The 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic took us all by storm, and left in its wrath a brave new world to be navigated. For Laurie Badolato, the “new normal” is full of personal breakthroughs – including hitting her life-long weight goals!

Just a few months ago, though – this wouldn’t have seemed like the most likely scenario. Like so many of us, the onset of the pandemic threw Laurie’s world into a tailspin. Already predisposed to putting on a few pounds in the winter months (which, just as the pandemic began, Laurie had vowed to keep off forever), the closing of gyms & health clubs left Laurie –and millions of others – without a place to workout. Unfortunately for Laurie, that wasn’t even the worst of it.

“When the pandemic happened, I lost my job, and then the gyms closed. And that put me in a depression,” remembers Laurie. “Even though I was doing workouts at home, it wasn’t the same. Even though I was running outside – it just wasn’t the same.”
By Summer 2020, Laurie’s weight had ballooned up to 150 pounds – a far cry from her lifetime goal of 130 pounds. “I just hit a wall,” Laurie recalls. “I wasn’t happy with myself, or where I was at.”

By early July, Laurie had made a commitment to herself to get back in shape, and, when gyms re-opened in September, Laurie was back with a vengeance. Only this time, there was much stricter devotion to making changes that stuck.

“I’m a little bit of an anomaly – once I’m in the zone, I’m locked in.”

Laurie’s crack-of-dawn workouts at Dolphin Fitness resumed. Her music blasting through her headphones, combined with her recognizable sing-along style on the elliptical machines, showed that Laurie was back on routine.

“I put everything into my workouts in the morning, and it sets the tone for the rest of my day. It gives me energy for the rest of the day,” says Laurie. Asked what keeps her focused, the answer is a familiar one: “Honestly, it’s music. Music is what helps me stay in the zone. It helps me stay focused, and it motivates me.”

By incorporating intermittent fasting and portion control, along with her 30-to-50 minutes of daily cardio and complementary weight training/calisthenics workout at Dolphin Fitness Clubs, Laurie just recently hit her lifetime goal – 130 pounds!

“Now more than ever, I finally found what works for me – eating right, and the right mix of cardio & weight training. I finally feel like I’ve transformed my body into how I’ve always wanted it.”

With a new job, a healthy lifestyle, and a “new normal” steady weight of just 130 pounds, Laurie is excited about the future: “Honestly, I’m in a really good place mentally, physically, and emotionally – I think it’s the best space I’ve ever been in my life.”

And much of that success, Laurie credits to Dolphin Fitness: “Dolphin is my solitude – it’s my time. I’m so happy that I joined Dolphin – it’s literally a family!”

Follow Dolphin Fitness on Instagram at https://Instagram.com/DolphinFitness, or Like Us on Facebook!