First of all, I want to wish all of you a Happy Valentine’s Day! So, perhaps this week you thought I would be writing about love and relationships; but it will have to wait, because I’ve just got some great news I can’t wait to share with you!
If you’ve been keeping up with my blogs, you know that I suffer from Type 1 diabetes. Then to add to it just a few short months ago I was also given the bad news that my cholesterol and LDL levels were elevated. It took me awhile to decide I didn’t want to wallow in self-pity, but I wanted to change my life and my health.
In fact, my husband was the driving force behind my motivation to get up and get moving. One night he poured his heart out to me in desperation, telling me that he just didn’t know what he would do if he lost me because of my illnesses. With tears in his eyes he told me that he and the kids just couldn’t live without me. They needed me to be around for a long, long time.
So, I joined a new gym and decided to get a personal trainer. I know what you’re thinking. That’s got to be expensive! And you’re right, but just think how much my medical bills would be if I didn’t take care of myself. In the long run, I’m saving money. However, in the beginning I thought the same thing too. My husband kept encouraging me and finally told me that getting a personal trainer would be my Christmas gift from the whole family. Obviously I agreed.
Thus it began. I’ll be honest; the first few weeks I dreaded going to the gym, and it took a lot of effort to make myself go and workout. Probably because I knew the next days to follow I would be “pleasantly” sore! But before I knew it, I started looking forward to meeting my trainer. I was actually enjoying exercising! And although the workouts haven’t gotten easier, my body has begun to adapt much better.
The results I’ve received from personal training and cardio exercising are amazing! So I thought I would share my testimonial with you that I’ve written for my personal trainer.
“As I think about the past six weeks, I’m absolutely amazed at the accomplishments I’ve been able to achieve due to personal training. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would have a success story in such a short amount of time. But, here I am, living proof that with a lot of hard work and effort success can come true!
So, before I get any further ahead of myself, I guess I should start at the beginning. I’m 27 years old. I’ve been married for 7 ½ years to my high-school sweetheart and I have two wonderful children (a 2-year-old girl and a 6-month-old boy). I’m now a full-time mommy; but in my spare time, I also work part-time as a pediatric nurse and I write a health/wellness blog.
I’ve never considered myself to be an unhealthy person. I was raised eating a vegetarian diet, and I still continue to practice that today. Plus, I’ve always been active. I’m really not the “couch potato” type.
However, I started having some health problems shortly after giving birth to my daughter. I already had a pre-existing thyroid condition, and in addition to that, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Needless to say, I was devastated!
Skip ahead with me to just three months after having my son, and there’s even more bad health news. Now my cholesterol and LDL levels were elevated. But, instead of starting me on medication right away, my doctor allowed me some time to get it under control with diet and exercise.
So I decided it was time for a huge change. I switched my membership over to Gold’s Gym and took advantage of their three free personal training sessions. That’s how I met Brad, my trainer, and the rest is history.
Brad knew I had a goal to meet, so he pushed me hard and made me dig deep. I tried my hardest to take all of his advice to heart. I tried to go to the gym on my days off, doing at least an hour of cardio exercise. I desperately wanted my next doctor’s visit to be a good one, so I pushed myself too. Some weeks would find me at the gym six days a week!
Well, I’m excited to tell you that it is certainly paying off. After just six weeks and ten training sessions, my cholesterol went from 210 to 156, and my LDL levels went from 134 to 80. I’ve also decreased my insulin use by 6 units a day. Plus, I’ve lost 5 pounds and have dropped 1 pant size. It’s truly amazing!
I never could have achieved this on my own. It’s a true testimony of what personal training can really do. A thousand thank-you’s just doesn’t seem adequate to describe the gratitude and appreciation I have for the success Brad has helped me attain. It’s been an emotionally overwhelming experience to have my health given back to me, and I will always be grateful to Brad for giving that to me!”
Thank you so much!
Karene Bejarano
Isn’t it just amazing? Now, here’s my advice to you: Give yourself a special Valentine’s gift and start exercising. Personal training has saved my life, and it can help you too. So, remember to love yourself enough to change your life and your health beginning today.
