Bo-Fit Member: Laura

1. Why did you want to make a change?

I was clinically obese. I didn’t like the way I looked. I had trouble finding clothes that fit. I had chronic knee and back pain and I was concerned I would soon become handicapped or ill due to my poor health.

2. What did you do to fix it?

I enrolled at a local gym but I wasn’t sure what to do. They offered a free consultation with a trainer and I told him I needed help! I got paired with a trainer and started learning what to eat, how to move and how to exercise. 

3. How did you do?

I was not very consistent about exercising and I only lost about 8 pounds the first year. The second year I lost even less. However, I could tell that I was able to move more and my knee didn’t hurt as much. After a number of years of inconsistent exercising and dieting, I finally got closer to being overweight instead of obese. 

4. What changed your focus?

January 2014 I was admitted to the hospital due to a large blood clot in my leg and in my lungs. I was in the hospital over a week and when I was discharged, I was put on bed rest again for 6 weeks. I was very weak from my ordeal and I wasn’t able to walk without assistance or a cane. I was told by my doctor that some patients never fully recover use of their leg and are permanently handicapped. I didn’t want to be one of those statistics so I decided I would try to recover full use of my leg. I also found out that once you have a blood clot you are much more likely to have another one. One of the causes of a blood clot is inactivity and sitting too long without moving. I now had a goal and a motivating factor to get in shape and get active. Since I wasn’t going to be active for six weeks I needed to lose weight, so I started eating hard boiled eggs, grilled chicken and salad. I tried to cut out bread, pasta and processed foods. By the time, I went back to work, I had lost 10 lbs by eating better.

5. What do you do today?

I eat whole foods whenever possible and I try to get to the gym or be active 3-5 times a week.

6. What were your greatest frustrations before you started training with Bo?

Sometimes I felt that some trainers were running me through the exercise they decided to have all their clients do that day which may or may not be what I needed or wanted to do. Bo will access you at the beginning of the session to determine what is going to be best for me including my physical goals, my aches and pains and my energy level and tailors the exercise specifically for you on that day.

7. Did you have any fears or apprehension before you started working out?

Yes, gyms were scary places with big muscly people and lots of machines I didn’t know how to use. Plus, I was obese and couldn’t do anything active without sweating, getting out of breath or looking stupid.

8. What is something you can do now that you weren’t able to do before you started? 

The list is enormous. I can run a 5K, Squat 100lbs, Deadlift 125lbs, Bench Press 75lbs, Jump on a 24” box, push-ups, planks. Plus, I know what all these things mean!

9. What has surprised you most since you started?

I am surprised how easy it is to shop for clothes that fit. I am surprised at how much energy I have compared to ten years ago. I realize that this is my lifestyle now and I miss it when I don’t eat right and exercise.

10. What were/are your biggest struggles? 

Getting to the gym especially when it is cold, dark etc outside. I have found I need to just go exercise after work before I sit down to eat or watch TV because I won’t want to get up. Also, I find that when I go to the gym on my own, I may rest a lot between sets or wander around trying to decide what to do. That is why I like to go to Bo’s Boot Camps. I get a good exercise in before I get home and relax. Plus it keeps me moving. 

11. Tell us how life looks and feels like now, compared to the time before you started working out?

I feel younger, energetic, stronger and in less pain than I did ten-fifteen years ago. I can remember sitting around watching TV for hours at a time or working a lot of overtime at work and always feeling exhausted with aching knees and back problems.

12. What advice would you give to new clients/members?

Congratulations! You are on your way to getting fit and your body will thank you. It is OK if you have to rest a lot, it is ok if you have to only do a partial set or do an exercise modification because it is too hard. Because someday, you won’t have to take that break or do a modification and you won’t think twice about finishing a set. But that may take a long time, and that is OK too. Once you decide to do something, you naturally want it right away. Just don’t give up! If you stick with it and figure out what works for you, the process will get faster.