Hannah Forrest | Track Your Progress
How do you find time to balance work, school and gym?
With my work, since I’m an associate I make my own schedule. I have a boss, but in a lot of ways it’s pretty flexible and I’m sort of my own boss. I am really fortunate in that way where I can come up with a routine where I can go to the gym during the day, do my meal preps, and work around that. I am on a program right now where I am on timed nutrition, so I will eat a meal an hour before I work out. I get up in the morning, have that meal, and in the hour where I’m waiting to go to the gym I empty my inbox. Then I head to gym for an hour and a half or two. After that I will come home, or go to the office, or whatever I have to do that day. An hour after that I eat my and, next meal. I am really fortunate with my job in particular to have that flexibility. I know a lot of people don’t have to go early in the morning or late at night. I usually do meal prep every three months, and my roommate is on a similar routine, so we do that together.
Can you give an overview of your training?
I go to the gym six times a week, with Sunday being my rest day. Every day I will work a different part of the body. On Mondays I work glutes, Tuesday I do cardio/core, Wednesday I do a full body workout, Thursdays I do legs, Fridays I do arms, ass and abs, and on Saturdays is a bit of a mix. I do a little bit of HIIT training to get my heartrate up. Sundays are my rest day, but I’ll stretch and sometimes I go to the gym to stretch. I go to Goodlife Fitness, there’s a small one five minutes away. The one by my house is smaller which I prefer. The majority of the Goodlife gyms in my area are full of bodybuilders, which is great. I prefer the one I go to because I know the trainers, I don’t have to worry about all the machines being taken up, and over different vibe. I also know all the staff, so I like to go in and talk to people at the front desk and the trainers. It also helps provide me with motivation to go.
What has been the highlight of your fitness journey?
The highlight of my journey has been physically seeing and feeling your progress. I am really big on taking progress pictures and keeping track of your measurements. I’m not one for going on the scale, because obviously muscle weighs more than fat so I don’t want to feel super down if it doesn’t read the number I want. It does fluctuate because I know with my fitness journey it isn’t about losing weight, it’s about toning certain areas. I want to look and feel fit. I like to keep track of my measurements and seeing the toning of my body. I also find with Timed nutrition that I just feel better and I am in a better mood. I also found that when my roommate was away for a few days and it wasn’t the same. I couldn’t get the timed nutrition I’m used to because we typically do it together. It just shows the difference what you put in your body has on your mood.
What are your short and long-term goals?
My short-term goal is to have a toned lower stomach. I’m really happy with my upper stomach. That tends to be common with most girls, however. They hold a lot of weight in their lower stomach and in their hips. I have larger hips, so just to tone those areas. I’d also like to tone my arms. When I started all my focus was on my legs and glutes, so now I want to focus on my arms and lower stomach. My long-term goal is to just keep my fitness journey going. Once I get the body type I want, I want to be able to keep that long-term. I want to keep eating right, going to the gym. I want to keep doing what I’ve been doing the last couple of months.
How has fitness changed your life?
It has changed my life in the fact that I am in a better mood and have more energy. I wake up and look forward to going to the gym, whereas before I would put it off until last minute or look for an excuse not to go. Before I felt like I needed to go, I didn’t want to. I also feel more confident in the way I look, and the way I dress. I’ve never been an overly big person, but at the same time when you feel great about your body it reflects on your confidence. It even changed me socially. Before I used to go out downtown to drink, that’s how I spent my weekend. Now I’ll go to the gym and spend time with my friends. Now we’ll hang out rather than go out to get drunk. I still have those nights once and awhile, but right now I’m not drinking at all. That’s changed just a little bit.
What is the number one philosophy you live by?
For me it would be that you can do anything you set your mind to. If there’s something you really want out there, just do whatever it takes to get there. This doesn’t just relate to my fitness goals, but it relates to my work goals or my life goals. A lot of people come to me and say ‘wow, you’re a wedding planner. That’s so cool.’ I lived in a small town, and a lot of people who do it are hobbyists. The way I got the job is I literally worked for free for an entire summer. During school, I would work on the weekends. I worked my butt off and now I’m on salary with my own clients. For fitness too, if you really want something bad enough you will work hard for it. If you want a six pack, if you want chiseled arms, if you want a nice butt work for it and you can get it. My philosophy is if you want something and work hard enough, you will get it.
Who are your biggest inspirations?
I’m really into the whole Youtube thing right ow. I love Whitney Simmons. She is a Gym Shark athlete and is just amazing. I feel like she is an inspiration to me. I watch her videos, and I think she is very realistic with her goals. She is realistic based on her overall body type. She isn’t huge, but she isn’t too thin. I definitely get a lot of inspiration from her.
What are the contents of your fridge?
My fridge consists of sticky note labels. I am doing timed nutrition right now, so I have my pre and post workout meals written on them, as well as three other meals. Each meal consists of certain types of food. For my pre-workout meal, I get a carb, a protein and a veggie. For my post-workout I will also get a carb, veggie and protein. I will eat certain types of food at different times of the day. My fridge consists of containers, sticky notes and a lot of different foods. I’ll eat just about anything. I eat a lot of chicken, and a lot of fish. I eat a lot of veggies and fruits.
What advice would you give other females getting started in fitness?
Take progress pictures and take measurements. That is what motivates me. When you see a difference in the span of a month or so, you feel so proud of yourself. I’d also recommend ditching the scale. If you’re just starting, take measurements too. Post them on your fridge, keep them on your phone to remind yourself. When you work out, find something you love. If you like cardio, do that. If you like working arms, do that. You also should make sure you are using proper technique.