Hello. My name is Darlene and I refer to myself as the Stealth tortoise. You all know the story of the tortoise and the hare, so I consider myself the Stealth tortoise, running my own race toward success.
This week marks my 120 day streak using the Stealth. For many out there in Stealth Nation, the other numbers I may quote will seem insignificant, but for me, it’s a big success story and I’m only just getting started. I’ve logged just under 9 hours on the Stealth in those 120 days. When I started, I was doing under a minute on the Stealth, but now, I’m up to 8-11 minutes every day. Little did I know when I purchased the Stealth in May, that I would be getting much more than a planking gaming machine. Instead, it has brought me challenges for the Stealth plus other fitness objectives which, for me, have made this impulse purchase of mine much more valuable. It also brought me a large community of Stealthers who encourage each other and inspire me.
Beginning June 1st, I’ve participated in the monthly Stealth Nation challenges. Each month included time on the Stealth, but also an outside challenge. First month was micro workouts. These two minute routines taught me some great ways to use my stealth outside of the games; I’ve continued referring back to these often. In August, we were challenged to add a 5000 step walk to our daily routine. I met that challenge, never missing a day and by the end of the month, I was walking 60-65 minutes every day, getting in 7000-8000 steps during my walks and averaging over 10000 steps a day in total. I’ve missed a couple days in September, but have continued on with this goal, steadily increasing the amount of steps I take in the 60-70 minutes of morning exercise.
The results. To be clear, when I purchased the Stealth, I had no thought that the Stealth would help me lose weight. Like many of you out there, I’ve tried various ways to lose weight and all I can say it is very hard to accomplish and maintain weight loss. So, when I bought the Stealth, my goal was to lose inches. Weight is simply a number on the scale, but inches are an outward physical thing. I frankly do not know if I would have achieved that goal without the additional exercise routines encouraged and sponsored by Stealth Nation, but I have been achieving the goal of losing inches. Since beginning on the Stealth, I have lost 1-2 inches in every critical measurement - chest, waist, hips and thighs. My clothes fit better, and I have a lot more energy. In the past month, I have added in Intermittent Fasting to my daily routine and trying out some of the lean meal protocols offered through Stealth Nation to see if I can also begin to lose some weight. To date, I’ve lost 4 pounds of the 25-30 pounds I’d like to eventually lose.
I’m going to continue being the tortoise continuing on to my goals and practices. I’m setting practices to last me the rest of my lifetime so there is no rush to get to “the end.” Instead, I hope to steadily improve every month, adjusting and making incremental improvements in the hopes that I can achieve a lifelong fitness habit that is sustainable and fun for me. For all my Stealth brethren, thank you for your encouragement, example, and joy you share so freely. Stealth on!
-Darlene