Success Story: Marni Kuhlmann (CFRN)
Though it might seem superficial to some, the reality is that appearance matters in the media. How you care for your body is taken by the public to be an indicator of how capable you are to be a role model for society. So sure, how the public perceives me is important, but nowhere near as imperative to me as being a positive role model for my teenage daughter- to teach her that hard work and proper diet are the only ways to build a healthy body. There are no quick fixes (as much as I would love it if there were).
I have always maintained a healthy-ish bodyweight. I don’t think that anyone would have pegged me as “unfit”. That said, as with most of us, there was some refining to be done, and those improvements were going to require some outside help.
I first started training with Defining Eve early in 2005 by taking some of the group exercise classes with one of my colleagues. I joke to this day that she made me do it (though she really did). Until that point in my health and fitness career, I had worked on improving my eating habits, and I knew that exercise was the next step, but I lacked the motivation to stay consistent with a program. Very reluctantly, I signed up for some group exercise classes to make sure that I would show up.
Over the course of the last few years I have taken the full gamut of classes including BOSU, Reformer Pilates, Mat Pilates, Bridal Boot Camp, Running Clinics…you name the Defining Eve class, I’ve taken it. At different times over the last two years I have also worked with a Defining Eve trainer one-on-one, as well as done partner training with my teenage daughter. The results have been life-altering.
Many people are surprised today to learn that I have a fourteen-month old baby. The truth is that my body today has changed so much and is admittedly more svelte today than it was “before baby”. I feel really encouraged by the results that I have seen. I am far more capable, far stronger, and far fitter than I ever imagined I could be. Sometimes I see muscles and definition that I didn’t know I had and it surprises me…this is actually my body?
But this is not the end. I don’t want it to be something that I look back on and say “wow, I was in great shape back then – I want to keep it! There is always something new to try at the studio, what better way to keep in shape than constant encouragement and fun? I’m hooked.
The things in life worth having are worth working for.
