I’m fifty-four years old. A year and a half ago, I was overweight and weak. I was exiting and entering cars awkwardly and groaning every time I stood up. I decided it was time for a change, so I quit drinking alcohol and cut almost all of the junk out of my diet. I got down to a good weight for me, but I didn’t feel significantly better, and I knew, from experience, that weight loss doesn’t last unless you change your life. So, I started working out a little bit, at home, with hand weights and I started doing planks. I posted something on Facebook about planking and my newsfeed was suddenly filled with ads for the Stealth. I was immediately attracted to it because planking is boring, and I knew that I was never going to get much beyond ninety seconds unless I had something to distract myself. Meanwhile, summer came, and I started swimming laps in our neighborhood pool every day, still eying the Stealth ads. When the summer ended and the pool closed, I took a chance and ordered my Stealth.
The Stealth has been life changing. I can feel the difference in everything I do. I get into and out of cars easily and I can feel the strength in every part of my body. I love the games and I look forward to my morning routine so much. I turn the music and sound effects off so that I can listen to books or music while I play. I love how the app keeps track of my streak and my stats. I love filtering the leaderboard and seeing my name amongst all of the names that have become familiar to me, the fifty-something women who are crushing it every day. I don’t know you, ladies, but in my mind, we are a gang of awesome women supporting each other and urging each other on and I love that we actually do that in the Stealth Nation Facebook group.
My photos don’t show a lot of change, but I know it’s there because I can feel it. I will never be an “after” because I will never be done with this. I’m hoping to retire in two years, and I want to be able to enjoy my retirement and be as healthy and active as I can be, for as long as possible. I don’t want my options to be limited by lack of strength. I don’t want to sit on the sidelines while other people do fun things. This summer I am going to try to learn to do the butterfly stroke and, someday, I might even try surfing. None of this would be possible without this ingenious device, the brilliant app and the relentless encouragement of Stealth Nation.
My advice to anyone who is struggling is simple--Stealth every day. Do it first thing in the morning so you don’t forget. Find a few games you like, focus on getting good at them, and if they start to get boring try others, even if you originally thought they were clunkers. Watch your stats and take pride in them. No matter how badly you think you’re doing, if you are consistent, you will benefit.
-Carolyn Ives