JOIN US IN GIVING A VERY HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR
TIGHTER TOGETHER NEW YEAR 2023 WINNERS!
In no way is the following list of "winners" complete because there are hundreds that found more determination than they ever knew was inside them and that's a prize. THOUSANDS of individuals now have a better concept of personalized nutrition, resistance based circuit workouts and an entire community to lift them up!
GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
$1,000 CASH PRIZE
Alison E.
My name is Alison and I am a wife and stay at home mom to three very young kids. Before this challenge began I was feeling stuck in rut and I was constantly overwhelmed. I was living each day giving everything I could to take care of my family and maintain our household without allowing any time for myself. But as the new year started and I did some self reflection, I decided that this challenge would be the perfect opportunity to focus on me for a small portion of my day. The physical changes that I have seen over this month are undeniable. I have lost pounds/inches, I am physically stronger, and my endurance level has greatly improved. But equally as important as the physical changes, are the mental and emotional improvements. My mood has improved and I have more patience with my family; not feeling annoyed, or quickly snapping at someone when one of my kiddos isn't listening. I feel more rested after sleeping at night and have more energy than before this challenge started. After doing a workout in the morning I have the energy to continue doing housework or play with my kids without feeling tired or needing to rest.
During this challenge I also haven't allowed myself to feel guilty or apologize for spending time working out. In the past I have done a great job at making excuses as to why I can't do a workout. Instead of making excuses I woke up early or I included my kids in my workouts when I needed to. This sometimes meant the workout took longer, but it got done and I felt good about myself. Not only did I set an example for healthy behaviors for my kids, but they saw me take time each day for myself. I feel that this month I have truly felt and embraced the importance of self care as I feel like I am capable of being a better wife and mom, because I am working on being a better ME! In this season my kids rely on me to do almost everything for them and I wouldn’t trade that for anything... but I can't take care of them to the best of my ability if I'm not taking care of myself.
I am so thankful for Madeline and her encouragement to "modify and go"! In this season of life the push to just "go" was much needed. Doing my best and pushing myself to lift heavier or modify when needed produced a competitive spirit within myself to try to do more. Seeing the change after just two weeks and a much needed deload week was so encouraging. I was able to increase my weights significantly and/or cut my time as well. Not every workout was perfect, I didn't hit my macros perfectly every single day, but I did my best and honored my commitment to myself. It took a lot of self discipline in order to complete this challenge and the encouragement and support offered by Madeline, her team, and the online community, made this challenge FUN and I truly looked forward to each day! I lost several inches and pounds during this challenge, but I also gained a healthy mindset with healthier habits and I am so excited to continue Weekly Moves and look forward to the next challenge!
Thank you, Madeline and Team, for all of your work to assist each of us in becoming the best versions of ourselves!
CAESIE E.
I started this challenge in hopes that i would lose some weight, but so much more than just that happened. I learned to count macros again, I learned that my mom body could do hard things and I learned I have more will power than I thought I did. I had my son a year ago and since then I have really hated my body and I didn’t see myself as strong or beautiful. This program has helped me appreciate my body for the way that it is and the fact that I brought my babies here.
Every day I loved working out with my sweet 3 year old daughter by my side. At the end of the day I always ask her what her favorite part of the day was and most of the time she would say “working out with mommy”. I love the fact that she got to see what it’s like taking care of your body and that you can make it fun and enjoyable.
I lost about 4 lbs but lost many inches! I was in shock!! This is the first time in a long time that I have stayed consistent and finished something out like this! I am beyond proud of myself and I cannot wait to continue on this journey.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me love my mom body and to appreciate all it has done for me and all that it will continue to do for me.
ROBIN F.
Im a 58 year old mom and I joined tighter together to try to improve my overall health and wellness, and I encouraged my two daughters to join with me. 2022 was a difficult year for us. In June, we lost our beloved daughter (sister for my girls) due to complications of childbirth in a high risk pregnancy. Her beautiful boy followed his mom to heaven 3 days later. As you can imagine we all spun out of control. Poor sleep, poor eating, too much alcohol at times, and lack of activity ensued for us all. I’ve followed Madeline for some time now, and when the New Years TT challenge was posted, I knew this was our opportunity to try to get back to a more healthy lifestyle. My girls chose not to send pics for prize eligibility, but encouraged me to do so.
We loved the program and the online community, and I joined a 50-60’s FB group as well. The video exercise instructions were excellent and the alternative exercise options were a great way to modify as needed. This option also allowed me to feel successful when I couldn’t complete a specific exercise. The recipes were great, and I purchased a copy of Lillie Eats book “Planned” for each of us. We shared our favorite workouts and recipes via text messages and pictures as we are in different states. The app was great!!! The macros sent in combination with the recipes demonstrated that healthy eating can taste great and can be prepped fairly easily.
I lost 6#, but as you can see from my photos, I lost several inches creating the illusion of a much bigger loss. I feel so much better and am sleeping a bit better as well. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have participated in TT, and even more thankful to have completed this challenge with my girls. It was the right program at the right time for us. We are considering joining the daily moves program. Thank you for a program of exercise, nutrition and community that is engaging, fun and supportive.
HAILEY H.
This is my first TT challenge and won’t be my last. After doing the challenge 4 previous times, my wife finally convinced me to join. Prior to the challenge, I felt fatigued all the time and lacked motivation in many areas, but after the challenge, I feel refreshed knowing I can commit to something for 5 weeks. BUT, it’s more than that to me now, TT taught me how to work macros into my life and how to not have an “all or nothing mindset”. This is something I can stick to and continue feeling a sense of achievement and making a positive impact on multiple areas of my life. I’m a firefighter and it’s important to me to keep my health (physical and mental) as good as I can to be able to help those in need of my services. I have found the way to achieve that!
KAYLA B.
This was my fourth Tighter Together, but the first challenge I have ever completed! Yay!! I am SO thankful to the Tighter Together team and community for providing me with all of the amazing resources/recipes and non stop encouragement!
A little about myself and my experience- My name is Kayla and I’m 35, a fire wife, an RDH, and a mama to a 2 and 4 year old. I played competitive tennis growing up and throughout college and 10 years and 2 babies later, I’ve been in the mindset that I’m still at that fitness level. Since baby 2, my anxiety has been through the roof and my body has been unrecognizable to me (both aesthetically and functionally). I’ve struggled to commit to a fitness and nutrition routine. I decided to give Tighter Together another attempt, but with a different approach: STOP TRYING TO BE PERFECT and as Madeline says “modify and go.”
I think the reason I was able to be successful this time was because I broke out of my all or nothing mindset. I accepted my current fitness level and put less pressure on myself to complete every single workout. I always did the 30 minute versions, I used the exercise swap feature in the app without feeling bad that I needed to modify, and I stuck to the foundational workouts. I did anywhere from 3-5 workouts a week, doing the accessory workouts as a bonus here and there. I tracked my macros, but instead of obsessing over hitting my numbers dead on, I focused on increasing my protein and fiber and then did my best to stay around my overall calorie goal. I did not worry too much about my fats and carbs and this made such a difference in my headspace! Previously, I would burn out obsessing over every little number and then I would just quit. I’m proud of myself for getting into a better headspace and staying CONSISTENT rather than perfect.
While I’m still transforming inside and out, I’m happy to say I’m feeling better about myself every day! I’ve lost 9 lbs and it’s incredibly motivating to physically feel better/stronger and aesthetically see changes happening! Thank you Tighter Together team for giving me so many tools and setting me on the right path to better health!
SECOND PLACE
1 YEAR MOVES APP SUBSCRIPTION
SYDNEY S.
Hello! My name is Sydney and I’m 25 years old. This was my first TT and it couldn’t have come at a better time! Before this challenge, I was about 6 months post-partum with my second little girl, was dealing some post-partum depression, and honestly felt like I’d lost myself since becoming a mama. I wasn’t moving my body because I was tired, felt weak, and didn’t know what to do for my core or postpartum body. I was wearing baggy clothes and talking to my body poorly all the time because I wasn’t confident. I was stress eating and over-indulging all the time because I didn’t know what else to do and was just in survival mode. I knew I needed a change that would allow me to start getting back to better habits by moving my body and focusing on my nutrition more. Now, I realize I needed it even more so that I could find myself again and be reminded that I have to take care of me in order to be able to take care of others well.
These 5 weeks went by so fast and I went all in, thinking it was all about the movement and nutrition but it ended up being about so much more! I didn’t have any crazy scale changes, but I did see my body composition change and realized I like a lot more foods than I realized/can still enjoy treats in moderation. I’ve always been a cardio person, but have had a deeper desire to get strong since becoming a mom and this challenge helped me learn more about how to do that! I love that Madeline and her team think of all the little details in these programs. The recipes were amazing and the resources for the macro counting were so helpful to someone who had never done it. The community was one of the things that kept me going the most on the days when I didn’t feel like working out. I also loved that the modifications were right there because there were days when I needed to modify.
I truly looked forward to the workouts knowing all I had to do was press start and it was all right there for me. One of the biggest reminders for me throughout this challenge was that it’s never going to be perfect and that’s not the goal. It’s about doing the small things, staying consistent, and showing up even if things don’t go as you thought they would.
I know that this challenge gave me the push I needed to start again and truly find myself! I’ll never be able to fully express my gratitude for Madeline, her team, and all they do to make movement/nutrition intentional and available to so many people!
Thanks for everything and can’t wait for the next one!
CANDICE B.
Moves by Madeline Team,
When I became a mom 2 years ago, it was the best thing that has ever happened to me. But, I slowly, or quickly rather, began putting myself on the back burner. This included my hobbies, my sleep, my self care and subsequently my overall health.
Somewhere in my journey and new role as a mama, I stopped doing things for myself completely and got to a point where I felt like I had lost myself. My physical health had suffered so much that I felt like a foreigner in my own body. More importantly, my mental health was at an all time low. I felt like I had lost control over every aspect of my life. I decided it was time for a change and as soon and I saw a post about tighter together, I knew it was exactly what I needed.
This program has completely set me on a new track. Its been a much deeper journey for me than just improving my physical fitness/appearance. While that has definitely been a plus, I’ve found it was just the surface of the change for me.
I’ve been reminded that in order to be the best mom and wife I can be, I first need to be the best version of me. I’ve heard that over and over, but I’m finally seeing it come to fruition.
I threw myself into this program completely, learning so much in terms of nutrition and fitness. Things that I will continue to incorporate in mine and my family’s daily lives. But equally, or arguably more importantly, I’ve also found passion in doing things for myself without feeling selfish or guilty. Ive pushed myself in ways I never have before. I successfully started and finished a program completely despite my busy life as a full time mom with a full time job in the medical field. I’ve been reminded that not only can I do hard things, I can THRIVE at them. I’ve started to find my identity again apart from just “mama”. And with tears in my eyes as I write this, I can honestly say I’ve never been more proud of myself!
Thank you guys genuinely for the role you’ve played.
CARLA C.
This was my third TT challenge but my favourite one yet. I had done the first two in 2021 but then suffered an upper back injury that stopped me from working out. After a year and a lot of physio, chiro, doctor visits, MRIs and massage I felt like I was finally ready to start again. Having had an injury and chronic pain that prevented me from doing the activity that I enjoy shifted my perspective for what I want to achieve with my health and fitness. I mentally wrapped my brain around the fact that I would have to modify some exercises, go slow and focus on form. I accepted that I was choosing to do the 30 minute workouts (thanks for that awesome option on the app).
I am a mom of two boys (4&6), a nurse and a wife to a husband who works away from home a lot and would be away for three weeks during the challenge. I am proud of myself for choosing progress over perfection and committing to my 30 minutes and doing the best I could. I feel like it will be sustainable as i continue my journey. I loved all the recipes and it made following the macros easy (but also allowing myself some grace and the occasional glass of wine). The Facebook community was so positive and inspiring and I loved having the their support and camaraderie. I lost 10 lbs and inches of my waist hips and chest, my clothes fit and I feel confident in them.
Thank you to Madeline and her team for putting together this awesome challenge and kickstarting my fitness journey again and helping me feel strong and confident again!
BREANNA M.
This is my third TT challenge but the first that I have given my all, and completely finished!
I am 7 months pp with my second baby (second c-section), my core strength felt nonexistent before this challenge started. Now I feel like I’m in the process of truly healing my core. My back doesn’t hurt when I carry my kids or rock my baby. I can also lug the bulky car seat with great(er) ease than before! I also have hashimotos and I’m learning that lots of cardio makes me feel worse. So learning to lift heavy, fuel my body with the right foods and taking a deload week when I need it have clearly made such an impact on my body! I have a long way to go, but this was such a great starting point and I am ready to keep going! I am so thankful that I took measurements and pictures because looking in the mirror I truly didn’t realize the progress I made over the last 5 weeks. 5lbs, 15inches lost and a whole lot of strength and confidence gained. I am dang proud of myself and VERY thankful for this community.
KRISTINA S.
Wow! It wasn’t until I actually took these pictures that I realized the transformation that took place over these past 5 weeks! I am an active 38 year old mother of FIVE and teach my kids the importance of exercise not only for physical health but also for mental health. Of course the busy holiday season of 2022, about did me in and I found myself eating ALL THE TIME and things that tickled my taste buds. I knew I needed to do something to reset my body and brain!
I so enjoyed these workouts. They pushed me, built my stamina, and encouraged me to challenge myself like never before! I loved the resources and the accountability of this program! I found myself mentally in a happier place that made me more able to enjoy being a Mom, which is my favorite job ever!
Thank you for helping me reach a new baseline for what my body can do! I know I can achieve anything if given the right tools to do it and I felt like this was PERFECT for that! Thank you so much! I loved every minute of this Tighter Together Challenge and can’t wait to continue on this strength path!