When I first met my trainer, Nick, I wondered how it would be working with such a young man. He may be the same age as my daughter, but that doesn’t mean he cuts me any slack! Although very respectful, when it comes to my workouts, Nick is tough and shows “no mercy”. He pushes me to work hard.

I didn’t know the first thing about strength training, but my end goal was to learn how to maintain a fitness regime on my own. Signing up for a block of personal training sessions was a financial sacrifice, but it has been well worth it! I’ve really enjoyed learning about strength training from Nick, who has a high level of expertise. He has taught me how to calculate my Target Heart Rate and how to use proper form when lifting weights. He has introduced a lot of variety into each workout, giving me lots of options for the future. When my daughter, a college athlete, was in town for a day, he even allowed her to come along, designing a workout that we could do together.

I look forward to my personal training sessions. I enjoy Nick; I enjoy the workouts; and I enjoy the new skills set I’m learning and the results I’m seeing. My clothes fit better. My balance is improved. I feel stronger. And, I’m enthusiastic about maintaining my strength training on my own! —Cathy Frye

Usually, when someone tells you to ‘go take a long walk…’, it’s a not friendly suggestion. But Bev DeLuise, an FT client for the past eight years, has given the phrase a whole new meaning. She has been inspiring her neighbors to take very long walks–26.2 mile walks, to be precise!

Last month, Bev (right), Sandy, and Bill completed their first marathon in San Francisco. It was a beautiful, cool sunny day and the marathon course followed the beach, making for great scenery. The following day, while nursing very sore knees, Bev agreed to a candid interview about her experience:

FT: How long did it take you to finish the marathon?

BD: 7 hours, 35 minutes. I think I could have finished in 6 hours 30 minutes or less if my knees hadn’t given out. I literally limped the last 5 miles.

FT: What was the most difficult part?

BD: The last 5 miles with an injury.

FT: What was the most inspiring moment?

BD: A blind lady was walking the marathon with her walking stick. My thought was: “If she can do this, surely I can finish as well”.

FT: What was the funniest moment during the marathon?

BD: My neighbor trying to distract me from my pain. I finally told her to shut up, I was miserable and I was going to wallow in it! (laughs)

FT: What would you do differently next time?

BD: I think train more because I didn’t do enough LONG walks. I think if I had, I would have known that my knees were going to give me trouble. I am going to an ortho doctor to see if I can build them up, because I’ve signed up to do the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in New York City this October. That’s a full marathon on Saturday followed by a half-marathon on Sunday! After having done yesterday’s marathon, I’d have to be on serious drugs to even lace up my shoes today.

FT: What is your advice to anyone planning to walk or run a long race?

BD: TRAIN!!

Bev has a goal of raising at least $2,000 for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in October.

I started working with Nick just six weeks ago.  I must confess that when I first met him I was concerned that someone so young might not have the knowledge to push me hard enough to achieve results without pushing me so hard that I would risk re-injury.  But Nick immediately put my fears to rest; this guy definitely knows what he’s doing.  In fact, in a word, I’d say Nick is amazing.  Honestly.  Nick tapped into my personal needs, customizing workouts just for me, and pushing me to do things I never thought I would be able to do without pain.  During every workout, he remains completely concentrated on my breathing and my form to ensure that each exercise is safe and effective.  Nick’s workouts are so inspiring I actually find myself smiling when I’m training.  Seriously, who smiles while a trainer is putting them through the paces?  I do, especially because I’m seeing dramatic results.  In just six weeks, I lost 9% body fat and shaved 7 minutes off my one-mile time! 

Last week I went to a gathering with friends I hadn’t seen in a while.  Several people rushed up to me and exclaimed:  “You look fabulous!  What have you been doing?”  Of course, there was no time to tell them everything because each workout is different.  Nick’s training style keeps me (and my body) guessing; he never has me do the same thing twice.  I didn’t keep my friends guessing, though.  I raved about Nick and proudly explained how my investment in personal training at Fitness Together has paid off with increased energy and a healthier, happier ‘me’. — Christina Minguela

45 cardio sessions later, Ann Burford was sworn in as the First Lady. In addition to her new title as the first to reach the Capitol, she also received a $120 gift certificate to Dick’s Sporting Goods for a new pair of running shoes, one day of Custom Fit meals, her choice of a fully body treatment or full facial, and a Fitness Together t-shirt!

2nd place went to Charlene Dupray (also known as 40CarrotGirl). And of course, everyone who made  it to the Capitol was a winner–all finishing participants received 2 free training sessions and 1 day of Custom Fit Meals!

Congratulations to all of our clients who upped their cardio as a result of our contest. Stay tuned for a new challenge soon….

•Adam went from 3 pushups to 15!

•Geoff decreased his mile time by 3:00 minutes, and surpassed his goal of losing 10 pounds—he’d lost 13 pounds as of his last fitness assessment!

•Dixie could only walk a mile if she took rest breaks; now she can run a mile in 14:50 minutes!

•Leah lost 105 pounds, including 5% body fat on her triceps!

•In 7 weeks, Fernando increased his bench press capacity by 50 lbs!

•Gale went from walking a mile in 17:00 minutes to running a mile in 13:30 and maintaining the same heart rate.

•Jennifer T. lost 14.5 inches, dropped 3% body fat, and went off medications!

•Jim T. lost 14 pounds!

•Tara started with 22 modified pushups; now she can do 18 regular pushups!

•Charlene has lost 7% body fat and 14 total inches. She also went from 3 modified pushups to 20 regular pushups!

•Jimmy H. has increased his number of curl ups from 53 to 83. And, he has increased his “sit and reach” by 2 ½ inches, from 10 to 12.5.

•Tracey has cut 8% body fat and decreased her mile time from 10:34 to 8:10.

•Ann dropped from a size 14 to a size 6-8 (and won the cardio challenge)!

•Rob ran 2 ½ marathons!

A Few of Our Clients’ Goals for 2011

Return to a 32″ waist

Run a 5K in less than 25 minutes

Ski Big Mountain

Lose another 25-30 pounds

Return to my ideal weight of 130-140

Hike Glacier Park

Do 25 push ups

Get on a nutrition program

Decrease body fat percentage

Get back into that favorite little black dress!

•Are you having trouble sticking to the resolutions you set out for yourself?

•Are you feeling stuck with the same health issues, the same bad habits?

•Do you waste time beating yourself up for not eating better, not exercising?

•Is losing weight and getting fit on your New Year’s resolution again this year?

•Did you start the year ready to change, but find that you’re having trouble sticking to your new plan?

You’re not alone. 75% of the population keeps resolutions succesfully for one week. That number gradually drops down to about 40% at six months. Only 6-8% of New Year’s resolutions are actually fulfilled.

Consider this: 50% of all new health club members quit within the first 6 months of signing up, while 84% of our clients continue working with a personal trainer for at least 10 months or more.

Our clients stick with us because we have the experience to hold them accountable and help them achieve the results they are looking for. That’s why are tagline has always been: One Client. One Trainer. One Goal.

Throw away those resolutions and call today for your FREE fitness consultation and personal training session. We’ll help you reach the goals you set once and for all!

When I became aware of this high heel fundraiser, I immediately took two steps backwards and said: “There is no way I would walk around downtown Wilmington in high heels”. First, I have NO idea how to even go about buying woman’s heels and second, I have NO idea how to walk in them!

But, I am always up for a challenge, and the Rape Crisis Center is a great group to support. I figured that the worst case scenario would be falling and spraining my ankle or breaking my arm, but over time both would heal.  To prevent those disasters from happening, I had to walk most of the race with my head down, making sure every step was balanced and firmly planted on the ground.

When I first put on the heels, they actually felt comfortable for about 120 seconds. Then, nearing the 3-minute mark, my toes started to go numb and pain began creeping up my foot into my legs.

The hardest part of the race was walking downhill. When I finished (in 23 minutes), I was definitely relieved.  The best feeling of the day was taking off those shoes!  I am glad that I won’t have to wear heels again for another 365 days (unless I decide to bust them back out for Halloween)! I am really glad I decided to take to one step forward (not two steps backwards), and participate in a wonderful event that helps create awareness of domestic violence and rape.

There is an old saying: “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® asks men to literally walk one mile in women’s high-heeled shoes. It’s not easy walking in these shoes, but it’s fun and it gets the community to talk about something that’s really difficult to talk about: gender relations and sexual violence.

It helps men better understand and appreciate women’s experiences, thus changing perspectives, helping improve gender relationships and decreasing the potential for violence. For healing, it informs the community that services are available for recovery. It demonstrates that men are willing and able to be courageous partners with women in making the world a safer place.  To learn more about this important cause, click here.

Washington D.C. is America’s “fittest city”, but that doesn’t mean that we all can’t be Commanders in Chief of our own personal fitness!  Join us for a fun cardio challenge we’ve designed to take you from your house to The White House.  Vote for your own fitness. Campaign for your health on the cardio trail from Wilmington to the Capitol.  Elect to put yourself on the cardio machines more often.  While you’re at it, win cool prizes while taking your “confidence” poll ratings to their highest levels ever!

Our capitol is just 366 miles from the Wilmington airport to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and you can get there with 45 cardio workouts.  One 30-minute cardio session will cover 8.1 miles, getting you that much closer to being the Commander in Chief of your own personal fitness.

Every time you complete one 30-minute cardio session, the FT trainers will move you forward one stop on the map.  When you reach the milestone cities of Raleigh and Richmond, you will receive free bonus training sessions (1 free session for making it to Raleigh and 2 sessions when you reach Richmond)!  The first person to make it to Washington will receive a grand prize gift certificate to a local sporting goods shop for a new pair of running shoes ($120), a facial or full body treatment, an FT T-shirt, and 1 day of custom fit meals. The 2nd place winner will recieve a Mayfaire gift certificate ($50), a mini-facial, 1 day of Custom Fit meals,  and an FT T-shirt.  All participants who successfully complete the race will win 1 day of Custom Fit Meals and free training sessions when the reach milestones at Raleigh, NC and Richmond, VA!

RULES

♦ Competition begins November 8^th 2010.

♦ Travel 366 miles from Wilmington NC to Washington DC (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue).

♦ Every time one (1) 30 minute cardio session is completed you will be advanced one (1) stop on the map.

♦ One (1) 30 minute cardio session will approximately cover 8.1 miles.

♦ There will be a total of 45 stops along the way. 

♦ If two (2) 30 minute Cardio sessions are completed in one day, there must be a 6-hour window between sessions.   

♦ Don’t forget to sign in that you did your cardio session along with the time the session was completed.

♦ The competition ends on February 19^th 2011.

Four months ago,  a group of FT clients and friends gathered at Landfall for the annual 5K/10K race. For many of our clients this was the first race that they had ever completed. Just last week our clients, their friends, and some of the trainers reunited on a Sunday morning at the NC Battleship to complete another 5K and half marathon.

In the last 5K, which took place in July, the heat was an issue. This time it was just the opposite. The morning of the race it was 50 degrees (but being by the water it felt like 35 degrees). We had a tent set up and used human huddles to try to stay warm!

Being that this was the largest race of the year, there were thousands of people there. A large majority were competing in the half marathon (13.2 miles). One of our clients competed in the half marathon, finishing in 2 hours and 25 minutes. He did a phenomenal job and kept about a 9 minute mile pace the whole race.

There were many noteworthy performances from our clients in the 5K: one client shaved over 9 minutes off her race time in just 4 months. I am sure she can contribute that to all the hard cardiovascular training sessions and the jump rope routines she has been going through!

Additionally, we had 2 clients finish in the top 4 in their age groups! After the race we had lunch and reminisced about the course. By far, the hardest part of the course was running over the bridge.  The grade on the bridge had to be about 8% and we had to run over it twice. The downhill part of the bridge is actually a little tougher due to the fact that you have to fight your body and hold back as you run down the grade.

In order to increase cardiovascular endurance and to help take off those extra pounds, we are currently holding a cardio competition at FT. The Cardio Race to the Capitol started last week and will run until February. The race is a journey to Washington DC (the fittest city in the United States). The clients are really pushing hard to be the first one to the capitol as we’ll be giving away some great prizes!

Meet Cortney Robinson, one of the newest additions to the Fitness Together “family”. She started training with Paul about 3 weeks ago. Why? Well, as Cortney (who has a great sense of humor) puts it: “I noticed that whenever I was driving or waving at someone, I had that grandma flop on my arms. “Granny Arms” are fine for grandmothers, but not a for a 33-year-old like me!”

In just three weeks, Cortney has gone from having no energy and feeling awful in her skin (and clothes) to eating better, feeling better, and giving 110% to her workouts so she can wave goodbye to Granny Arms!

Based on her photo (taken at a race in Charlotte this past weekend), it’s clear that she’s feeling and looking great! She says that her new goal is to have “Peanut Arms” (i.e., defined biceps), and she’s already seeing results. Congratuations, Cortney! If you also suffer from “Granny Arms”, FT can help! Call us today!