If you only read this first paragraph about me…

Here’s what I want you to know in a nutshell: I’ve dealt with chronic illness for many years. Growing up, I was always that girl trying out the latest fitness craze and extreme diet. I pursued fitness as a career, pushed through the pain, and paid dearly for it. I thought to be healthy and fit I had to do what everyone else was doing and I ignored the fact that my body was different. As time went on my pain and fatigue steadily increased. Finally, in 2015 I completely crashed. Forget about working out - I could barely even make it up a flight of stairs at that time. So, I had no choice but to find something different. I needed workouts that helped me reduce pain and gain energy, but at the same time, were challenging enough to help me make physical changes to my body and tone up. To my surprise, this just didn’t exist. So I decided to get to work and develop my own method. After a lot of trial and error, I came up with a brand new way of working out that defied traditional standards to help me heal and get in shape. This new method did such wonders for me I decided to share it with others. And so Cocolime Fitness was born…

Everyone is unique.

This lesson was a hard one for me. Naturally when we observe the accomplishments of others and want similar results, we try to do what they do. And that was my mistake. I kept trying to compress myself into a mold that just didn’t fit. If there was a popular extreme-diet going around, I tried it. If there was a new, super high-intense exercise method gaining popularity, I immediately jumped on the band wagon. Sometimes I’d see good results, but those were only temporary, and they left me feeling awful afterwards. But I was stubborn and continued to ignore the signs. I had been brainwashed into thinking that high intensity exercise is the only way to lose weight and get in shape.

Thinking back to my childhood, I realize many complications started there. Emotional stresses that I didn’t know how to resolve would get packed away and my body reacted physically. Quite often I came down with various infections, which were always treated with strong antibiotics, leaving me with several side effects. Around 11-12 years old I often felt unusually exhausted and in the teenage years I experienced weight gain, which is when I started extreme dieting. I thought I was taking care of myself, but I was really doing the opposite. During some of the important developmental years of my life, I was starving my body of needed nutrients and exercising too much.

In my 20s I studied fitness and was certified as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. I really enjoyed teaching classes and helping others, but I pushed myself way too much. Each week I would teach 7-8 group classes and still do my personal exercising every single day. At the same time I was meticulous about counting calories and limiting carbohydrates (oh how I missed out on so much good food back then!). Well as you can imagine, I was stressed and obsessed. But I kept telling myself: “I’m the professional here. I know what I should and shouldn’t do, so my problem can’t be diet and exercise! It has to be something else…”

Well, in my early 30s I hit rock bottom and completely crashed. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue and believe me, I had it bad. Everything hurt. It was scary how much pain I was in and I cried every day being so confused about what was happening to me.

Since I couldn’t hide it anymore I had to sit down and examine ALL the facts. Everything was under suspicion now, even my go-to exercises and diets that I’d been using for decades. So I started researching what options were available for people with conditions similar to mine. I found several stretching routines that were light and easy, targeted to people with fibromyalgia and fatigue, but honestly they didn’t accomplish anything for me. True, I didn’t feel more pain, but those routines did nothing to help me stay fit.

So once in a while I’d try a real workout, nothing I thought would be too difficult, but you know, a WORKOUT - things like pilates, bodyweight toning or light free-weight routines. Well, I kid you not, every single time, after just one session, I crashed and needed about a week to recover. Literally there was nothing out there for me. What I was looking for was a more traditional style, fun workout routine that felt good on the body, but was still challenging enough to get real results. THAT didn’t exist.

Finding the right diet was a long, long process, too. I didn’t really know what foods I was intolerant to at the time so chasing the problem involved a lot of trial and error that wasn’t very fun, and it was expensive! Eventually I took a comprehensive food intolerance test and that helped me identify what ingredients could be making my symptoms worse. That knowledge helped me for a while, but honestly, it was extremely stressful, too. Trying to strictly avoid a million ingredients is very hard to do. On top of that, I lived in Central America at the time, which made finding the foods I needed an even bigger challenge. So in a way, the stress of following the regimen canceled out much of the benefits of the knowledge. Fast forward to today, I’ve learned how to be way more balanced about eating. I don’t count calories or restrict myself and over time my intolerances have lessened. At home I try to eat what’s best for me, but when I go out I can join in with everyone else and enjoy eating again - I’m so grateful for that! I share a lot of what I learned in my MITFIT 90 program so if you’re looking for both exercise and nutrition guidance, I recommend you start there.

In the end came to the conclusion that for both categories, diet and exercise, I needed to do what was right for ME. Hence, everyone is unique.

What a difference six months makes.

After several push-crash cycles, I decided to take an entire year just to research and develop my own special blend of movements and sequences that could accomplish what I was looking for. During this time I learned a lot of fascinating things. For instance, you can take a particular exercise that’s just the right intensity, but if you do it too many times in a row, someone with chronic pain or fatigue will feel worse from it. But let’s say you take that same exercise and place it correctly in a special sequence of a variety of exercises, it can work wonders! So using concepts like this I developed a method I could do progressively and decided to test it on myself.

Little by little, as the weeks went by, I could see real changes happening. Oh, and first and foremost - I could actually keep going from week to week! This was huge for me, because anything I tried before that, led to another crash and burn. But with these new routines, my joints no longer hurt anymore. My fatigue reduced with each day and I could do cardio routines without getting worn out. I even experienced improved muscle mass when I’d incorporate rest periods each week. At the six month mark of following this new method, WOW, I was feeling so much better and I’d even lost some of that stubborn belly fat - with only half the effort! By the way, at this point I hadn’t incorporated any nutrition or lifestyle changes yet. Later when I added those things, my progress shifted into high gear.

Of course I was thrilled about how well this new exercise method was working, but at the same time, part of me got a little upset. I felt betrayed for all those years that I could have treated my body so much better and still achieved the results I was striving for! Everything I had been taught felt like a lie because for me it never worked, and in fact, was a major contributor to my chronic illness and robbed me of many years of my youth. But, if it never happened, I would’t have anything to share with you, and it does make me feel good to use what I’ve learned to help others.

So in 2016 I started the Cocolime Fitness YouTube channel. I knew the ins and outs of fitness, but learning how to talk on camera, how to film and edit video, how to organize and run a channel - these were all brand new concepts for me. But I could see the real need out there. There was an entire community of us being completely overlooked by the fitness industry. So I decided that even if I had to embarrass myself a little bit, I just had to do it. And I’m glad I did!

Soon after I started posting workout videos with my new method, the comments started coming in. It turned out that there were plenty of others out there, just like me, who were searching for something that didn’t exist. Now they had a place to find what they were looking for! Feedback like this that really helped me keep going:

“I Thought I would send a note to say how fabulous your workouts are. I am a fat girl (formally fit girl) with chronic pain and adrenal fatigue. I found your youtube channel and it has made a difference. After I finished the first one I sat down and cried..... Why.... because I had smiled all throughout your workout. I felt happy about exercise for the first time in ages. Thank you for the strength you show in creating these videos.”

There’s no place like home.

I don’t know about you, but I think there’s just something nice about exercising in your own home. You can workout whenever you want, wear whatever you want (including your PJs on bad days), adjust the volume as high or low as you want, and nobody’s staring at you - making you feel uncomfortable. Making Cocolime workouts available online has made it convenient and accessible to everyone, regardless of where they live or how bad they feel, and I’m thrilled to say thousands worldwide have benefited from my workouts.

After a while on YouTube I realized I wanted to do more for our community and to do so Cocolime Fitness needed it’s own home. So in 2017 with the help of my husband, we launched the Cocolime Fitness website. Here we’ve been able to grow a supportive community, publish helpful tips and healthy recipes, and of course, host more and more workouts! The website allowed me to categorize and organize the routines so anyone can find what they’re looking for, just by describing how they feel that day. It’s also provided me an opportunity to offer you Guided Programs based on different themes and goals so you can choose a program, follow the course day to day, and not have to stress about what to do next. And unlike YouTube, my site has allowed me to have paying monthly subscribers to support the creation of all this content of which there’s much more on the way…

It’s been quite a challenge to keep it going, but I’m so happy to say that today Cocolime Fitness is the leading online platform with the largest variety of traditional type workouts for people with chronic conditions seeking effective, feel-good, sustainable solutions! And I want you to know that we’re so very thankful for the support from individuals like you.

90% Cured, feels like 1,000%

Do you remember that old TV commercial from the 80s with the president of Hair Club for Men who said: “I’m not only the president, I’m a client!” 😆 Well, I feel exactly like that! I’m telling you the Cocolime method works - because for me, it’s the ONLY thing that does! I’m never going back to those crazy high intensity workouts again. I also want to be transparent and live by example for you guys so you can see me and know that Cocolime really works.

On that note, you might be wondering how often I exercise. Here’s the honest truth: Only 30-40 minutes, 4-5 days per week. That’s all. I’d much rather enjoy my day to day life and feel good, than risk it all trying to achieve “0%” body fat and six-pack abs.

My journey has led me to a complete change of mindset about what fitness is supposed to look like, along with simple lifestyle changes that have made a huge impact on me. I share many of the things I’ve learned in my 90 day program and my weekly newsletter. And in our online community support group, you can ask a question to the group about anything (not just exercise) or contact me directly and I’ll be more than happy to help.

As far as my diet goes, I just try to eat balanced, natural foods as much as possible. Part of my method involves limiting unnecessary stresses, and food can definitely be a stress, so for me being balanced means I drink alcohol, eat loads of carbs and even junk food at times. I like to share what I’m cooking and eating with all of you, so each week I publish a new recipe in my newsletter and you can find more in the Cocolime Kitchen and in MITFIT 90.

In the years since I started Cocolime Fitness, I’ve experienced ups and downs. Things like high stress and mold toxicity have taken their toll on me, but being determined and sticking with Cocolime has helped me keep on progressing. Today I’m 90% cured of my fibromyalgia and fatigue symptoms and when I think back to those dark days when I had no idea what to do, this feels like a 1,000% better! My body doesn’t hurt anymore and my energy is stable. Even though I don’t lift super heavy weights (which never seemed to work for me) I am getting stronger. I feel a mental clarity I didn’t have before and my entire life feels way less cluttered. The future is looking bright and I’m happy to share my journey with you as it continues.

So I encourage you to have the same determination in your path to feeling better. Stay positive. Obstacles will come and go, but staying focused on your goal will help you tremendously. To succeed in dealing with a chronic condition takes time, so don’t give up after a few weeks. In fact, you might feel a little extra sore when you first start my method. But this is completely natural. Your body will adjust and start to recognize that your efforts to exercise are not a threat, but an aid to recovery. And remember you’re not alone. Thousands have used Cocolime and are looking and feeling amazing!

You could say Cocolime is a term that represents out-of-the-box thinking for exercise, lifestyle and nutrition that has helped me and many others to feel better, regain our fitness, and just get back to being who we want to be. I view my job to be more of an educator over a fitness instructor and my goal is to help as many people as possible living with a chronic illness to transform their lives.

It’s my sincere hope that I can provide you with some well-deserved relief from the symptoms you’re dealing with and help you feel good in your own skin again. I want to give you the confidence that, just because you may have an illness, it doesn’t mean you have to give up on fitness! Trust me. I encourage you to join our special community and take a leap of faith. You won’t regret it.

Sincerely,

Suzanne W.