|
 June 2005 |
 April 2006 |
 
September 2006 |
Susan called me in December, 2005, to start exercising as part of her weight loss program. When I met her she weighed 219 pounds and was almost 50% body fat, and had recently lost 11 pounds. At her heaviest she weighed 250. Susan is 4'10''. A healthy weight for her would be about 125 pounds.
We started working out once a week together. She had a treadmill, a fitness ball, and a couple of sets of dumbbells. Climbing a flight of stairs caused her to breathe heavily. We focused on long duration medium intensity workouts, and she worked hard sticking to a healthy eating plan.
Susan's determination was tremendous, and her tenacity was inspiring. She worked through ups and downs. There were weeks when the scale would not budge and she thought I was full of it. As of November, 2006, Susan has lost 100 pounds through healthy eating and regular exercise. Her program has continually focused on cardiovascular exercise, weight training and stretching. We've done Pilates, Yoga, interval workouts, and speed workouts. Determination and perseverance are the foundation to her success.
Susan reshaped her life. She developed new coping skills to deal with stress. Where once she'd order a pizza and watch television after a hard day at work, she now exercises and cooks. She has endured job stress, illness, injury and sheer fatigue, and yet she maintains her focus on her goals.
Finally I should say, ?'Results not typical?' like the tiny print on diet product advertisements. Susan is not a typical client for me. She had more weight to lose than anyone I'd ever worked with before. Her story is an inspiration though, and above all, she has found her success through dedicated hard work over months and months. My hat is off to her.
Interview:
What made you decide to hire a Personal Trainer?
In April, 2005, I was 130 pounds overweight and couldn't walk a quarter of a mile. I started exercising very slowly. It started out with 10 minute walks 5 days a week. Within 6 months I was walking 3 miles 5 days a week. I lost 30 pounds.
I was inspired by the participants on the show 'The Biggest Loser'. I saw how much the personal trainers contributed to participants' success by educating them how to exercise, challenging and motivating them. I wanted that for myself.
I set a goal of being able to jog 3 miles by the end of June. I was challenged by muscle pain when I tried to jog. I needed help developing a plan for success. I wanted a trainer to show me effective weight lifting exercises. I didn't want to go to the gym to work out. So, I wanted a personal trainer to help me exercise in my own home.
I wanted exercise and fitness to be fun. I knew that if it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it. I was hopeful that a personal trainer would be able to add some humor and fun into the process. I knew that I had 100 pounds to lose and thought it would help to have someone to motivate me. I knew that if a trainer was coming, I would work harder to meet my goals.
What has been your experience with Personal Training?
The experience has been absolutely amazing!
It is now November, 2006. I have been working with Heather as a personal trainer for 11 months. I have met every goal I have set for myself and accomplished more then I ever thought I could. I admit now, looking back, I never really thought I had a chance of reaching my goals because of how overweight I was.
Heather understood my goals, my history and what I wanted to accomplish. She developed a plan to help me reach my goals. She showed me modifications of exercises so that even at 100 pounds overweight, I could still do them. Heather is great at watching the exercise and fixing technique so that you are getting the most out of the time you are investing. Several times at the beginning, something didn't feel quite right and she would make a small adjustment that would make all the difference.
In addition, Heather was very motivating. She recognized my frustrations and supported me through them. She trained me with exercises I could do and helped me set realistic goals. It made me work even harder so that the next time she came, I would be able to do more advanced versions of various exercises.
Finally, the thing that has been most important to me is that Heather has been there the times when I really needed her. She always made time for a phone call or e-mail when I was struggling, had a question, or just wanted to talk. Now I call her about my successes!
Please contact Heather with any questions or to talk about possibilities of how to reach your fitness goals.
| 
