I started personal training at Health Place about a year ago. At that time I weighed 158 lbs. and was a size 14. Today I have lost 25 lbs. and fit in a size 8. I owe it to Mary Ann for working with me through a lot of different problems. My main problem was my Menierre's disease. Mary Ann worked with me through the year with that, knee problems and also back problems. I used to go every 4 months for injections into my back but by exercising the correct way it is down to twice a year because my back is so much stronger. If I did not know the correct way to do a lot of exercises for and with my back involved I would not be able to do what I do today. Mary Ann does not take NO for an answer if she knows you can do it and does not have the words "I can't" in her vocabulary. I sometimes do not like her for it but I appreciate it and she has kept me going and helped me out tremendously. --S
In April, I began doing personal training twice a week. I wanted to manage my own cardio conditioning and have Megan concentrate on muscle conditioning. I have knee problems and wanted to have her prescribe specific exercises that would help me build my core strength and muscle tone in my legs without further aggravating or injuring my knee. Megan always has each workout session planned out in such a way that I am usually working different muscle groups in different ways every time I train. With her assistance, I’ve learned how to use most of the exercise equipment properly so as to get the best workout without injury. Even so, I still prefer to work out with her rather than on my own for a variety of reasons. First, I’d probably never push myself as hard as she does so I know I work harder and get a better workout with her help. Second, at my age, the last thing I need is an injury. Even now, she still corrects my form from time to time so as to avoid injury. Third, since I have scheduled time with her, it helps keep me committed to getting to the gym on a routine basis rather than sleeping in. Lastly, she does an incredible job of varying my workout routines so that I don’t fall into the trap of redundancy and lose some of the benefit of my exercise regimen.
At the end of July, I did another fitness profile so we could evaluate my progress. I was pretty amazed at the results. I improved in every single category so that my overall fitness rating was "excellent." The fact that I was most excited about was that, in just four months, I reduced my body fat by 5.3% to a level on the low end of the norm.
I look forward to my personal training time and really enjoy the process of staying in shape. I began to tire of using the elliptical machine or cycle for my cardio workouts so I started experimenting with some of Health Club’s fitness classes. Now I’m totally hooked on Zumba, Tae Bo and Pilates. Not only that, I’ve been able to start taking golf lessons and I have been able to get back out on the tennis courts for the first time in over 8 years. I even competed in the club’s little fitness Olympics and did well enough to win a complimentary body massage! I still experience some muscle soreness every time I train with Megan but I am no longer stressed and am sleeping so much better. I have more energy, I’m feeling great and my only regret is that I didn’t start down this path sooner! --R.T.