Today on Fit Mama Friday, meet Nikki Hynes, a personal trainer, Fitness Accountability Coach and mama of two children, Madison, 13 and Matthew, 10. Nikki is a blogger whom I actually ‘met’ through Instagram. Her fitness story is inspiring – after many years of struggling with weight issues, Nikki found herself feeling terrible and at an unhealthy weight. She turned to exercise to begin her weight loss journey, which led to her losing over 100 pounds and becoming a NASM certified trainer and health coach! Nikki blogs at Get Fit With Nikki, which you should definitely check out for her expert, empathetic approach to fitness and health.
Meet Nikki.
Tell us a little bit about your fitness background – you had struggled with your weight for a long time, right?
Over the past six years, I’ve fallen in love with health and fitness. Which is something I NEVER thought I would say in life.
I have always struggled with my weight. For as long as I can remember I was always the “fat girl” in the group. My weight issues began around Junior High School when I started hanging out with my friends and finding a love of crappy fast food. I continued to pack on the pounds in High School and I was miserable. Being overweight at a time when you begin to like boys is not cool. I hated my body and felt bad for myself, so I’d eat more food because it made me feel better. Then I would look in the mirror, hate myself and begin eating again. The cycle would just keep starting over and I didn’t know how to stop. It was the definition of insanity.
When did you first start trying to lose weight?
I’d tried for many years to lose weight. My weight became an issue for me towards the end of middle school and it kept going up through High School and college, but I never really tried to change anything at that point. It wasn’t until I met Mike (my husband of 16 years) and we became engaged that I really applied myself, but it was short-lived. I joined a gym and would go to use the treadmill, but then I used how hard it was to find parking as my excuse for not going anymore – we lived in Brooklyn, NY at the time and parking is rough. After that I joined Weight Watchers and had some success, but I wasn’t really learning how to eat, I was just figuring out how to make a Big Mac and cookies fit into my points for the week. As the wedding came closer I started using Slim Fast for a quick fix. All of it was in vain because I didn’t learn how to be active and eat properly, so I ballooned up even more after the honeymoon was over.
I would look for the magical answer and expect my body to just shed 20 pounds overnight, which was just crazy. It was desperate of me, now that I look back. None of them worked because I wasn’t learning how to eat properly and I wasn’t addressing my emotional dependency with food.
Clearly something ended up clicking for you – what happened to make you realize you were unhealthy and needed to make a permanent lifestyle change?
It was when I was pregnant with my daughter, weighing in at probably my all-time highest ever, and I only gained 5 pounds while pregnant with her. I managed to lose some weight between my two pregnancies (my children are three years apart) but after my son was born I gained it all back.
In May of 2009, I heard of a program called P90X. I was intrigued by the program and I felt this burning within me to do it. It was very weird and very scary because this was an extreme program and I barely knew what the inside of a gym looked like. I decided to make some changes on my own and if I could stick with them, I would try the program.
In the beginning, I started by tweaking my diet and adding cardio. I then added yoga workouts to my daily routine. By September 2009 I had lost 30 pounds and decided it was time to give P90X a shot. I was instantly addicted to it and developed a Love/Hate relationship with Tony Horton. (One of my fitness highlights was eventually meeting him and sharing my story with him!). Unfortunately in early November, I re-injured two herniated discs in my lower back while at work and I had to stop my workouts until January 2010, when I jumped back into P90X. I had to modify a few exercises in each DVD so I would not re-injure myself, but I didn’t allow my injury to be an excuse, which is something I would have milked for all its worth in the past.
And social media played a part in your weight loss as well, right?
Yes! In January 2010 when I restarted the P90X program, I discovered a beautiful thing called hashtags on Twitter. Through the P90X hashtag, I found an amazing group of people who all started the same day as I did and we began to check in with each other and keep motivated. From that I built up such momentum that I never looked back. Working out and eating healthy became habit and my whole life began to change. Accountability was missing for me all along, and I found it in the most unlikely of places. Twitter.
So, what are your weight loss stats to date?
To date, I have lost over 100 pounds since I started my journey in May 2009. I have gone from a tight size 16 to a size 4 and back up to a size 6, since I have been focusing on building lean muscle now. I have maintained these results for four years and because of that, I opted to have a tummy tuck in the spring of 2012. I needed to remove some of the excess skin I had and repair my abdominal muscles, which were side effects of being overweight for so long, being pregnant twice and losing as much weight as I did.
That’s amazing! Congratulations!
And then you changed careers to work in the fitness industry and help others. How easy was that career change decision for you? Did you ever second guess yourself, or wonder if you were making a mistake?
It was an interesting shift for me. I had been wanting to make the change but it was so far outside of my comfort zone that I was scared to do it. One Friday afternoon at the end of my work shift, I received a text message telling me that they no longer needed me and it was my last shift. After that, I began looking into personal training certifications. It took me a few months to finally commit because of fear. I have always hated the gym, so how could I possibly train someone if I didn’t want to work in a gym? So, I picked the brains of local trainers and friends I knew in the field before I finally enrolled with NASM. I guess in a lot of ways the Universe stepped in and made the decision for me.
What have been the biggest changes to your role as a mama, since you lost 100 pounds? Did anything surprise you on your weight loss journey?
The biggest change came with being able to keep up with the demands of being a mom. I was no longer winded and out of breath from cleaning up toys, going up and down the stairs or just trying to play at the park with my son. My typical routine before I began working out would be to finish what the kids didn’t eat as breakfast or lunch and once they were in bed, I would sit and eat ice-cream while watching TV because I was frustrated and exhausted. I was always an emotional eater and I ate my frustration and disappointment with myself on a daily basis. Eating healthier and adding exercise changed all of that. I no longer wanted to be a couch potato. It was an amazing feeling.
It was also a pleasant surprise when my son would come into the living room and try to do a P90X workout with me. While he doesn’t like to be as active as he should all the time now (thank you technology) he does still come and join me anytime he hears Tony Horton’s voice coming from the TV and he does enjoy heading out to the fitness trail at our local recreation center from time to time. My daughter on the other hand says she appreciates my determination but rarely joins me. I did however recently get her to agree to do some yoga with me at least once a week. It’s a step in the right direction and at least I know I’m being a positive role model for them.
My husband has also been joining me with different programs and has embraced clean eating much better than the kids have. We have completed a few programs together and he’s even joined me in running.
Since changing your eating habits and breaking that cycle of emotional eating, what’s different about the way your family eats? Is it something you’ve discussed with your kids?
I wish I lost my weight when my daughter was baby so healthy eating would have been the norm. Unfortunately, she was 8 and my son was 5 so they both already knew what chicken nuggets, McDonald’s and other junk food was. Meal time can be tricky since they are not big veggie lovers, but they have been trying more and haven’t noticed some of the swaps I’ve made with items like bread, making my own healthier cookies and sneaking puréed veggies into different dishes.
They are both starting to like helping in the kitchen, which is really nice. They always tend to be more willing to taste what they help to make!
Even though they help they don’t always eat what we do, so I always have other options on hand and I try to balance them out as best I can.
I speak openly with them about why certain foods they want are not healthy and what healthier options they have. I want to educate them, not just tell them, “You can’t eat this or that.” I never say “I’m trying to be good” or stuff like that because I don’t believe in that. I speak openly about moderation and eating what I like when I really want it, but not over doing it. I also explain why I say no to certain “treats” which has opened up conversations about goal setting, working toward goals and sacrifices that you make to reach them.
And what are your current workout and eating habits like?
My current workout and eating routine is the 21 Day Fix, which I love because it focuses on healthy eating with portion control. I absolutely love cooking and trying new recipes and this program inspires me to become creative in the kitchen. The other plus is that it has me working out 7 days a week but for only 30 minutes a day. Being a mom and trying to run your own business can leave you REALLY short on time. I’m able to squeeze these workouts in without a problem and most importantly, I feel challenged by them! It also has me doing yoga and Pilates which I know is good for my body but if left to my devices, I would totally skip.
I am also itching to get back into running once these temperatures warm up a little. Running is another love/hate relationship of mine. I was doing great with it and then let the heat of the summer time derail me. It’s time to get back at it because I have a goal of running a Disney Half Marathon!
Congratulations again, Nikki, your story is such an inspiration to anyone who’s struggling with their weight and health. I’m so happy you’ve worked towards such a healthy lifestyle – thanks so much for being part of Fit Mama Friday!
You can connect with Nikki via her blog, Get Fit With Nikki, on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
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