09/08/2026
How about this for a Transformation Tuesday! Help us celebrate the amazing Monet’s hard work in and out of the gym 🩵🔥
For most of my life, I proudly considered myself an anti-workout enthusiast. That started to change in graduate school when I began exercising a few times a week. After moving to New River Valley for my postdoctoral training, I attended fitness classes at the local recreation center and was building consistency until COVID hit. Like many people, I discovered just how magnetic the fridge and pantry could be while working from home.
I transitioned to at-home workouts, which were going well until a foot injury turned out to be something much more serious: a blood clot caused by my birth control. After coming off birth control, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), formerly known as PCOS. From that point, my body seemed to be working against me. Navigating nutrition, weight, and overall health became increasingly challenging, and it often felt like the harder I tried, the more the scale moved in the wrong direction.
Despite those challenges, I eventually decided to stop making excuses and start prioritizing myself when I transitioned to my Assistant Professor position at Virginia Tech. I returned to early morning workouts at the recreation center as a way to “pay myself first.” When the facility closed temporarily to prepare for the fall schedule, I heard about Burn Boot Camp and decided to try the free week.
Honestly, I almost talked myself out of it. The workouts felt intimidating, and I told myself that if I hated the first day, I would never come back.
That was two years ago.
Since then, I’ve celebrated countless personal records, participated in the Level Up Games, and discovered a version of myself that I never knew existed. Burn Boot Camp has transformed my life far beyond the number on a scale. It has taught me the value of investing in myself, pushing beyond my comfort zone, and appreciating my body for what it can do rather than simply how it looks.
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