Success Story: Debbie
Before I started exercising my blood pressure was high and hard to get under control. Coupled with my thyroid problem, I thought that it would be impossible for me to ever lose the weight that had slowly crept up on me over the years. At 52 years old, I started to feel as though my body was falling apart, just as my job at Canada Post was getting more physically challenging. Not good timing.
I went from a route that was mainly standing in mailrooms sorting mail, to one that was a long, mostly residential area with a lot of stairs leading up to the mailboxes. I found it very difficult to adjust and at the end of the day I was too exhausted to do much more than collapse on the couch.
So what did I do? Picked up the phone and called the good people at Defining Eve of course! In the summer of 2006 I started working with a trainer.
My personal trainer and all the other wonderful staff at Defining Eve have kept me motivated by their encouragement and their belief that I can do the seemingly impossible. After a few short weeks I realized that resistance was futile and that I just have to keep trying and it eventually my body will adapt. Their sense of humour and energy has helped me get through some of the more difficult routines. The group classes are also a lot of fun. I enjoy learning new things to help me get in shape. It’s a great motivator to look back and realize that I’ve done some things I didn’t think I could or that I haven’t been able to do since my youth.
Defining Eve has helped me with my success in that I have lost two dress sizes, my doctor says my blood pressure is now perfect, and the stairs leading up to those mailboxes no longer seem high at all. I have more energy after work to do other things if I need to and I can touch my toes instead of just being able to reach half-way down my calves. My posture, balance and flexibility have also improved.
My long –term goals are to keep exercise an important part of my life so that I can enjoy my life to the fullest (you only get one shot), and perhaps even lose another two dress sizes in the process (though it’s not the be all and end all).
I have learned that success does not come over night but that it’s a continuous journey for me and that setting smaller goals along the way and meeting them feels absolutely wonderful. It’s great to be able to say “I did it!”
