I’ve always been athletic and active, but have struggled with my weight for most of my life. As an adult, I let work consume my time, so I didn’t have many opportunities to implement healthy habits like exercising or cooking healthy meals, and I ate a lot of takeout. For a long time, I felt like I was in a rut. Eventually, it got to a breaking point—I was significantly overweight and knew that if I didn’t start prioritising my health soon, it was going to cause serious negative impacts on my life.
So, at 34, I changed jobs and made a big cross-country move from New York City to Los Angeles. I was ready for a life reset and my new job in LA would allow for a bit more balance. This new life transition turned out to be a great starting point to make some much-needed changes.
I immediately looked for a gym that offered both personal training and nutrition insight. After some research, I found Ultimate Performance and started strength training with a trainer through three full-body days in the gym per week.
He also taught me how to eat in a calorie deficit but still fuel myself for workouts by counting macros and increasing my protein intake. I went from years of not working out much and eating lots of takeout to lifting three days a week, running and boxing a couple of days per week, getting 10,000 steps every day, and even meal prepping.
What started as a way to get my health under control turned into a huge lifestyle change—1.5 years later, I lost a lot of weight and started feeling stronger than ever, and I didn’t want to stop.
Now, at 40, I’m constantly competing with myself to get stronger—whether that’s through trying new exercises or hitting PRs
I’m still lifting three days a week with a trainer through a full-body split. We work on my main lifts—right now that’s chin-ups, Romanian and trap bar deadlifts, and split squats—and accessory work to build out all of my leg muscles. I use mostly dumbbells and machines and we finish sessions with core work to build strength there and make sure I can keep a neutral spine when I lift heavy.
Allison Pearce
I’m super proud of my progress; my most recent goal was achieving a chin-up, and after about six weeks of working on them, I can now do two! I also have a new deadlift PR, which is 235 pounds, and I can run 5 or 6 miles on any given day without even thinking about it. All of these achievements help me feel healthy and strong for the first time in my life. Next, I want to crush a barbell back squat.
Related StoryHere are my top three nuggets of wisdom that helped transform my fitness1. I asked for help
I used to feel like I was “on track” with eating well for a certain amount of time, but then I’d have a bad day, and throw the whole week away, and then eventually the month, and it would just snowball. But by getting a trainer, I learned how to fuel myself and had extra help with holding myself accountable. My trainer was constantly checking in and keeping me honest with myself about my habits, like making sure I hit my step goal or ate enough protein that day.
Allison Pearce
As a result, a bad meal didn’t turn into a bad day—or a bad day into a bad week. Asking for help was one of the best things I’ve done for myself and my nutrition—it’s kept me accountable, and that’s what makes all the difference.
2. I used tools to stay engaged
My gym provided its own app where I could track every meal, snack, and workout, which my trainer could see. Part of the plan was also weighing myself daily. I’m a data-driven person, so logging my nutrition and activity and the weigh-ins helped me learn how my body worked and kept me motivated to keep going.
While it might seem counterintuitive, seeing my fluctuations in weight actually made me think longer-term about the impact of my eating and it helped me stay committed to the programme. Using tools like these gave me a better picture of how all my hard work was coming together—and that kept me going.
Allison Pearce
3. I embraced balance
I used to have a black and white view around my health—I was either really focused on my diet or feeling extremely off-track with it—and I struggled to find balance. But I wanted this journey to feel sustainable and change and evolve with me. So, I stopped letting my busy schedule and work dictate my choices, and figured out how to prioritise working out and eating healthy. But I still treat myself in moderation with fun desserts and going out to eat, and I take breaks as needed with holidays. Those changes allow me to stay on track with my goals. Overall, this mindset change has made me happier, healthier and more productive.
Overall, I couldn’t be more grateful for the small changes I made that ended up completely changing my life. I feel strong, happy, and healthy—and I can’t wait to keep chasing goals in and out of the gym.
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Perri is a New York City-born and -based writer; she holds a bachelor’s in psychology from Columbia University and is also a culinary school graduate of the plant-based Natural Gourmet Institute, which is now the Natural Gourmet Center at the Institute of Culinary Education. Her work has appeared in the New York Post, Men’s Journal, Rolling Stone, Oprah Daily, Insider.com, Architectural Digest, Southern Living, and more. She’s probably seen Dave Matthews Band in your hometown, and she’ll never turn down a bloody mary. Learn more at VeganWhenSober.com.
