Fitness & Wellness News Your Source for Fitness News, Wellness News, Health News, and Nutrition News!
When you make the most of what you have, you often discover you have what it takes …
Part 1 of a 2-part series
As the saying goes, you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. Challenges are often what distinguish our members from the outside world of exercisers. Whether excelling in athletic events or managing a new life without a wheelchair, we are a motivated community. Share in this abundance, with wisdom and inspiration from these members’ stories.
Barbara Stechel: From Steady to Deadlifts
When she retired at age 65, Barbara’s goal was to get in shape. Now 76 years old, she continues to evolve that goal to keep it relevant.
Barbara was unfamiliar with weightlifting when she began personal training. She was physically and mentally overwhelmed with the thought of lifting weights.
After all, seeing experienced strength trainers in action can be intimidating. She began with dumbbells and a few push-ups. Barbara credits her trainer, and the techniques he shared, in helping her progress.
At the start, she was unable to lift a weight bar by itself. Now, she can lift it with up to 150 pounds! At 5’1”, Barbara herself only weighs about 112 pounds.
Weightlifting also helped Barbara overcome a hand tremor, called an intention tremor. When reaching for things, her hands often shook. Exercise has diminished this shaking to the extent that she now can smoothly perform deadlifts and squats.
Often, people question Barbara about “what she is trying to prove” by lifting heavy. When asked why she focuses on this area of training, Barbara’s reply is simple, “It feels really good to be strong.” She elaborates by citing some of the many things that are easier to do when fit. Among the top, she includes carrying and playing with her grandchild.
Barbara’s workouts are balanced with cardio fitness by swimming regularly and walking her dog twice a day. However, her passion for strength training stays strong itself. She notes it is especially important for women to realize, “You don’t have to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger to be strong.”
Bill Mayer, The Making of a Marathon Runner
Bill was bored with “going through the motions” of his stale workout at his former gym. He ran the treadmill. He circuit-trained, using a few different machines. Upon registering for the New Jersey Marathon, Bill realized he needed to train better. The Center offered the variety his workout craved and his goals required. And the Center Aquatics facilities sparked a new goal: triathlon participation.
In addition to success at the New Jersey Marathon, Bill was motivated to tackle the New York City Marathon. A combination of Group Fitness classes and treadmill work transformed him into a competitive runner. He mixes in Group Fitness classes that offer cardio and strength training to further balance his workout. His repertoire also includes Yoga classes, helping him laser in on goals and positivity—to obtain a different kind of balance.
Aside from his fitness accomplishments, Bill emphasizes the difference made by his strengthened sense of community. “It’s inspiring to be around likeminded people who manage to fit exercise into their busy lives. I love this camaraderie,” shares Bill. He also notes the fitness instructors are instrumental in motivating him to consistently attend class and challenge himself.
Challenged, he is! Bill already drafted his 2019 bucket list. It includes a half marathon, a sprint triathlon, and possibly a repeat of the New York City Marathon. A little variety goes a long distance!
Judi Bellagamba, Pain-free in Motion
With her muscular, fit physique, Judi looks like poetry in motion during her workouts. However, osteoarthritis has racked her body. It was nausea and dizziness that led to a series of tests resulting in this diagnosis. Crushed disks in her cervical spine were revealed, which required immediate surgery to fuse. Judi was left with permanent pain from nerve damage.
Her pain is ongoing, sometimes severe. She also suffers from burning and numbness in her extremities. Judi has found relief only through movement. Exercise is her daily priority.
“I move to avoid pain. It keeps me healthy and strong,” she attests. When being still hurts, nothing is more motivating to exercise. This explains why Judi is at the Center daily, often multiple times during the day and night. Through personal training, she was introduced to yoga. She also discovered the Pilates reformer, which provides relief by stretching and nerve flossing (easing compression of the nerves).
Judi’s daughter and two grandchildren live with her; she prides herself on helping raise the grands, ages five and six years. Despite being an involved grandmother, she prioritizes her workouts around any needed babysitting. “I schedule everything around my fitness routine to manage my pain so I can maintain some quality-of-life,” she informs. Her workouts enable her to function.
Spending this much time at the Center, Judi considers it her second home. “The trainers and instructors there [at the Center] all have helped me. I’ve learned so much. They are my extended family.” Considering this, it is not surprising to learn Judi has them to her home for dinner on occasion.
Cultivate Abundance
As the New Year approaches, contemplate your true abundance. Where do you excel? How can you go farther while accepting yourself where you are right now? Regardless of the wishes and resolutions fulfilled – and unfulfilled– this past year, we still carry within us a capacity of our own making.
Next week in F&W News, we will help you cultivate healthful abundance with more member inspiration.
