From Setback to Comeback: Carla's Story

This week's team member spotlight goes to Carla, who unexpectedly ended up having surgery to remove her gall bladder on January 3!

Carla has been a member of Team Lives on Fire for over two years now, and has completed programs from Shift Shop and Core de Force to 80 Day Obsession and LIIFT4. I know it was not easy for her to hear that she wasn't allowed to exercise at all until her first post-op appointment on January 22! She had not been feeling 100% for quite some time so she knew the surgery needed to happen and she would come back stronger after the recovery.

One week post-surgery, Carla reported that she was using her downtime to dig into personal development books. said, "It has been hard for me to take it easy and have to accept help doing the things I normally do on my own. As difficult as it is, I am swallowing my pride and accepting the help so I recover with no complications."

Once Carla was cleared for light exercise, she took and shared her new "before" pictures and measurements later that same day (and let me say that even though Carla said she gained some weight during her recovery, I still see quite a difference from her original "before" picture that she's shared from prior to starting Beachbody workouts in 2016!)

She took it slow and eased back into working out, starting with a gentle dance program called YOUv2. When she was ready to attempt strength work again, she still took it slow, starting with 3 lb and 5 lb weights.

She reports feeling better than before the surgery and has been able to add spicy food back into her diet when before she had to keep things very bland to avoid causing digestive issues. As a fellow spicy food lover, I can imagine how exciting that must be!

She has realized she had been having symptoms for years, and encourages people to always listen to their bodies and not ignore warning signs!

Carla is trusting in Beachbody workouts to help her build her strength back up over time... and it's already working! By late February, she was back to cussing out Joel during LIIFT4 workouts for the insane combination of lifting and HIIT he delivers!

Carla, your commitment to taking care of your health continues to inspire us all. You are such a valued member of this community, and I've loved seeing you navigate this new chapter with such grace and turn a setback into a comeback!