Forty, Fit, and Fabulous!

By Sue Mosebar, Executive Editor

Who: Kristen Leventis
Age: 40
Location: Canton, MI
Occupation: Business Analyst; mother of two
Goals: Shed at least 10 pounds of bodyfat and build muscle and fitness, especially in her arms and legs.

"The older I get, the better I feel! I don't know what could be better than that!"

That's not something you hear every day from a busy, working mother of two. But that's exactly what Kristen Leventis of Canton, Michigan, said just days after her fortieth birthday.

Even more impressive is that Kristen was no couch potato. In fact, she's been athletic all her life and even enjoyed a stint as an aerobics instructor back in the "big hair" '80's (sporting a stunning collection of leg warmers no less!). "I've always been athletic, involved in sports, and pretty much worked out," Kristen explains.

Yet recently, Kristen found she was no longer happy with her body. "I felt like I just needed a change. I didn't feel good about myself," she says. Even though she had always been active, she knew she needed to try something different to fine-tune her physique.

In the Beginning... Was an Ad

Flipping through a popular women's fitness magazine, Kristen came across an advertisement one day for Lean System 7 and something resonated with her. Something real and authentic. And as a result, Kristin decided to give it a try. "Most of the time, I'm pretty skeptical," explains Kristen. "But I was looking for a change and thought, what the heck? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. That ad really helped get me going. "

Now Kristen enjoyed cardio. But weight training was another story. "I was never a fan of weight training. I tried a little bit of weight training with the Bowflex I have at home. But mostly I did cardio exercise about four times a week, and I would throw in a few sets of leg extensions and various exercises on the Bowflex," Kristen said.

With her cardio-based exercise program, combined with eating the right foods in the right combinations five to six times a day, in addition to supplementing with Lean System 7, Kristen started to see some pretty impressive results—fast. In fact, in her first four months, she went from 148 lbs down to 131 lbs—losing a total of 17 lbs. This was astonishing to her because she didn't even think she had that much to lose.

Kristen explains, "At the start of my Program, I wanted to lose a few pounds. I had no idea I would lose that much! I thought I could lose maybe 10 lbs and attain some muscle definition, especially in my arms. But I was really surprised with what I accomplished. I give all the credit for my transformation to Lean System 7. It helped me tremendously. And I've been ecstatic with the results ever since."

With her new, fabulous body, Kristen enjoys spending time by the pool in the summer.

A Fitness Turning Point

After Kristen had started using Lean System 7, she received an email invitation from the support staff at iSatori to their online Support Center and Message Board. This invitation would turn out to be the biggest turning point in Kristen's fitness experience.

Kristen explains, "I was just thrilled when I first found out about the Lean System 7 Support Center and Message Board. The first visit really kicked my motivation into high gear. I wanted to lose a few more pounds, so I put a post out there, and immediately, several people responded to my questions, and I thought, 'This is the coolest thing!' Then once I started posting a daily journal, I found it was a tremendous help for staying focused and doing what I needed to do. Every day I would post an entry gave me that much more motivation to keep going."

Kristen also started learning how to improve on her already impressive results. For instance, before the Message Board, she had never heard of "HIIT" (High-Intensity Interval Training), and she avoided the weight room. But now she found the encouragement she needed to completely transform her exercise program.

Though she had been exercising most of her life, she found the new exercise program, incorporating weights and high-intensity cardio, to be a lot more challenging than anything she had done in the past. She was accustomed to exercising about four days a week. But her new program upped her training to six days a week (three days cardio and three days weight training). "That was very new to me," says Kristen, "And it was pretty tough to get used to. Admittedly, staying that focused and that determined for over a year has been something of a challenge at times."

Fortunately, Kristen found the key to meeting this challenge has been the support from the Lean System 7 Message Board. "I can't go a day without going on that board," Kristen proudly shares. "The people are wonderful. And I continue to learn every day. I'm really blown away by the whole community."

The Results

With Kristen's athletic background, you might think she would have a pretty clear idea of how to best keep track of her progress. But in fact, she didn't have any idea what bodyfat percentage was and gauged her results solely on the bathroom scale. Which, as she later found out, never tells the complete story!

This was another lesson she learned from the people she met on the Message Board: weight isn't so important, but bodyfat percentage is. They taught her that the transformation of body composition, lean body mass versus bodyfat, is what matters most in terms of how you look and the overall shape of your physique. After losing the initial 17 lbs, Kristen bought an AccuMeasure bodyfat caliper and measured her bodyfat at 20%.

That's when she started following Stephen Adele's 8-Week Program, again with the advice from her new friends on the Message Board. With this new training program, she dropped down to 16%. Kristen has continued fine-tuning her workout program, with both weights and cardio, and enjoys seeing more and more impressive results.

Kristen happily explains, "I'm no longer too concerned with the weight loss. I'm just looking to maintain where I am as far as weight, but I want to have more muscle definition and more lean mass."

Kristen also enjoys some other "side effects" from her new lifestyle, such as more energy and greater confidence. In Kristen's words, "I feel better about myself, and I think that shows through in everything I do. Plus, it's really great getting compliments! The reactions you get, especially from people who haven't seen you in a while, are sometimes pretty amazing."

Another benefit for Kristen is her new deep and meaningful friendships with the people she's met on the Message Board. She occasionally enjoys sharing encouragement by phone as well as online. She has since hired Shari Friedman, one of the knowledgeable moderators, to train her to take her physique to the next level. "That's been fun! Shari's one tough cookie, but she's really helping me out," said Kristen. The results speak for themselves: Kristen still weighs about 130 lbs but is now down to a jaw-dropping 12% bodyfat!

A Time to Give Back

With such impressive results, it's no surprise that people are now following in Kristen's footsteps to achieve their own success. She's often asked how she did it. And she loves being able to share support and encouragement.

"I now find myself visiting the Message Board to help other people. To give them encouragement to reach their goals," says Kristen. "I want to encourage other women in their 30's and 40's who have had kids—you can get your body back!"

Whenever she's asked, "What do I do?" Kristen shares that the most important thing is to set a goal and then determine what they're going to do and how they're going to do it. "Have a plan. From day one. This is what I'm going to do. This is how I'm going to get there, and stick with it," says Kristen.

This former cardio queen also emphasizes that cardio's not enough. "Cardio's an important part, but the weight training is just as important," she says.

Kristen's also discovered that when people are trying to change their bodies, one of the biggest mistakes they make is to starve themselves, so she explains why eating five to six times a day is best. "I was always one who would try to cut back on calories and not eat as much, and I have found that that's not the best way to get results. You have to eat!"

Kristen doesn't just share her enthusiasm for her new lifestyle online. She's also made it a family affair. "My husband now trains with me. He's caught my bug," she laughs. Another positive is that Kristen and her husband are setting a good example for their two boys, ages 10 and 14. This last summer, they bought new tennis rackets for the whole family and they started hitting the courts together as well as getting out and riding bikes together. "We can all get out as a family and get some exercise and fresh air. That's a lot of fun for all of us," Kristen shares.

Setting the Next Stage

Kristen is still following the same path she created for herself. She keeps plugging away, setting new higher goals for herself. She'd like to see even more definition. "I just turned 40, and I just want to be awesome into my 50's. I'm always experimenting with new things. I like to try new exercises, changing up my cardio. I'm currently training for my first 5K race at the end of this month.

Kristen shares that her new lifestyle has become so ingrained that she sometimes forgets where she's been: "You know, sometimes I think I really haven't made that much progress, but when I look back at old pictures, I can't believe them. It may not look significant to me now because I'm getting used to my new physique, but when I look at those old pictures, I think, 'Oh my gosh, I cannot believe the change!' And I feel awesome about that, and I just want to stay focused and committed. I definitely don't want to go back there. So, I think that helps keep me motivated to go forward. Once you meet a goal, it's a good idea to reenergize with another goal, that way you can just keep plugging away!"

Kristen's intense exercise program and healthy eating plan allow her to always be in "bikini shape."

* Kristen's Typical Daily Nutrition Plan *

Meal 1: Eggbeaters, scrambled, and 2 slices whole-wheat toast with 1 slice of fat-free cheese

Meal 2: Light-N-Fit yogurt with fresh blueberries and low-fat cheese stick

Meal 3: Mixed greens with cucumbers, red pepper, almonds, turkey breast, low-fat feta cheese, and no-fat Italian dressing

Meal 4: Pure Protein Bar

Meal 5: Eat-Smart MRP (Strawberry Cheesecake)

Meal 6: Cottage cheese

* Kristen's Current Workout Schedule *

MONDAY: Legs

TUESDAY: Outdoor running 4 miles/40 minutes

WEDNESDAY: AM—Chest/Triceps/Abs; PM—Moderate cardio (treadmill/Nordic Track)

THURSDAY: Legs

FRIDAY: Abs and Triceps

SATURDAY: Back/Biceps/Shoulders

SUNDAY: Free Day

Kristen's Example Leg Training

15-minute warm-up on treadmill

Front Barbell Squat
3 sets of 15 reps @ 45 lbs

Superset with Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
3 sets of 15 reps @ 45 lbs

Lateral High Hops
3 sets of 15 reps

Supersetted with Walking Dumbbell Lunges
3 sets of 16 reps @ 15 lbs

Dumbbell Step-Ups
3 sets of 15 reps each leg @ 15 lbs

Supersetted with Lying Hamstring Curls
3 sets of 15 @ 50 lbs (25 lbs each side of Bowflex)

Calf Raises 3 sets of 25 reps @ 20 lbs

Stretch

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