fuller for longer periods of time. Kettlebells became something that I would look forward to, volleyball open gyms didn’t feel so exhausting, and I started realizing that this was going to result is something great. By the end of my second term of kettlebells, I was using kettlebells that were at least double the weight I started with in January, if not more, and I even met the kettlebell snatch requirement for certification (100 snatches in less than five minutes with a 16kg kettlebell). I couldn’t believe what I was doing. Everything was working like Shelley said it would.
I picked up my training during the summer to six days a week for about two hours a day. I did cardio, heavy lifting, plyometrics, swimming workouts, jumping workouts; anything that I felt could make me a better volleyball player. I put up with the taunting and yelling from my parents about my new eating habits and had to buy my own food for the summer. I cut back my meat intake to only chicken and fish, whole-wheat carbs only, and several pounds of yams and vegetables every week. I was witnessing my body changing form. It felt like I was continuously having to buy smaller shorts and tailoring my formal clothing. While that cost a lot of money, I figured it was better than having to buy bigger pants and shirts. By the time I arrived for volleyball pre-season I had dropped fifteen pounds, and I know by my proportions I had turned a lot of fat into muscle. While my weight leveled out, my body was still changing and I still continued to buy smaller sizes. I went from 192 pounds to 175 pounds and I went from a size 10-12 to a size 6. My body feels phenomenal and my self confidence has skyrocketed.
Because I have experienced the lifestyles program at Carleton in a slightly different way than most (through coaching and an athlete standpoint), it wasn’t really the one-on-one training or workout routines that I got from Shelley. What I experienced working with Shelley was an overflowing amount of encouragement, support, and compassion. She was the one that would push me through workouts when I was crying and tell me how proud she was and that she knew I could do it, she was the one I could turn to when my family tried to fight what I was doing, she was the one that could relate to why I wanted this so badly, she was the one friend who didn’t think I was crazy and that I wouldn’t change, she was the one that kept me going. I had the fire in me, but Shelley kept poking the coals and kept me going when I wanted to throw in the towel. During the volleyball season, she made me feel like I had my own personal cheerleader at every practice and game. When I was feeling frustrated or upset in games, Shelley would always get my attention and reassure me that I could do it.
While I work with Shelley in situations that are often different from several of her clients, I know she is just as caring and supportive of every single person she works with. Whether it is rehab or simply wanting to change how you are living your life, I have full confidence that Shelley would have the tools necessary to not only physically change you, but also help you build your mental confidence, all while being your biggest fan.
I am now one of the first players done with sprints, I can exchange clothes with other girls on the team, I can make it through a Shelley workout using heavier weights than most people, and I have become that player that every team scouts and tries to prepare for. Working out is still exhausting and Shelley still knows how to kick my butt in any workout, but I now love the feeling of a good workout instead of dreading it. I feel confident when I wear dresses and I don’t feel the need the hide my body. Instead, I flaunt it and show off my new found confidence. I wanted to make the change, but Shelley made the change attainable, and that’s something I appreciate more than I could ever explain.