Since August, my life has completely changed, and it all started with a panic attack and a trip to the gym. I wrote this success story to give to my trainer. He shared it with management, and they are going to post it on the wall at the gym...I'll be "published"! Thought I'd share it with y'all here.
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Hi, my name is Michele, and I am an endorphin junkie…and proud of it!
I know that I don’t look like the typical success story. I did not lose a lot of weight. There are no before and after pictures because, by looking at me, they would not seem that different to you.
But there are things in everyone that you cannot see.
One of the first things I learned here is that being healthy and fit is not always just about losing weight on the outside. I needed to lose the weight I was carrying around on the INSIDE.
The first day I came to 24 Hour Fitness, I was having about my one hundredth panic attack in several months. It was the worst one ever, and I was desperate. In tears I drove to the gym knowing that if something did not change, I would not survive. Brian was there to greet me, and he was gentle and kind and had a lot to do with my success. He did not dismiss my pain, judge me, or treat me any differently than anyone else. He suggested that it might be good for me to start with a trainer…he suggested Ryan.
And he was right.
I am going on six months now training with Ryan, and he has helped me change my life. Okay, words seem to fail me here, but I mean CHANGE my life.
In August I could barely leave my house. I was completely desolate. In December, just four months later, I jumped out of a plane…for fun!
I have led a mostly sedentary lifestyle and was never really interested in physical activity. Now, if I don’t get to the gym at least 5 days a week, I feel like I’m missing out. Ryan pushes when I need to be pushed but never more than he knows I can handle. When he does push, it’s because he believes in me, and even though I doubt my own ability a lot of the time, he helps me to believe in me too. When he says “you can do it”, I do it. That has made all the difference.
I used to think that since I didn’t need to lose weight, I didn’t need to be active. I could not have been more wrong. Since joining, I feel healthier than I have in my whole life…both physically and more importantly for me, emotionally. I am no longer held prisoner or defined by depression and anxiety. Panic attacks are a thing of the past. Nowadays, you’ll see me signing up for 5k’s and smiling more often than not!
Thank you, Ryan, for more than any of these words can ever express, and thank you 24 Hour Fitness, for being the kind of gym where I can be myself and be proud of it.
From panic attacks to parachutes…that’s my success story.
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~Peace
