6. Nicole Schuman: Feeling the Self-Love
“For the first time in my life I love my body.”
It wasn’t until Nicole Schuman had her baby daughter in 2015 that exercise crossed her mind. A self-proclaimed exercise hater, she decided keeping up with her kid at the park — and not worrying about people looking at her — was a solid reason to start moving. “I wanted my daughter to know she can do anything and if I can’t prove that, who’s going to?” says the 26-year-old. “[That would be like saying], ‘You can do anything you want to, but mommy can’t lose weight.”
After trying a few Pinterest fitness challenges, she came across Daily Burn and decided to sign up for a free trial. It only took a few sessions for her to get hooked. “[Daily Burn 365] is just fun to watch — it’s like reality TV, but not,” Schuman says. “You know the people in the background and the trainers. My husband even knows most of the trainers because I talk about them all the time,” she laughs.
Ten months since she started — and post 60-pound weight-loss — Schuman still tunes into DB365. But it’s the benefits she’s noticed off the scale that have really stuck with her. While depression and anxiety used to stop her from being social, she now seeks out ways to get involved in her community. She also feels more energetic and positive, and less achy and stiff.
The best part about her newfound love of fitness, though, is how she feels when she catches her reflection. “Today, I woke up and looked in the mirror and thought ‘wow,’” Schuman says. “Not because I spent hours getting ready, not because my hair looked good and not because I put makeup on. I stood in my mirror with no makeup, normal clothes, no shower — I have a one-year-old now! — and I just thought ‘wow.’ For the first time in my life I love my body. I think I look amazing and I feel so good about what I have accomplished.”
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Click HERE to Read How Krista Meinert Found Joy in Life After Loss