How I Sweat: Meet Sammie

Welcome to How I Sweat, where we catch up with members of the incredible Sweat Community to find out more about their lives and why they choose to Sweat. Today, we’re talking to Sammie, who first joined Sweat in February 2020, right before the first lockdown.

Sammie is in her twenties, works in the aviation industry and is also a wife and a proud dog mum. Living in a small coastal town in the United States, she loves to spend her free time on the water, and you can find her boating or fishing when she’s not hiking or lifting weights. 

Having been active her whole life and enjoying many sports growing up, she noticed movement took a back seat when she started college. About eight months after graduating and starting her engineering career, she was missing her athletic lifestyle and was ready to feel fit again. After following Sweat on Instagram for a while, she decided to dive in, and hasn’t looked back. 

“It started with the Sweat Instagram page, and through that, I found so many awesome women who have been such an inspiration to me on my fitness journey. The Sweat Community has been super motivating to me throughout my fitness journey. They have taught me the importance of balance and showed me that fitness is a lifestyle, not just a quick fix,” she says.

This is how Sammie Sweats.

My fitness journey and why I Sweat

After graduating, getting married and starting my career, my life had finally settled down into a consistent routine for the first time in a while. More and more, I became unsettled with my fitness level, my body image, and my mental health. 

Ready to commit to making a positive change, I downloaded Sweat in February 2020 and I’ve been loving it ever since. 

Over the last two years I have learned so much about myself. I used to have this all-or-nothing, perfectionist mindset that kept me from sticking with anything long-term. Fitness felt overwhelming. I wanted to get fit, but didn’t know where to start or the best way to do it. 

Sweat has taught me to let go of that perfectionist mindset. The app shows me exactly what workouts to do, when to do them, and how to do them. By sticking with it, I proved to myself that consistency is far better than perfection. I saw my strength and fitness improve so much just by staying consistent, not letting an off day derail me, and setting achievable goals. Now, I focus on completing my workouts every week, getting steps in, and eating a balanced diet. 

I was also surprised to learn how much of an impact my physical health has on my mental health. Before I started consistently exercising, I felt easily anxious and stressed. Working out with Sweat was something I could do to take my mind off the rest of the world and just focus on me, my body, and the present moment. It gave me an outlet, post-workout endorphins, and a sense of accomplishment. Having those feelings every single day has removed so much of the mental load I used to carry.

How I Sweat

Back in 2020, I began one of Kayla’s programs and was surprised by the intensity! I enjoyed the 28-minute workouts, the high-intensity style, and the sweaty, accomplished, post-workout feeling. I loved how easy it was - I was told what to do, how to do it, and for how long to do it. I was hooked! 

With the pandemic in full swing, I was often home, which made it easier to build the Sweat workouts into my daily routine and I quickly learned how important physical fitness is to my mental health. Kayla’s workouts were a great way to break up the monotony of the pandemic days and helped me build a strong foundation of healthy habits. 

I continued with Kayla’s workouts throughout 2020, gaining stamina and feeling healthier, but my body was getting fatigued from so much high-intensity training. It was time to change things up and focus on building strength. 

I had read about the benefits of strength training, so I began to incorporate some of the Lifting at Home workouts each week using the On Demand feature. After trying them for a few weeks, I decided to take the leap and switch to the Lifting at Home program, and I love it! 

This program has helped me learn how to lift properly and taught me about progressive overload. I have gained such a huge passion for strength training while doing Lifting at Home and the program keeps me coming back week after week.

I started Lifting at Home in February 2021 with 8, 15, and 20-pound dumbbells. I was definitely intimidated and unsure of my form at first and was surprised by how tough the compound movements were, even with what I considered “light” weights. Looking back, I’m glad I had minimal equipment to start with. It helped me slow down, develop correct form, and kept me from trying to lift too heavy too fast and hurting myself! 

I have added a squat rack and barbell to my home gym, started focusing on lifting heavier, and am loving learning more about nutrition. Fitness will always be a journey, but it now feels like a lifestyle that I enjoy and I thrive on.

Monday 

Monday starts early for me! My alarm goes off every day at 4:30 am. My first thought? Coffee! I snuggle back in bed with a mug for a few minutes and scroll through the Sweat app to get excited about my workout - the High-Rep Lower Body workout in Lifting at Home. By 5 am, I am in my office/workout room. I picked out my workout clothes the night before and already set the weights up using the Planner feature, so I just get dressed and go. Easy!

I love training my legs on Monday. I’ve had the weekend to rest, so I’m feeling recuperated and focused. Leg days are usually tough, so I like to knock it out first thing. Later in the week, I think to myself, “I’ve already done the hardest lift, so I can finish this workout.” 

Some of my favourite lower body lifts are reverse lunges, deadlifts, and RDLs. My squats are definitely still a work in progress.

I finish my workout around 5:45 am, then shower, eat breakfast, and, depending on the week, head into the office or work from home. Each morning I have egg muffins I prepped over the weekend, along with some Greek yoghurt and granola. I’m a creature of habit and like to eat the same things every day. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it makes things easier for me!

I don’t have many meetings on Mondays which can make the day a bit unpredictable, but it means I can spend time setting my priorities and focusing on work.

After work, I enjoy time with my husband Nathan and our pup Addie. I love to cook, so I’m busy in the kitchen and listening to music. I try to pre-plan our meals on our fridge to make mealtime easy - then it’s just a matter of grabbing the ingredients and getting started.

Tuesday 

I’m up and at ‘em again with a cup of coffee before my High-Rep Upper Body workout. I enjoy the shoulder and back lifts and can tell I’ve really gained strength in those areas since I started.

Chest lifts are always challenging and push-ups are my toughest mental hurdle. If I have to do them for time, I make a deal with myself to complete a certain number before I stop. 

Tuesday mornings are more fast-paced as I’m usually in the office, which is a 30-minute commute away. I shower, eat, and hit the road by 6:30 am. This is the beauty of Lifting at Home. It’s so convenient to have no gym commute, no waiting for machines, and minimal planning. I can easily hop out of bed, walk down the hall and start!

Being in the office with my teammates means Tuesdays are a lot more social, but I usually pre-pack my lunch to help reach my nutrition goals. I try to focus on protein with things like a chicken salad, cheese stick, greek yoghurt, and a sweet treat. To avoid getting bored, I switch up dressings, salad toppings, and treats.

After work, I come home and take it easy, with a crockpot dinner ready that Nathan has put together.

Wednesday

Wednesdays are all about slowing down after two back-to-back lifting days! I’m still up and moving by 5 am after my coffee, but I do the Ultimate Abs workout using the On Demand feature, followed by a Recovery session. 

In the past, recovery has been a struggle for me to prioritise. During the Sweat Challenge, I really focused on completing all the weekly workouts AND the Recovery sessions. I was amazed at how much better I felt after taking the time to stretch and foam roll. It made me less sore, helped me feel more in tune with my body, and made me slow down mentally. It’s something I’m still working on, but it has helped me in so many ways. After Recovery, I shower and head into the office.

Wednesdays are usually date night! Nathan and I love to go out once a week and reconnect away from all the chores and cooking. We have a few local restaurants we like to rotate through, and usually end the night with a coffee and a walk along our local boardwalk.

Thursday 

After a more restful Wednesday, I’m usually PUMPED for the Thursday leg session - Low-Rep Lower Body lift. This usually includes my favourite - deadlifts! On low-rep days, I try to increase my weights from the previous week using the My History feature in the app - I love tracking my weights and challenging myself to lift heavier.

Today I’m working from home again. I have one big meeting, but aside from that, I’m focused on editing technical documents, assessing repairs, and working on large tasks. 

Lunch is usually leftover dinner, and it’s great to enjoy lunchtime at home with Nathan and Addie. Addie loves to frolic in the yard while we eat, then lies inside in the sunshine in the afternoon. 

At night I enjoy getting back into the kitchen to cook. I love to try new recipes, and it’s easier to attempt any new kitchen experiments on the days I work from home. 

Some of my favourite meal experiments lately have been a Turkey & Veggie Skillet, Burrito Bowls, and Hawaiian Sheet Pan Chicken! I eat lots of food to fuel my body, so I try to incorporate plenty of veggies to get that volume, and then mix up flavours, protein types, and other side dishes throughout the week.

Friday 

It’s finally Friday! Friday workouts always feel exciting because it means the weekend is almost here. I’m proud to finish my last session of the week. 

I start the Low-Rep Upper Body day and try to increase my weight on the lifts again. My goal is to increase by 2.5 pounds each week. Some weeks it happens and others I have to stick with my previous weight, or even decrease a bit depending on how I’m feeling. 

It is discouraging sometimes to not hit the weight I think I can lift, but I keep going. This has been one of my key takeaways since joining Sweat. It’s not about perfection and hitting every single goal every single week, but about consistently showing up, putting in the work, and dedicating the time and energy to a fit lifestyle. Consistency and building positive daily habits are what keep me feeling healthy and balanced.

Fridays are another at-home workday. It’s usually laid-back as everyone prepares for the weekend. I spend my time finishing up tasks and planning my goals for the next week. Just like fitness, you can have an over-arching goal, but it’s the day-to-day small steps that help you to achieve that goal.

Friday nights always look different for us! Sometimes we have friends or family over, sometimes we head away for the weekend, but lately, we have been all about movie nights! We like to have breakfast for dinner on Friday nights, then snuggle up on the couch with a movie to kick off the weekend.

Saturday 

Saturdays are a welcome active recovery day after a productive week! I sleep in as much as I can, but usually wake up around 6:30 am to grab some coffee and sit in bed. Slow weekend mornings are one of my favourite things. I’m usually up hours before the sun during the week, so it’s a nice change of pace to wake up to a room gently lit by the morning sun.

Our favourite way to spend a Saturday is getting out and about. We enjoy hiking trails in our area, having a lunch date, and working on any projects we may have around the house. During the summer, we enjoy boating, fishing, going to the beach, or just getting outside any way we can.

Sunday 

Sunday is my “reset” day. I like to prepare for the week ahead by attending church, meal prepping, grocery shopping, and finding little ways to make the upcoming week easier.

Every other Sunday, I search Pinterest for new recipes, make our dinner plans and order our groceries for two weeks’ worth of dinners which really helps to save time, keeps me from impulse buying and makes me stick to my meal plan. 

Our Sundays look different every week, but one thing I like to do in the evening is lay out my clothes and set up my weights for Monday’s workout. These little things make the 5:00 am lift a little easier physically, but MUCH easier mentally. The new Look Ahead feature on the Sweat Planner has been great to see the lifts for the upcoming week. I can set up my weights and get mentally prepared for the week ahead!

How do YOU choose to Sweat? 

No matter what you’re juggling in your day-to-day life, what form of movement you enjoy the most, or what time of day you can squeeze it in, Sweat can fit into your lifestyle. 

There’s a large variety of programs, workout styles and trainers to suit any fitness level or goal, and an amazing community of women ready to cheer you on every step of the way. 

So tell us in the comments, how do YOU Sweat?