I joined the gym the last week of January 2023. I am 5’11” tall and weighed 273 pounds. I am 67 years old. I signed up for personal training with Shan Shan. I currently weigh 245 lbs so I’ve lost almost 30 lbs in 7 months. I still have another 75 lbs to go. I lost my husband 7 years ago, and was in a very dark place grieving him deeply.
I really didn’t care about anything. I was eating fast food once or twice a day and sitting most of the time. As I got heavier the aches and pains got worse. I could barely get out of my chair. Everything hurt. God was telling me to get up and walk, but I didn’t want to. Finally, I came to the realization that I was going to die in that chair if I didn’t start getting in shape. I started walking twice a week with a friend, and then decided I had to get a trainer if I was going to actually get healthy.
It was really hard even coming in. I had a very negative attitude about the effort that was needed. It was easier to do nothing, but I wanted to play with my grandkids and get back to traveling. Shan Shan has been really fantastic about encouraging me and being patient. She is so knowledgeable about all the muscles of the body and making sure I’m doing everything correctly. She not there just counting reps. She’s holding me accountable and helping me to get back on track when I struggle. She’s always looking for the positive even in the small backsliding that happens.
She totally changed my mindset. I want to go to the gym and see the pounds come off. I can now walk up a long set of stairs at my grandkid’s house without hanging on to the rail and gasping for breath at the top. I no longer need a two hour nap in the afternoon. I’ve dropped 2 sizes since January. I still have a long ways to go but I can see it’s possible now and I’m feeling stronger both mentally and physically with God’s help and Shan Shan.
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