At 53 years old, Sherri Kent had suddenly found herself overweight.
Even though health had always been a priority for her (she happens to work in health care), life just kind of got in the way.
Then one day she realized it was time for a change.
“We were taking a group picture at work and I was appalled by the picture. When I saw that, I was like ‘wow what have I done to myself. I just knew I needed to start moving.”
Sherri hasn’t always been active. Even as a child, she thought she was a little heavier.
At one point in her adult life, she lost nearly 100 pounds by fasting and walking 3 miles every day. But after two children she found herself struggling with her weight again.
She pursued a career as a Mental Health Therapist which didn't give her much time for herself. She was seeing 8-10 patients a day while still trying to make time for her family.
“I returned to school later in life to pursue my career and give back to others and life got in the way. No one should have to compromise their health of physical wellbeing.”
Shaking Things Up
In 2005, Sherri decided to become active again. She started drinking weight loss shakes, but quickly realized that they were not going to help her.
“I’m a very natural person. Those shakes are full of sugar and have processed ingredients not optimal for weight loss. I ditched shakes for wholesome natural food.”
Sherri started walking again. She even attempted hitting the gym and running on the treadmill and on the elliptical. It worked well at first, but after some time a few issue arose.
“It was a big challenge for me to feel comfortable in a gym setting. There were people that were more physically fit, or younger. It could be very intimidating to the point where you become reluctant to hit the gym.”
On top of that, Sherri was missing out on some quality family time. Working at two practices and taking care of herself started to take a toll on her family life.
“My family started saying I was never home. It was work, gym, bed, and repeat. The people I was working out for, my family, missed me. Taking care of myself meant that I couldn’t take care of them as well as I wanted to.”
Despite making exercise a top priority in her life, Sherri was not reaching her weight loss goals. She knew it was time to try something different.
Finding Jump Rope Training
Sherri stumbled on Crossrope last year.
“The advertisement was amazing! As a child, I could jump really well. I thought if I could move, then my weight could too. For you to change, things have to change, for you to get better things have to get better.”
Sherri was no stranger to fitness challenges. She did a lot of body weight exercises, but thought jumping would bring her weight loss to the next level.
“When I first got my box I was excited. They’re packaged well, represented well, I always see people who have problems get their problems taken care of, I love the customer service. The ropes are phenomenal!”
Sherri bought the Get Fit Bundle as well as the first generation Crossrope Plus Set over the course of a few weeks back in September 2017. She viewed these purchases as an investment in her health and was excited to tackle her weight loss with jump ropes.
She found that her favorite ropes were the heavy ropes because they helped her burn more calories and build strength in her upper body. The heavier ropes have been easier to learn with and have helped her improve her jump rope skills and pace while jumping.
“I am constantly challenged to do more. The jump rope brought a different perspective to my life. Crossrope challenged my body and mind to go beyond all elements. The portability is awesome. When you fall in love with the portability of the ropes, that’s the key to your success.”
After a few months, Sherri found it tough to exercise again.
With the holidays fast approaching, she knew that the yearly New Year's resolutions most people participate in were imminent. She started thinking about what she could do to avoid the usual let down of abandoning resolutions after January.
That's when she joined the Jump Rope Fitness Community and was inspired by the inspiration and persistence of all the group members.
A New Year’s Resolution
To achieve her goal, she knew she had to change her schedule.
She decided that she was going to wake up at 4AM every day (except for two rest day per week), and have fun with her jump rope.
That gave her the freedom to spend quality time with her family and not miss out on the important moments. She also decided that in between her clients at work, she would put in a few jumps when she could.
A big realization for Sherri was the fact that moving a little is better than not moving at all. She figured, if she jumped at all, it was better than nothing. This realization relieved her of the pressure to workout for one or two hours.
"I realized time was of the essence. I didn’t want to follow a traditional New Year’s resolution. I just wanted to get started. There was no need to wait. The reason I waited before, or put things off and waited until a supposedly sacred yearly tradition was that I was putting too much pressure on myself. I realized I didn’t need to workout for lengthy periods of time. I could do as little as I could, so long as I was moving.”
The day after Christmas instead of eating leftovers, Sherri got to work.
“I had everything out. I had the ropes and everything I needed. There was no reason to wait. You plan for a job, a trip you have to plan for your health. I hit it hard the day after Christmas, and haven’t looked back since.”
Since making this new resolution, Sherri has last 37 pounds and nearly 5 inches offer her waist.
Sherri’s Jump Rope Weight Loss Advice
Along with jump rope training, Sherri has made some other lifestyle changes.
She used the keto diet last summer and experimented with intermittent fasting. However since December, she sticks to a keto diet every day. She eats between noon and 7PM, making sure to eat natural foods and avoid processed foods when possible.
Sherri’s advice to anyone who is struggling to lose weight or to get started is to eat more natural foods. Making sure your diet is full of non-processed foods will help you break down food more easily and burn fat faster.
She also says that to get started, you should plan out your day every night, so you start the day with the intention to jump or to get moving.
“Just jump 5 times a day. Start with sometimes small and positive. Today I’m jumping 10 times. If you’re unable to jump for 30 minutes or an hour, try breaking it up throughout the course of the day. It’s better than nothing!”
As a therapist, Sherri also advises that to improve yourself, you have to make yourself your top priority. If you’re not healthy, your other priorities will surely fall by the wayside.
Looking to the Future
Although Sherri has lost nearly 40 pounds, her goal is to lose 130 more.
“I want to be 142 pounds like the day I got married. That is my ultimate goal. I hope I can reach it, and if I can’t I’ll be happy with any improvement I can achieve.”
She’s striving to improve her jump rope skills and to continue to be confident in her abilities and her appearance. She also aims to spread the word about jump rope training.
Sherri is always introducing new people to jump rope training. In fact, she routinely trains with peers that are younger than her and she continues to amaze herself at the gym.
What was once intimidating no longer phases her.
“I workout with people half my age and I’m able to go longer. I push myself harder. My self care is more important than my pride.”
Thank you, Sherri!
Thanks for sharing your story Sherri and for being a constant source of inspiration. We look forward to seeing you continuously hit your fitness goals.Do you have questions for Sherri? Please leave them in the comment section below.
And if you want to join our fitness community, we've got a spot just for you. Join over 75,000 active jumpers from around the world.
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