Success Story: Barb and Susan
Local wine merchants, Barb and Susan find energy and motivation in working out together.
Barb
Before Defining Eve, Susan and I were setting up for a consumer wine tasting event and we each had to run up a flight of stairs, twice, with cases of wine—and be quick about it. A case of wine typically weighs 33 to 35lbs. We were out of breath and extremely hot, not a pleasant way to start an evening of serving guests. Clearly we needed to get back into shape!!
In addition to realizing that my endurance needed work, I noticed that due to a lack of strength, I was struggling through the simple stuff. Just before Susan and I first started with Defining Eve, my back and knees were so wrecked I had to sit on a bed to put on a pair of socks. I often walked up stairs like a three-year old child—one stair at a time.
When we started out on our program we chose to work with a personal trainer right off the bat; we really liked the flexibility that it offered. Because we’re traveling so often and attending different events, classes are a difficult commitment to keep. We knew that personal training would be the key to maintaining a workout regime since it is tailored to our schedule. We also like the personalized attention that focuses on our specific workout needs.
A year after starting with Defining Eve, we had that same wine tasting event at the same venue. The stairs, the cases of wine…it was doable! No shortness of breath, no breaking out in a sweat, no feeling like an old lady. I was able to start the pouring feeling composed and confident.
Susan
Growing up I made no effort to be physically fit. NO team sports, NO athletic endeavours. I was a bookworm. My idea of an exciting summer (if we were not visiting our family in Italy) would be to read a book a day throughout the summer and spend the weekends baking.
We were raised in Edmonton, but our Italian heritage has had a huge impact on us. Things have really changed in Europe, but when we were younger no one seemed to workout and the idea of jogging was completely foreign. Fitness was never a purposeful act, it was casually integrated into a lifestyle and people walked daily after dinner during what is called a “Passeggiata”. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why we never really got into sports or developed the idea of a workout regime.
To this day, we look at working out as something that should be more pleasurable rather than anything really hardcore. We work out with our trainer two, preferably three times a week, I do yoga once or twice a week and I incorporate walking for a half hour in most mornings. Having a personal trainer with appointments and training with my sister keeps me motivated, because I have to show up.
With so little self-discipline it is a daily struggle to make sure that I continue working out. I keep training because I know that I, like Barb, will be able to run up the flight of stairs with a case of wine without being winded and feeling decrepit.
