Precision Body Sculpting

My overall rating

An intellectual, an avid reader, a creative knitter, a steadfast friend, a good wife, a good mother – all those terms were used to describe me. Never did anyone mention physical prowess when talking about me, and for good reason. The most...   +

An intellectual, an avid reader, a creative knitter, a steadfast friend, a good wife, a good mother – all those terms were used to describe me. Never did anyone mention physical prowess when talking about me, and for good reason. The most physical things I ever did were holding a book or a pair of knitting needles. A bit of gardening, but not enough to overexert myself. Even as a child, playing was never physical and running was out of the question. Until I turned fifty-five and a younger friend told me that taking care of my health meant more than keeping my blood pressure under control and eating a halfway decent diet; it also meant getting fit before I died of chronic laziness. She gave me her personal trainer’s phone number and more or less bullied me in meeting him, at least for a preliminary assessment.

That personal trainer was Mike. Five years later, I still see him regularly. I have come to realize that I will always need someone to push me against my natural tendency to indolence. Things have changed a lot in those years. My weight has come down to a point where I can bend without the fat getting in the way and I have toned my muscles to a level that they had never reached before. I have sweated, uttered more than a few dirty words and tried to whine my way out of some difficult exercises, but Mike was watching and putting up a wall between me and inactivity. He also found, the way a good trainer should, what buttons to push in order to keep me going. The easiest of my buttons is a dare. I love a challenge, and Mike recognized it; he has challenged me to all sorts of things: climbing the CN Tower, running a 10K race (running is definitely not my thing, but at least I have tried it), walking for hours and all sorts of other things I used to find unappealing.

More than anything, however, Mike has taught me to realize that going a little further than the limits I thought were imposed by my body and my age is fun. Okay, there are still days when I think that the only thing wrong with exercise is exercise itself. But I enjoy the pushing ahead and I have come to find exhilaration in reaching a physical goal. Books are still a joy and a necessity; I can even listen to audio books while working out. Knitting is still a lot of fun, but now, instead of sitting down to think up a pattern, I lace up and get going and, surprisingly, it comes while I do something good for me. (One thing I haven’t discovered yet is how to knit on the go.)

Because my fitness level is better than ever, being alive feels fantastic. My challenges for this year: my third CN Tower climb and walking a marathon. Mike is guiding me towards these goals. All through a good trainer’s work and worth much more than the money I put into it.    -