“I can genuinely say that Freeletics changed my life” - Kim’s story

As a Freeletics employee, Kim had watched the Transformation Challenge from the sidelines for years – in awe of the results, but unsure if she could commit to such a big health overhaul. That is, until her husband, Jan, gave them both the gentle nudge they needed to dive in. Here’s her story:

“For years, I wanted to get stronger, gain more muscle, and finally be able to do Pullups. As someone who’s been thin their entire life and lacked muscle, I got into weightlifting because I wanted to get bigger and be able to do more.

I’ve always been inspired by the amazing transformations and strong women from the Freeletics Transformation Challenge, and I dreamed of doing one myself to see how far I could go with the right motivation and support.

Luckily, my husband, Jan, was also seeing the transformations (it became a ritual for me to show them to him after every season) and was incredibly keen to apply for the Transformation Challenge. If I’m being honest, my first response was to tell him just how hard it sounded, and that it wasn’t possible to do this unless we stuck to a strict diet and training plan (meaning no more burgers and beers).

He was convinced we could do it, though, and that it wouldn’t hurt to just try.”

“I 100% had doubts going into the Transformation Challenge. As someone who loved sleeping in and eating out, this seemed like an impossible endeavour.

I wasn’t so worried about the training part since I was regularly working out, but I was very apprehensive about the food aspect.

My husband and I loved going out to eat at restaurants and ordering takeout on busy workdays when neither of us were motivated to cook. I knew that was going to be a struggle, especially when so many social events revolved around going out to dinner with friends or meeting them for weekend brunch.”

“I’m not going to lie, it was tough the first few weeks. I wasn’t used to eating so strictly, and as someone who was constantly trying to eat as much as possible to gain weight and build muscle, switching to this super-controlled diet was a shock. I wasn’t used to having to weigh out all my food and having to meal prep.

I’m so thankful my husband and I were in this together because we could navigate these new challenges together. Our nutrition plans were aligned so we could cook similar food, and it was so helpful that both of us were able to prepare batches of food for each other and could step in whenever the other person was busy.

I don’t think I could’ve done this if my partner was eating junk food the whole time — it would’ve been far more tempting to slip up!

What also helped me get through it was my support system of colleagues and friends. I’m truly lucky to work at Freeletics and be in an environment where fitness and health are prioritized, and also, we had quite a few colleagues who were in the Challenge with me!

Shoutout to Sam, who was always keen to whip up a delicious (and Transformation Challenge-approved) lunch in our office kitchen. My friends were also super understanding whenever we would go out to eat and I had to bring my own food or eat beforehand, and in general were always supportive of my journey.”

“I can genuinely say that Freeletics changed my life. I’ve learned lifelong habits that I’ll take with me forever, and even after the Transformation Challenge has finished.

I’m still waking up at 5:30 am to train (when previously I was only ever an after-work training kinda gal). I feel so much better mentally now, and have developed such a good routine for training, eating, and sleeping.

I’ve learned to cook much healthier meals now that are nourishing my body instead of just instant gratification, and meal-prepping has become clockwork now instead of feeling like a chore. I also used to have tons of stomach issues and bloating whenever I ate, and eating clean has improved that so much.

I have way more energy now and I love it!”

“There were definitely so many advantages to completing the Transformation Challenge together with my husband. I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it as well on my own!

Besides the food part, which I mentioned already, we both got into such a good rhythm of going to the gym, and since we’re both very into training, we were always pushing each other to go further. Having a gym buddy makes a huge difference for me, especially on those early morning days!

I’m so lucky I had my own cheerleader who could understand what I was going through and could support me to become a better version of myself.”

“Not only did I achieve my goal, but I went way beyond what I imagined was possible in the beginning. I went from 0 Pullups to 7 as my PB, and I didn’t even think I could ever get to 2!

I’m also able to lift heavier than before and even unlocked new exercises like Weighted Pullups, Pistol Squats, and Toes-to-Bar (although with this one, I’m still working on perfect form).”

“If you’re just getting started, stop doubting yourself and just take the first step. The time will pass anyway, so why not just try? Your future self will thank you!”