- March 6, 2024 |
- Personal Training
Fitness journeys are rarely a straight path forward, and it's easy to let life throw a wrench in your plans and routines. As A Gym Built for You, we love to see people overcome those adversities and thrive in spite of them.
Today, we have a story of just that. Fitness 19 Brand Specialist and member Nicole shares her story of bouncing back from adversity to reach her healthiest and fittest self with the help of Personal Training.
When I was in my 20's I started my fitness journey over at Fitness 19 Yucaipa. Growing up in a small town and moving to the I.E., I've never really had the gym experience everyone else had. I had no idea how to lift weights and just stuck to the cardio machines.
My friends introduced me to Zumba for the first time which I've found more fun than running on the treadmill! I then started going to the gym more consistently 1-2 times a week wondering why I wasn't seeing any progress. In 2015, I was at my heaviest (at the time) when my office decided to have a weight loss competition with prize money. I decided right then that I was going to win and hired myself as a personal trainer.
Jose Estevez, (now District Manager) knew on day 1 that I was in it to win it! He pushed me hard with kickboxing and weightlifting sessions and gave me nutritional advice. I lost 20 lbs in two months and won the contest! I then ended my training journey, because I was entering a new relationship and felt that I learned all there is to learn from a personal trainer.
5 years later I was humbled. Post-divorce I've found myself depressed, severely overweight, and in chronic back pain. I was at my lowest and hit rock bottom. That's when I decided to chuck my pride aside and ask for accountability partners because I was too ashamed and embarrassed to work out by myself.
Unfortunately, my friends all had families and/or busy lifestyles that didn't align with the vision I had for myself. I said to myself, "If no one will work out with me then I'll pay for someone to." That's when I started my 2nd fitness journey.
After losing 30 lbs and putting on solid muscle, I realized that fitness will always be a core value of mine, therefore I believe it's essential to have a personal trainer for myself.
I may not be doing 3 times a week like I used to but with the Fitness 19 mobile app, I can say that my Personal Trainer Vanessa Loera from Fitness 19 Redlands makes my 1 session per week feel like 4!
She develops new programs for me to follow every 9-12 weeks on the app. We use our 1 session per week to go over anything that I may be struggling with and make adjustments if necessary, or she'll use that session per week to challenge me!
I'm really thankful for my support system here at Fitness 19. Not only do I get encouragement from my Trainer and Group Instructors but the whole staff at Redlands recognize me and are constantly encouraging me by recognizing my progress and checking in with me! I truly feel that I have a family here at Fitness 19 and I know I wouldn't have gotten where I am today without my gym community!
We want to send a special shout-out to Nicole for sharing her story!
If your fitness isn't quite where you want, regardless if your goal is to drop a few pounds or build some muscle, reach out to schedule your FREE personal training session!