STEPHANIE MCKINNEY

SUCCESS TRANSFORMATION STORY – SAMANTHA ANDERSON’S FITNESS FUSION PROGRAM

CONGRATULATIONS STEPHANIE MCKINNEY!

I was born and raised in St.Stephen, New Brunswick. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology as well as my Bachelor of Education at the University of New Brunswick. Shortly after, my husband and I moved to Alberta for more stable teaching careers. We have had 2 boys since moving to Alberta (now 3 years old, and 9 months old), with whom I am currently home on maternity leave. I am now working on my Master’s degree and will be going back to work in the Spring.

Age:
32

City:
Brooks, Alberta.

Occupation details:
I am a senior high math teacher.

Relationship status:
I have been married to my high school sweetheart for almost 9 years now.

Fitness Goals:
My main fitness goal is to be the healthiest version of myself that I can be. As I reach goals, I want to continuously create new ones. I want to always challenge myself.

What does your coach mean to you?
Sam has helped me find my way back to fitness and a healthy lifestyle. I could never have done this without her, and I am thankful every day that our paths crossed. Not only has her program been top shelf, but the support and guidance she has given me along the way have been phenomenal. She is a critical part of my fitness journey, and I need it to stay that way.

Training Plan?
I follow Samantha Anderson’s Fitness Fusion program. It is an 8-week program that increases in intensity as you move through the weeks. In a typical week, I do 5 workouts (2 lower body, 2 upper body, 1 full body), 3 cardio sessions, and some walking. I get my cardio from HIIT, Zumba, and Sam’s virtual Bootcamp classes.

Thoughts on HIIT, Powerlifting, TRX, Yoga, Bodybuilding, others?
I love HIIT. It is now one of my favorite ways to getting cardio in. I like working towards short-term goals, and I see each interval as my next goal. It seems to go by much faster than a jog of the same length of time. I also really enjoy Zumba for some cardio. It’s a fun way to change things up.

Nutritional & Supplements:
I regularly take Magnum Quattro and Magnum Pre-Fo. I’m looking forward to trying some Fasted Cardio and Heat next.

Special skills?
I have a solid background in wrestling. I was competitive in high school, and have been involved in coaching ever since.

What do your parents mean to you? What did they teach you?
This is tough to even put in words. My parents are the reason I am who I am. They taught me to be strong, independent, set goals, and never stop trying to achieve them. They are a constant reminder of all the values that I want to instill into my own children.

What separates Status from other fitness magazines?
I love how Status shows so many different body types in terms of being fit. Being fit does not always look the same, and Status celebrates that.

If you meet Status Editor-In-Chief, Rodney Jang, what question would you ask him?
I would ask him what he wants the separation to be between Status and other fitness magazines.

6 things people would not know about you:

I had an extra set of 4 adult teeth.
I hate doing most outdoor winter activities.
I can speak French.
I do not like scary movies.
I find coloring very therapeutic.
I love Sudoku puzzles.

Who inspires you?
My husband has always inspired me with the healthy and fit lifestyle he leads. He balances being an amazing husband and father at home, has a successful and fulfilling career, and is always looking to set new fitness goals. He’s been my biggest supporter, from the moment I said I was thinking about getting back into it.

Who do you wish to inspire?
First, my kids. I want them to see their mother as a strong woman, who leads a healthy and active lifestyle. And second, all the other moms out there who don’t think it’s possible once you have taken on the mom title.

Transformation story:
I decided to join Samantha Anderson’s 8-week Fitness Fusion Challenge about 6 months after I had my 2^nd baby. I was so unhappy with my body, my energy levels, my habits, and my routine. I knew I needed something that would actually hold me accountable, and that was laid out for me. I understand the science behind it all, but knowing it and actually doing something about it, are two very different things. When I joined the first challenge, I told myself “You have just made 2 human beings from scratch. If you can do that, you can do anything”. I knew I could make a big change in those 8 weeks, so that’s what I set my mind to. I did make changes physically during those 8 weeks that I am proud of, but what I think is more important, is that I made a huge lifestyle change. This isn’t a fad or temporary “look good quick” thing. This is my new life. Being active and eating well become something that I wanted to do, not something I had to do. I started feeling so much better, had so much more energy to play with the kids. That was enough motivation in itself to keep going. Learning to love your body again after having babies is not easy, but I feel like, I am on the right track now. I am now halfway through my next challenge with Samantha, and will be looking forward to the one that follows!

Life goals:
I want to raise two of the kindest, smartest and happiest boys the world has ever seen. I’d like to do some traveling with my husband and boys, and I’d also take my career to the next level in the near future.

5 lessons you have learned:

Set small, attainable goals
There is time to be active, you just need to make it a priority.
There are so many victories on a fitness journey that have nothing to do with the scale.
Fitness is an ongoing journey. I will be on this for the rest of my life.
There are bad days and bad weeks. It happens. Do what you have to do, dust yourself off, and get back to it.

Music and artist you listen to while training?
Such a variety of mostly pop, rock, metal, and rap.

Favorite books and authors?
Hands down, anything by Rachel Hollis.

5 most important attributes you see in a person?