Courtesy of Leigh Hill
Leigh Hill felt a lack of control over her life as she succumbed to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. By spring 2021, though, Hill realized COVID-19 came with opportunities, too. So, she began to pursue new goals.
Hill set out to improve herself, specifically her health, while taking care of those around her.
“Especially during the time of (COVID-19) when everything was predicated on pre-existing conditions and having to be healthy,” Hill says. “I was really focused on getting healthy, being my best self.”
Hill signed up for the LifeTime 60-day Challenge, a two-month-long fitness program designed to help participants achieve their health and fitness goals through resources such as nutrition guides, daily workouts and a goal measuring program. The program made Hill’s goals feel achievable, she says.
Through the challenge, Hill began a regimen of fitness videos, a meal plan suggested by her personal trainer and group training sessions five days a week.
To help keep her fitness goals on track, Hill also had an accountability partner, another participant in the challenge who made sure Hill was completing all of her goals each day. She says that the accountability partners form a symbiotic relationship where each is equally rewarded by sharing knowledge and helping each other through difficult situations.
Finding a healthier lifestyle was important to Hill not just for her own well-being but to better care for those around her as well. A mother of three and grandmother of two, Hill has two family members with asthma and also works as an executive assistant at Marburn Academy in New Albany. Making healthy choices meant minimizing the risk of getting sick and spreading sickness to her family, the students at Marburn and everyone around her.
“For me, it’s sometimes easier to find an outside motivator to drive change within myself,” Hill says. “I love my job, and I love my family; therefore, I had to find a way to love myself.”
Courtesy of Leigh Hill
All competitors in the challenge are required to submit an essay about their journey with the challenge, as well as weights and pictures from the beginning and end of the challenge. A Life Time committee reviews all the submissions and determines the finalists. Then, Life Time members vote for the winner.
Hill achieved outstanding results, becoming one of 10 female semifinalists nationally.
She says she received fitness gear from the challenge’s sponsors including gym shoes and shirts. She was also involved in a promotional video with other semifinalists.
For Hill, it was a shocking and humbling experience to be chosen as a semifinalist and validation for the hard work she’d put in since the start of the pandemic.
“I got so much attention from (the challenge), which I completely did not expect,” she says. “People were noticing the transformation in my body. They were saying things to me and asking me what I’m doing.”
Even after completing the challenge, Hill recognizes how much of an impact the new habits she formed have continued to make on her life.
Almost nine months later, Hill still maintains the healthy lifestyle the challenge helped her to achieve. Although she isn’t receiving the videos and meal plans from Life Time, she continues to work out six days a week, stay in touch with accountability partners and participate in group training.
Courtesy of Leigh Hill
Hill has also taken what she’s learned from the challenge to help other women achieve their wellness goals as well. Upon seeing her transformation, friends and members of her gym started reaching out to Hill for fitness advice.
She started a wellness consulting service where she offers guidance in nutrition, exercise and overall wellness. For Hill, it’s a way to contribute back to her community.
“I had (to help),” she says. “What is it all for if you can’t help someone? That’s just at the core of who I am. I couldn’t walk away from these people knowing I had knowledge that could potentially help them.”
Being a part of the community is important for Hill. That’s something she values about Pickerington’s welcoming and family-oriented environment. She also appreciates the neighborhoods and opportunities to socialize and meet neighbors. She especially enjoys spending time in Victory Park and Pickerington Ponds Metro Park. Hill can regularly be found at any
Getting healthy meant keeping those around her safe, including her youngest daughter, Marleigha, a senior at Pickerington
Pickerington North High School events that her youngest daughter, Marleigha, a senior at North, is part of. Hill also participates in events and committees related to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion at the school.
Megan Roth is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
