December 2020 Client Spotlight: Shelbra Bell

Q&A With Our Member of the Month: Shelbra Bell

The last month of 2020 is here and what a crazy ride it’s been for all of us. If any year gave us excuses to slack on our health and fitness, this was the year. December’s spotlight, Shelbra, pushed through this wild year and kept up with her health and fitness goals. This has been Shelbra’s year to hit multiple PRs and improve herself mentally, emotionally and physically. Her genuine smile, and contagious laugh makes everyone feel at home while they sweat away. Read on and be inspired by Shelbra’s awesome story! We love having you in our No Limits Fitness family and are proud to be a part of your journey.



Q: What is your favorite inspirational quote?

A: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” 

- Will Durant

 

Q: What are your personal health and fitness goals?

A: Increase my education of health and fitness by studying my body and learning from professionals. I want to understand more of what is good for me. In my vegan diet, I miss out on several nutrients needed for my body to be healthy and strong. Additionally, I intend to pay attention to fat loss and not just the pounds that are shown on the scale. 


Q: What ONE thing keeps you most focused and motivated to continue to work hard to reach your goals? 
  A: Recognizing physical AND mental results keeps me motivated! When I can look in the mirror and feel confident & accomplished, I am driven to keep pressing forward.


Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started with us?

A: Originally from Memphis, TN, I have been in the area for 2.5 years and a coworker mentioned the gym and the style of workout to me. I decided to give it a try due to my ignorance of working out in an open floor gym. I completed the week trial and I have been hooked ever since!


Q: How has No Limits Fitness made a difference in your life?
  A: Honestly, I am not sure where to start! The confidence, the peace of mind, the sanity and stability; the lifeline that it provides to my daily life. I am more motivated and encouraged in daily life and I am much more confident! I have more discussions with folks about health and wellness more so than I was doing prior to joining.


Q: What kinds of milestones have you accomplished and what specific results have you achieved so far?
  A: Milestones - Paying attention to my body and honoring it when I need a physical break. Prior to joining, I would “push through” causing other injuries; that’s dumb! Now, I’m more educated and adjust my workouts as necessary.
Specific Results - I see back muscles when I look in the mirror! That is HUGE for me because I have always dreamed of having a nice, toned back!


Q. What made you decide to join No Limits Fitness?
  A: Initially, the staff and members! Everyone was professional, encouraging and caring. There was no competition mode when we worked out; we were all at our own pace in our own body. I love that! Also, the structure. Not being educated on the physical body and knowing what exercises target which muscles was challenging for me in an open floor gym. NLF does it all for me and has since educated me to allow me to be more comfortable working out outside of the gym.

 

 

Q. What was the obstacle that almost prevented you from joining?
  A: I already had a membership at a different gym when I joined. Applying economical thought almost prevented me from joining because I was thinking about the money that I’d be wasting. Joining has been the absolute best decision I have ever made for my physical being!

 

 

Q. What has exceeded your expectations since joining?
  A: Physically, I am seeing muscles that I did not know were in the human body before I started seeing results.
Mentally, joining has created a safe space internally. I think better thoughts, I am more confident. I LOVE who I am becoming. I didn’t realize I’d be exercising mentally as well.


Q. What would you say to someone on the fence about making a change & committing to their goals?

A: Getting started is the hard part! Once you get the momentum going, believe in yourself and see results, it becomes a lifestyle; the commitment will become an indirect result.

 

Q. What is your “word” for this year?
  A: Unicorn. The goals that I  plan to achieve physically will not be like anything I have seen on myself before. Thus, unicorn :-)


We are so proud of you, Shelbra! Keep up the amazing work. If you know Shelbra, or her journey has made an impact on you, then leave her a comment!

About No Limits

No Limits Fitness provides step-by-step programs to help busy adults get the body they’ve always wanted, without restrictive diets or time-consuming workouts, so they can lead more fulfilling lives. Life is a much better experience in a strong, healthy body!

Recent Posts

By Juan Perez 03 May, 2024
Every year millions of people make the resolution to improve their fitness. It’s not exactly a secret that the majority of these good intentions will quickly turn into empty promises. When you first get started, your excitement and energy are high and it’s easy to feel like you’re in control and that your will power alone will help you through the difficult days ahead. The reality is that you’ll probably have more days when you don’t “feel” like training. This is the reason we preach Standards Over Feelings because we understand how fundamental this is for human behavior. There have been several studies on human behavior that have helped identify the single biggest predictor of success when it comes to long-term consistency with your fitness. It’s not keeping a gym bag ready and with you at all times…although this helps. Setting your gym clothes out the night before is a great idea…but it’s still not the determining factor. Surprisingly it’s not even having an accountability partner. Schedule in advance when and where you’ll do your training. Everything else is simply in support of this habit. Being accountable to someone you don’t want to disappoint is incredibly helpful, but if you haven’t taken that first step, accountability falls short. Having been that accountability piece for hundreds of people, I’ve been ignored and ghosted more times than I can count. Even my sister stopped responding to text messages and phone calls at one point. (I called our mother but apparently you can’t put an adult on restriction). Scheduling in advance WHEN and WHERE you’ll workout is the single most important step to developing consistency with your fitness. This helps you develop integrity with yourself…if you say you’ll do something, that thing gets done. Period. Show up like a boss and bosses don’t cancel. Your training is time on your calendar dedicated to getting better. The workouts on your calendar become non-negotiable. You don’t wake up and see how you “feel” because you already know there will be days you don’t “feel” like it. In advance, you schedule your training where it best fits into your life with your responsibilities. Once you’ve planned your work, you show up and work the plan. If you fail to plan the work, you’re significantly increasing the likelihood of failure. Ask someone that has been remarkably consistent with their fitness if they know when and where they’ll workout.  This has already been decided. Their feelings aren’t involved in the process. If you truly want to be consistent with your fitness, this habit is a must: Schedule in advance when and where you’ll workout.
By Will Matthiessen 19 Apr, 2024
Crunches.  The go-to core exercise for a lot of gym goers. Yet, it’s one of the worst ab exercises you can do. Shocking, I know. You’re probably wondering why it’s one of the worst. Crunches put force on your spine and oftentimes strain on your neck. They force your spine into flexion, which is generally what people are told not to do in order to protect their back. Aside from the pressure it puts on your spine, crunches don’t activate your core muscles to the extent that a lot of other dynamic core exercises do. If your goal is to have sculpted abs like a lifeguard on Baywatch, crunches are not your solution. Aside from the aesthetic aspect, a strong core is important for your body’s balance and stability, posture, and reduction of back pain and other injuries. If you want to develop a rock hard core, here is a list of exercises better than the old fashioned crunches that you can start incorporating into your workouts: The Hard Style Plank Put your forearms on the ground and your arms set shoulder width apart. Your arms should be parallel to your body. Once you’re up in the plank, imagine squeezing your elbows to your knees and your knees to your elbows. Don’t be surprised if you start shaking like a leaf as soon as you create that tension. Dead Bugs Lie on your back with your arms straight up and your hands above your shoulders. Bend your legs at a 90-degree angle with your toes facing up at the ceiling. Imagine pushing your belly button into the ground and keeping your body tight enough to where if someone was pulling on your limbs, you’d be able to resist it. Next extend your right arm and left leg at the same time, without touching the ground. Keep pushing your belly button into the ground to avoid arching your back. The right leg that is still bent should stay completely still while the other leg is in motion. Bring your arm and leg back into the start position and then switch sides. When it comes to Dead Bugs, one of our favorite sayings applies: “Slowly is holy. Faster is disaster.” If you want to increase the intensity, add a kettlebell to the stationary arm. If you want to significantly increase the intensity, press the kettlebell once you’ve reached the fully extended position. Reverse Crunches Lie down flat with your back on the floor and your legs straight down, toes pointed up. Press your lower back into the floor and pull in your belly button as you lift your legs together up off the floor. Push your heels through the ceiling at the top and slowly lower them back to the ground. Fun, right? Double Kettlebell March Hold two heavy kettlebells in the racked position. Pull your belly button to your knees and your knees to your belly button to find max tension in your core. Once you feel that tension, slowly lift one knee up 90 degrees and then switch legs. Hollow Rocks I’ve saved the worst (I mean best) for last. Lay down on the ground with your legs a little bit off of the ground as well as your shoulder blades and head. With arms extended over your head, rock back and forth like a banana rocking back and forth on a counter. Or a see-saw…take your pick. Alright, now that I’ve given you the secret sauce to getting rock hard abs, it’s time to get to work people!
By Juan Perez 05 Apr, 2024
One of the first recommendations you’ll hear for someone wanting to lose weight is to begin by counting calories. Although weighing your food and counting calories does work for some people, the reality is that this approach to weight loss has an astonishingly high failure rate. If this strategy is “based in science”, why does it fail more than 95% of the time? The Top 3 Issues With Counting Calories The number of calories in the foods you eat are estimates. This is where the concept of counting calories being “based in science” can be misleading. The FDA allows companies to use 5 different formulas to estimate calories and a standard deviation up to 20% is acceptable. This means that something listed as 150 calories exists on a range between 120 calories and 180 calories. How ripe is your banana? The ripeness affects caloric availability. The second issue is that as individuals we each absorb a different amount of the calories from the food we consume. Thirdly, Americans are notoriously bad at determining healthy portion sizes. Our super-sized culture has heavily influenced our concept of a normal sized portion. The good news is that there is another way to lose weight without counting calories. The Three Pillars of Nutrition Whether or not you’re a card-carrying member of Camp Calorie Counters, the foundation of your nutrition is built upon three pillars: Food Quality, Food Quantity and Food Timing. Food Quality All calories are not created equal. The popular 100 calorie snack bags do not offer the same nutritional value as 100 calories from fruits or vegetables. When the majority of your meals are composed of minimally processed single ingredient whole foods (lean protein, fruits and vegetables), you’re more likely to get the micronutrients your body needs to thrive. Food Quantity As mentioned earlier, Americans aren’t known for our skills at eyeballing healthy portion sizes. Although using a food scale to determine portion sizes can be helpful, it isn’t always practical. This is the reason we recommend learning to use your hand as a guide to determine portion sizes. You can’t take a food scale with you everywhere you go but you’re always allowed to bring your hands!
Show More
Share by: