K-Factor TEN Monthly Series–August 2023

As part of our K-Factor TEN monthly series, we will share ten questions and answers from people in the 50+ community with a fitness lifestyle each month.

We aim to help people get started and be encouraged; know that it’s not too late to start, and anyone can do it.

This month we’d like to introduce you to Eva Sombathy.

1. Give us some background on how long you’ve been working out and what started you down the fitness path. I started really focusing on my fitness when I was in my late 30s. I was overweight with a slowing metabolism and faced back surgery if I did not do something.
2. How did you figure out what to do in the gym – what exercises worked? I had heard of a book by Bill Phillips, Body for Life. I had always considered myself an athlete trapped in a nonathletic body.
3. Did you start and stop working out before it became a lifestyle? Many times over the years. Life gets in the way. Stress, job changes, moves, and grief. Someone other than me typically bounces around 5-10 pounds. I seem to be an overachiever (laughing) and like to gain and lose the same 50 pounds.
4. Why did you stick with it? What are the main benefits for you? As I aged, I started to shift focus and prioritize myself. If I could tell my younger self that prioritizing myself would make me happier, healthier, and in much better shape to keep up with my active babies. The benefits to me now are that I wake up each day and start by doing something for myself. It sets my mood for the day and makes me proud I am doing things to live a healthy lifestyle.
5. How do you motivate yourself when you don’t feel like working out? How do you get past that? I had one of these days yesterday. It had been a stressful day at work. I literally drove around the parking lot of the gym. The gym is next to the grocery store, and I thought to myself… I could just run in and grab a bottle of wine. I remembered something my coach told me that helped me. She stated,” get out of your head and go in for one set of anything.” that’s really it. We can do so much if we get out of our own way.
6. Give us some background on your nutrition, and were there foods or strategies you tried in the past that were mistakes? I have tried everything! Keto, low cal, fasting, etc. I even had a personal trainer years ago that put me on a super low-calorie diet, and after six months, it didn’t work. I kept asking myself how I could do this before and not now with this trainer. I pulled out my Body For Life book, returned to the nutrition plan, and bingo! Balance works. You must have the right balance of proteins, simple carbs, and healthy fats.
7. Do you have a “cheat day/meal” on your plan? If so, how do you keep a “cheat day” from becoming a cheat weekend or week? What technique do you use? This is a hard one. I am not perfect. I live by the 80/20 rule. I eat perfectly 80% of the time. 20%, I give myself grace. You can save it up for one day and eat 80/20 every day. It’s nearly impossible to eat 100% every day. If I put in the work physically, 80/20 is a great balance.
8. “I don’t have time to spend hours a day working out and preparing meals” is something we hear often – how do you answer that? With all of the terrific online programs, you can get an amazing workout in less than 30 minutes daily. I am worth 30 minutes a day! I do my meal prep on Sundays before the week starts. I am more successful when I prep and plan. I save one meal a day in the evening with my husband, which I do not plan. I consciously make healthy choices on that meal but don’t stress too much.
9. Do you have any tips to help beginners get started? Any ideas for those who may be intimidated about going to a gym or don’t believe it will work for them? Just try one exercise. Get out of your own head and do this for yourself. It’s easy to get intimidated at the gym, but remember you are doing this for yourself, not them. Work with a trainer that is experienced in whatever your goals are. Online trainers are amazing. Some gym trainers will train the same way for every individual. Not all, but that is just my experience. Find someone who listens to you and motivates you. Accountability and community are key to success. Oh, and take pictures! The scale may not move, but pictures can tell the story of your hard work.
10. What is your go-to Pizza or that cheat day treat you look forward to? My cheat snack is a dipped cone from Dairy Queen. I don’t go all out on cheat meals, but a cheat snack is a win.

We can help and encourage you to take action. Contact K Factor Coaching today!

Bio: Eva Sombathy

On August 14th, I will be 55. I have struggled with my weight for 40 years now. A lifetime of ups and downs, babies, marriage, divorce, and just living, has had me trying to shed the same weight for 40 years. Of course, it all starts in your teen years as a young woman, but as life passes, you tend to put yourself last in every stage. It wasn’t until I experienced a terrible loss at 48 that I decided to put myself first. I lost my twin sister in March of 2017.

The grief was unbearable, and I lost my sense of identity oddly. All I knew was that I had been part of something my whole life, half of a whole. The first six months after the loss, I fell into such a dark place I wasn’t sure where I would land. It wasn’t until I had a dream about her, and in this dream, she was telling me to discover myself and get busy living. I started thinking about all the things I wished I had done. I wondered who I was without being a twin or one of the girls. My mission became discovering who Eva really was. For once, I started saying “No” to things and put myself first.

I turned back to a fitness program that had been successful time and again in my life and started working out to compete in a fitness competition. My weight at this time ballooned to 225 lbs. I started living without fear and doing things like parasailing or swimming in the ocean; I have a terrible fear of water. I joined a community of like-minded people, where I met Coach Kim Knapp.

Having this community that only motivates you to succeed. You share your wins and your challenges with people who really understand. I successfully shed the weight and reached my goal of 145 lbs. I like this weight and feel confident for the first time in many years.

I learned to be a “Me” without “We.” I went on to write a book about my journey titled A Me Without We, and I also completed my first fitness competition in March 2019. I am getting ready to compete again in December 2023. I want to inspire anyone who feels it is too late to pull themselves back up and get busy living! I am living my dreams at 55.