Meet Karen S!
Back in the middle of the pandemic, April of 2021, Karen joined FCF at the recommendation of a good friend and man do we love having her apart of our community! Since joining she’s lost over 17 pounds, 14.7 of that has been fat! She has also seen her visceral fat drop by 4 points and she has gained strength and balance. All of this has made her feel lighter and daily activities seem easier. She has also seen a big increase in her energy level; she doesn’t get sleepy every afternoon while working from home, she can get up and down from the floor with greater ease, gets out of the house and enjoys the outdoors more and is just plain happier! She even went on a 4 hour hike a few months back with us that included stream crossings and some bouldering while walking one of my German Shepherds, King, and she did amazing! (see pic)
The best part has been watching her transformation over the last year. She came in with a positive mindset, even on the tough days, she showed up, put in the work and part way through the session you could see her spark come back. She works hard, is the first to welcome new members, crack a joke and give Coach Jack a hard time and that’s why she’s such a pleasure to have in our community and to coach each week.
Here’s her story on what pushed her to make a change…
In early 2021 with the stress of the recent election, changes to her work schedule, lack of work travel, and isolation from living and working alone at home during the pandemic she was feeling like many….she didn’t have control over all these changes and felt isolated. So, she made a massive shift in her mindset and decided she could control one thing…
To use this time to get herself healthy!
When Karen started at FCF she has already made some dietary changes and had lost over 20 pounds, but she wanted something that would provide mental stimulation, improve her stamina & cardiovascular health, continue her weight loss, improve balance and increase her strength. Once she tried her first session she was hooked!
For the last 10 years she has been doing pilates a couple of days a week with her good friend, Karen. Yep they have the same name! But she wanted to work on her stamina and cardiovascular health a bit more and the small group sessions at FCF were just the right fit for her. When we asked her what keeps her coming back each week even on those hard days she said:
“To me, the people. I look forward to meeting up with so many like-minded people. Everyone is so generous in sharing information and we all support and push each other. The whole coaching team is the best – all very positive and welcoming. Personal attention and care is so important since we are all at different levels. I could do exactly the same exercises with a personal trainer or in a busy gym but it wouldn’t make me smile like at FCF. If I have had a stressful day at work at 5:35pm I can forget it all. I love the other activities hiking and Tai Chi in the park.”
Along with the changes to her exercise routine, she made a few changes to her nutrition as well. In early 2021 she did a keto diet for a bit and has now moved to a mostly Mediterranean diet and is gluten free. With these changes she now feels so much better, doesn’t feel sluggish after meals, and no longer has acid reflux at night. On top of that she has been taken off a blood pressure medicine!! Karen acknowledges that it is definitely a process and continues to learn what serves her body best so she can continue making progress.
Karen says her commitment she made to herself, the people, and the feeling she has after a good training session is what keeps her consistent and coming back even on those tough days when she doesn’t feel like it. Living alone she needed human interaction and not only did she find that, but she’s made good friends as well. Coach Mercedes knows just how much to challenge her, but also have some fun in each session and there’s nothing like coming in for a work out and knowing you will have some fun while doing it too!
If you want to kick off your own journey like Karen did, we would love to guide you on your journey to a happier, healthier you! Just shoot us an email, info@fcfitness.com or call us at (957)231-6207 and we can chat about you.
Life’s too short to wake up each day feeling sluggish, weighed down and not living up to your best.
What will you decide today?
Talk soon,
Rosa