On the night of my 69th birthday, I was a grumpy, tired, fat, out of shape 248 pounds. I was recovering from hospitalization for two herniated discs, plus I was in chronic pain due to a deteriorating osteoarthritic hip. It had deteriorated to a bone on bone state and I knew I needed help with major mobility concerns. My life was depressing. However, that night I managed to limp away unscathed from a car crash that was a write-off. This was my sign. So the next day I challenged GoodLife for a personal trainer that was knowledgeable and tough enough to change my miserable life. I was introduced to Adam Kania who, with his decade-long experience, was able to push me when necessary, but also reign me back when I wanted to go harder.
Looking back at my journey is amazing. My first workouts basically focused on me struggling to get up and down off the floor twice. Adam's goal was to ensure that in case this actually happened outside of the gym, I had a strategy. When he thought it was safe to do so, he introduced me to the Elliptical. I became so good on it that if you didn’t see the two canes on the ground behind me, you would never guess my pain. The goal was to strengthen me pre-operation to allow for a faster post-op recovery. This was done in a team format through communication between Adam and my physiotherapist at McMaster Hospital.
I am currently 69 years old and weigh 183 lbs, down 65 lbs as a result of dieting, properly planned out and executed weight training and a cardiovascular and recovery program.
First, my left hip was replaced in August of this year. If you've ever met me, you would understand that I was ready to return to the gym the next day. However, Adam put together a list of home tubing exercises to focus on during my recovery and promised that the weights would still be there when I was ready.
Upon my return, we started slowly. Now, I am leg pressing well beyond my weight, my heart rate has lowered considerably and I'm getting compliments from the Burlington Mall GoodLife community who have seen me along this journey.
Today, I feel energized. I am a GoodLife workout enthusiast that has quality of life back in the picture thanks to my personal trainer. But I couldn’t have done it without the unwavering moral support from the whole Personal Training team, the front desk staff who greet me daily, management always checking in, other members who have shared their personal stories with me, and even GoodLife's CEO Patch, who impressively took time out of his day to get back to a Member's email. So thank you everyone.
*Results may vary.