Fitness Together: A Healthy Resolution Kept!
Twenty-six percent of all Americans made New Year’s resolutions in 2018. Twelve percent of us kept our resolutions. Fifty percent of us just lost our motivation.
Why is it so difficult to make and keep our resolutions? Were we really as committed as we needed to be to succeed? Were our resolutions truly meaningful and achievable? Perhaps the new Maserati in our garage was a stretch, but then there were some genuine resolutions as well, like the ones that were health related. Some of us wanted to lose weight, improve our heart health, lower our blood pressure, and more. These were resolutions that, when achieved, could have had a significant impact on our health, well-being, and longevity.
Ask yourself if you really possess the necessary skills to create a healthy, realistic, and achievable plan of action for yourself, or do you find yourself pursuing the latest fad diet or exercise regimen? Does your lack of accountability find even your best efforts waning after just a few weeks?
For this month’s issue of Everything Knoxville, we interviewed two Knoxville area radio personalities, B97.5’s Michele Silva and WNML’s “Sports Animal” Will West, who will share with you their own healthy living success stories that they were able to achieve thanks to Fitness Together, the nation’s largest one-on-one personal training franchise.
EK: Michele, how would you describe the results of your personal exercise and dieting effort prior to your Fitness Together experience?
Michele: That’s easy – frustrating! You diet and exercise, and nothing seems to happen. We all know that diet and exercise are the keys to losing weight, and the older we get, the tougher it becomes. What was most frustrating was working out and eating well but finding out that the scale hadn’t budged. It drove me crazy. Fortunately, I discovered Fitness Together.
EK: Your health journey was complicated by an unexpected medical challenge. Explain.
Michele: I had been fighting sciatic pain for months and did not want surgery, but the disc eventually ruptured, and I had an emergency discectomy to repair the ruptured disc in my lower back. I was pain-free immediately thanks to Dr. Joel Norman. Although I had always had a gym membership and tried to eat well, I was not active during the months prior to surgery due to the pain and then for months following the surgery. I would exercise but apparently not enough. I was afraid to push myself – afraid that the sciatica would return. The worst part was that I was gaining weight and losing muscle. I ended up being the heaviest I had ever been.
EK: And that’s when you discovered Fitness Together?
Michele: Yes. I knew I had to do something, so I joined Fitness Together in Bearden. My personal fitness trainer, Chip Gibson, works with me two to three times a week. I like that all my sessions at Fitness Together are private. Lasting 45 minutes, they include a combination of weights and cardio exercises that are custom designed to help me achieve my individual goals. Chip is also helping me improve my nutrition as well.
EK: When did you begin to see the results of your efforts?
Michele: It took a few weeks to see some changes in my body. It can be a slow process, but it happened. I’ve had to learn to be more patient. According to the scale, I’ve only lost about 12 pounds, but my waist is four inches smaller, and my thighs and arms have gotten leaner. Even better is that I feel stronger, I have more energy, and now I am motivated to lose even more.
EK: Any additional thoughts you would like to share with our readers?
Michele: I’ve never enjoyed fitness as much as I do now. I absolutely love the journey I’m on, and I can’t wait to see where it leads me. My story can become anyone’s story. Thank you to the Fitness Together team. You’re awesome!
EK: Will, what was the turning point in your life when you knew things had to change for you?
Will: I was 36 years old and weighed 320 pounds and had a lean body mass of 161, meaning I was essentially 50% body fat. Also, I had already experienced my first chest pain. My family history of cardiac issues concerned not only me, but my friends and family members as well. It wasn’t one big realization that made me finally take control of my lifestyle and lose weight. Aside from the grim health risks of being as big as I was, I was also having to buy bigger and bigger clothes.
EK: How did you first learn about Fitness Together?
Will: As a radio host, I routinely met with the station’s account executives. One executive represented Fitness Together, who specializes in one-on-one personal training. After learning more, I said okay, this is the one for me, and I scheduled a trial evaluation with them. I couldn’t do a single push-up. I could barely use the elliptical machine for five minutes without having to quit.
EK: What sold you on Fitness Together?
Will: I could see that Fitness Together’s personal trainers were serious about helping me succeed. I’d never trained like that before. They gave me an exercise program that was strategic and personalized. They showed me that there was no excuse.
EK: Tell us about where you are today.
Will: Three short years later, I weigh 250 pounds and have achieved a lean body mass of 220. I’ve lost 20% body fat.
EK: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Will: Whether you’re 20 pounds overweight or 70 pounds like me, Fitness Together will work with you, one-on-one, to help you achieve your personal fitness and health goals. You can literally lose inches while adding years to your life. Their experienced, certified professional trainers can help you create the accountability and provide the support you’ll need to succeed. Looking back on it, I don’t know if I would have lasted very long the way I was going. This program has been that much of a blessing to me.
Don’t put off that all important first step. Call Fitness Together today to request your free, no-obligation, one-on-one consultation and complimentary workout. Fitness Together: One healthy New Year’s resolution worth keeping!
Fitness Together
865.273.0380
www.knoxft.com