Meet our Inspirations of the Week: Scott & Gloria

To celebrate the month of love we have one of our many couples here at FCF…

Scott & Gloria and their unique story…

Today if you were to pass them on the street you would notice a fit, healthy couple and when you find out they regularly exercise even think, ‘well of course they “look” like fitness people’. However, their story shares a different tale of why they regularly train with us at FCF.

We absolutely love both of their positive attitudes, even when it’s a tough day. They come in, do the best they can that day, and leave feeling 10x better than when they walked in. Where many people who see obstacles, they see a reason to a maintain a healthy training program, so that they not only benefit today, but their future self in 20 or 30 years. These rockstars have maintained dedicated to their fitness program, have great work ethic, have persevered through various health challenges, and hit so many personal milestones, which makes them our inspirations of the week!

Here’s their why…

Almost 7 years ago, Scott woke up one morning with excruciating pain in his neck. This eventually led to a major neck surgery, some nice hardware and a change in Scott’s lifestyle. Post surgery the things he loved, like surfing, was off the table due to the uncertainty of permanently damaging his neck. His exercise routine of boxing in the garage and road biking all became a challenge or not an option. Life took a turn and now he had to figure out how to regain his strength and find new safe activities to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Two months post-surgery, his friend and former law partner told him about Full Circle Fitness and since physical therapy hadn’t helped manage his pain he reached out for help from Rosa. After meeting Rosa and putting together a plan that started with some mobility work and pilates, he was sold and became a dedicated member. Gloria says, “Rosa’s knowledge, good nature, and empathy for his situation helped him immeasurably.”

Over the last 6 years at Full Circle Fitness Scott’s training program progressed from mobility and pilates, to strength training, and now he participates in small group training sessions and some yoga to help manage his pain and alignment. He can’t say he loves it all the time, but the routine provides relief and that’s what’s most important.

He will tell you, “There are days I wake up with incredible pain, but after a session with Rosa, I am able to sit at a desk and work, as well as to be able to manage some outdoor activities that I enjoy. What a miracle and a blessing. I have been working with Rosa twice a week for almost 6 years.”

After 2 years of training, he was even confident enough to try surfing again when the conditions are right, has returned to road biking and even participated in a few 50 mile and 100 km races. That’s the truly important stuff here. His passions that he thought were gone after surgery, are back! To say I am proud as his coach is an understatement.

Although there are still some days where there is more pain, after a training session he always leaves feeling better and is able to take on the day!

As for Gloria, well….Her reason for starting a training program was completely different, but equally important.

Here’s her story…

” I absolutely abhor exercise.”

Scott said, ‘no come in and meet the folks at FCF. They’re great. I think you’ll like it.’

She’d heard that before from Scott; some trickery to try to get her to exercise!

“Skeptical, but I had a goal and needed help. You see my son was getting married the coming September and I was not in shape – let’s just say my underarm kept waving hello after I had stopped. TMI?
I went and met Rickye. She’s tough, but wow she’s wonderful and I was sold. The genuine care and support everyone at FCF has for you to succeed, to meet your goals, whatever they may be is inspiring. My goal was to build strength while increasing my core power and reducing my overall body fat. By the date of the wedding, I felt I met all of those goals. My weight stayed pretty much the same but it sure moved around.
My favorite part of FCF is the FCF community. The coaches, the folks who show up every day who create that great vibe of support for each other. This is also what keeps me coming. The members encourage and support each other. We learn about each other’s lives and we are a community.
Since starting at FCF I feel better about myself. Maybe because I’m physically more fit and I look way better in my clothes, in and out. But this is a double-edged sword because none of my pants fit so oh no, I had to buy new clothes!! Also, my shoes fit better?? My confidence has boosted. At 58 I’m in better shape than I was at 28. But most importantly I don’t feel old. I can pick up a 5 gallon jug of water without struggling. I find personal satisfaction when I can move up in weight for any exercise because it means I’m getting stronger! Sure, I still can’t do Arnold presses or halo but I’m still working on it with Coach Mercedes’ never ending energetic encouragement.
For me FCF has been all about helping me get to a better physically place to allow me to get to a better mental place.
Thanks to all the coaches at FCF. Couldn’t have done this without you 🫰🏻”

You see… everyone has a journey and although they start at different times, for different reasons, and has different goals, the most important part is that they started and encourage each other.

They didn’t give up or stop when severe pain, migraines, surgeries, business travel or a variety of other stressors came up in life. They took a day, or two or even a week off then came back with a vengeance, they know their deeper why and Scott and Gloria had each other to keep each other accountable.

They had a mutual goal this past year as well…their son’s wedding!

They doubled down, cleaned up their nutrition a bit and attended their son’s wedding feeling confident, with enough energy, and enjoyed the special moment. That’s what matters!

If you’re ready to find out how to create a realistic and maintable fitness program, we would love to help. Just text or call us at 657-231-6207.

Talk soon,

Coach Rosa

Success Story: Back from the Brink of ‘Indulgence’

Nate Wilkins was living the good life.

He was traveling a lot for work, as a parks and recreation administrator in Florida. He was eating out and indulging at business lunches and happy hours. Sure, he noticed he was packing on pounds, but he was busy — dealing with that would have to wait.

Then one day, it couldn’t wait any longer.

“I was at home, and I felt pain in my chest,” recalls Nate, now 69, of Miami. “I went to the emergency room, just to make sure I was OK – and they kept me in there for two weeks. I said, ‘Lord, if I ever get out of here, I’m going to change my life.’”

He did, and his heart health has returned. Now, a decade later, Nate’s 5’11” frame is down from 230 to a lean, muscular 185. He eats right, and no longer needs some medications he’d been using. He’s in a long-term relationship with a physical trainer. And he’s become a life coach and trainer, himself.

“I look good. I smell good. I talk good,” he says with a laugh. “I’m a lean, mean fighting machine.”

Everyone is different

Nate’s story took a happy turn. So can anyone’s, regardless of age or physical condition. Simply put, it’s never too late to improve your health. We have plenty of clients, colleagues and success stories to prove it, and we’re here to help.

Everyone’s an individual. And for people over 50, what makes you unique can include past injuries, health issues, or physical limitations. And that’s OK.

As Nate puts it, although he’s in great shape, “I’m not a bodybuilder.”

And he keeps that in mind when creating a workout plan for each client, just like we do at FCF.

“It depends on what each person actually needs.”

Balance, agility, strength and stamina are important to everyone’s health. And studies prove that adults can improve their health across the board by exercising, regardless of age.

He got his balance back

Don’t let a previous setback discourage you from doing what’s right to improve your health. Call us, and we’ll help answer any questions.

That’s true whether you’ve always been in perfect health, or if you’ve had a stroke or live with, say, Parkinson’s disease.

“It’s not a cookie-cutter model,” Nate says, and we agree. “Everybody’s an individual.”

The first step is making a decision to change.

Next, understand you’ve got to keep moving your body to stay healthy, Nate says.

Remember what’s important to you, and the kind of life you want to live.

For Nate, he felt he had lost his balance when he was “living the good life” and almost died from indulgence.

“If I can do this at 69 and feel like this, then I can encourage other people to do it, too,” he says. “It’s a progression they have to go through.

“It’s a mindset that you don’t have to be 69 years old. You get to be 69 years young.”

So if you’re ready give us a call or text at (657) 231-6207 and we’ll chat about your needs.

Exercise Tops Drugs, Therapy for Mental Health, Study Finds

A huge review of more than 1,000 studies has found that physical activity is more helpful in treating mental illness than therapy and drugs.

Researchers at the University of South Australia crunched data from studies involving more than 128,000 people and reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine:

  • Exercise has a big effect on mental health issues such as anxiety and depression – 1.5 times more effective than counseling and prescription medication, the university said.
  • All activity methods were considered effective.
  • Resistance exercise had the largest effects on depression, while yoga and other mind–body exercises were best at reducing anxiety.
  • Moderate to intense exercise gives more impact than lower intensity.
  • Programmed plans of 12 weeks showed a greater effect than exercising without a plan.

The World Health Organization says mental health issues affected 12.5% of the population globally before the Covid-19 pandemic. Experts agree that more people struggled during the crisis, which brought extra challenges for older people, often brought on by isolation and inactivity.

Now, this doesn’t mean that people should stop taking their medications or going to therapy! But it’s clear that good physical activity is good for our whole selves, including depression and anxiety.

“Our findings underscore the important role of physical activity in the management of mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress,” the researchers wrote.

We’ve always known that moving your body makes you feel better in every way. Let’s show you how today!

Call or text us at (657) 231-6207

Inspiration of the Week: Karen S!

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

Inspiration of the Week: Meet Karen!

Joining a gym can be scary, but it’s the best thing Karen did for herself 4.5 years ago and she’s still going strong!

A bit quiet and reserved, Karen’s quiet demeanor surprised us at the beginning. Once she was in a routine after a few weeks, her strength and determination came out. She loved lifting weights and was always up for a new challenge. We love that she simply just doesn’t stop, never gives up and is never not challenging herself. Karen consistently increases her weights and makes sure she is progressing in each of her exercises. Her great attitude and determination is so exciting to watch. In each of her training sessions, she is very jovial with other members, which is always a help, as we can see that it helps others keep going and stay motivated and challenge themselves just a bit more!

Karen says 4.5 years ago she was looking for a gym where she would not feel intimidated, where it would be similar to working with a personal trainer and where the exercises could be adapted to her body. She was just coming off a shoulder injury and physical therapy so there were some limitations. After seeing an ad on Facebook to try out FCF for 30 days, she figured, “What do I have to lose.”

After just 1 week, she says, “I was hooked.”

The small group personal training sessions of no more than 6 people were just the right amount of personalized attention and comradery for her. Initially she wanted to increase mobility, strength, muscle tone and lose weight. At that time she was struggling with things like balance, standing up and getting down to the floor with ease. She saw some of the other women moving so easily and wondered, “Will I ever get there.”

Well, with time and practice, she did! Kudos to Karen for her dedication, persistence and never giving up on herself!

Her favorite part of FCF are the variety of other activities, like book club, hikes, and specialty programs. She continues to do balance exercises daily that she learned in one of our balance program. This is her secret to progress…incorporating small habits on a daily basis that have become part of her lifestyle.

It also doesn’t hurt that she’s made friends at FCF, she loves the variety of the training sessions and the coaches. She says, “Even on days I am not feeling 100%, after I workout for 30 minutes I always feel better.”

Currently she’s enjoying additional challenges in our Pure Strength session by increasing her weight, reps and building more muscle in her arms and legs. She’s on a roll and we’re just excited to continue coaching and guiding her!

If you’re hesitant about joining a gym, I’ll leave you with Karen’s parting words…

She says, “Over the years I have been coming to FCF I have become more comfortable in my own skin and accepting of my limitations in both energy and time. The positive environment in the gym reinforces the idea that each person is only competing against themselves to make improvements in flexibility, strength and nutrition to live a better more active life in the next chapter of our lives.”

It won’t happen overnight, but if you would love to change the way you feel and are aging, we would love to help you find a realistic balance and create a program just for you, just call or text us at (657) 231-6207 and we can chat!

~Coach Rosa

Inspiration of the Week: Meet Beth!

Meet Beth!

To say Beth has made progress in just over a year at FCF is putting it lightly! We’ve watched her build strength with just over 2 pounds of muscle, improve her balance, drop 19 pounds of fat, and reduce her visceral (bad) fat by 5 points!! But that’s just the number’s the more important part is that all her blood work is within normal range, a dramatic difference from 2 years ago, and she’s able to keep up with her grandkids now. She’s internally healthier, feeling more energetic, noticed a significant improvement in her balance and endurance so she’s participating in fun activities and has regained a zest for life. We absolutely love having Beth in our training sessions each week, she comes in with a smile, encourages others and is a genuinely wonderful human being. We are honored to coach her and watch her continued progress.

Here’s a bit more on her journey and what keeps her going…

When she joined FCF in March of 2022 her goals were to improve her endurance, increase her strength and improve her gait and balance as she noticed all of these things were declining. She dreaded stairs so much she would go out of her way to avoid using them and would get out of breath easily walking around. Overall, she just wanted to feel better and be able to keep up with her grandkids so she could enjoy their time together. During the pandemic, Beth says, “I was granted the time to figure out what direction I wanted my life to take. I made a decision that whatever I had left of this life, I was going to live it fully and with intention.” Beth had previously joined FCF a few years back, but didn’t stick with it. This time she was determined and committed! To truly see real, long-lasting change you have to dig deep, truly find your inner motivation, something bigger than just weight loss or toning. Those aren’t wrong, but for so many people, they continue to struggle because there’s not a meaningful purpose to their journey. For Beth it was quality of life for herself and being capable for her grandkids.

It all started with a lifestyle and nutrition program which helped her start losing some weight and then she took the next step to add back in exercise. Beth absolutely loves the small group training sessions because she loves getting to know the other people on the journey and is inspired by their progress. You will find her in the studio 3 days a week working her hardest. Most of all, she loves the team at FCF, she says, “You all are so great at what you do that it makes me want to be better. You are all so encouraging and understanding. You all have been such an important part of my journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” This is what helps keep her successful in coming, an expert, caring team and the community.

One of the biggest things Beth has learned is how to make her movements more intentional. She has learned so much about shifting body weight and balance in Rickye’s Tai Chi practice and continues to build strength in her small group sessions with Coach Mercedes.

But here’s the part we love most…

Beth says, “I even joined the hula-hoop contest at my grandson’s school last week (I was terrible, by the way). I never would have done that before. Stairs are still not my favorite things, but I no longer walk out of my way to avoid them. A few weeks ago, during a walk in the neighborhood, my granddaughter Sawyer said, “Gus, you can walk fast! Look Seamus, Gus can walk fast–she’s not like a grandma at all!”

THIS!

This is what it’s all about folks. Not what the scale says, not what anybody else says you need to be, etc. It’s all about being comfortable and capable in your own body, loving yourself each and every day and to have fun and enjoy life!

I hope Beth’s story inspires you to make one positive step to improve your life today. Some days it’s so easy and then some days you want to throw in the towel, I get it, but you can’t give up. Life’s too short and tomorrow is not guaranteed, so make the most of your time on this wonderful earth and if you need some help making any changes, we’re here for you.

If you’re ready call or text us at 657-231-6207 and we’ll start with a chat to discover more about you and put a plan together so you too can live your best life!

~Coach Rosa