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May 20 2015

Personal Training Success Story

Personal Training Success Story: Barbara Hendrick

I first met Barbara about a year ago. She came to SolCore Fitness because she was having a lot of back pain and she couldn’t get rid of it. She had been on a trip with her husband and they were horseback riding when all of a sudden she “tweaked” her back. It was one of those times when it hurts, but you fully expect it to loosen up and get better after a week or so. It didn’t, and it started to bother her even more. She tried Physical Therapy, Osteopath treatments and a 3 set of really expensive Prolotherapy shots. As always, we sat down and talked to her first in a consultation to make sure we understood exactly what she was looking for, if we could help her, and if she was ok with working hard and being a little uncomfortable in order to get better. She was.

A little background on Barbara. She is an excellent bookkeeper who is ridiculously active. She works out, does water aerobics, pilates, paddle boards, hikes (her favorite), and I am sure a bunch of other activities that I am forgetting. You get the picture. In fact Barbara said that if she couldn’t hike with her husband, Chris, “then what’s the use in living?” Wow! If you didn’t get how much she loves being active from hearing all she does, that quote pretty much sums it up.

I chose Barbara as the May member of the month because of the amazing progress that she has made over the past year. She has come leaps and bounds from where she was, and continues to make progress even after a year in our group classes. I hope that you can take a little of what Barbara has done to be successful and apply it to your own exercise program. I know I will!

I am proud to announce Barbara Hendrick our April 2015 members of the month’s Personal Training Success Story:

What made you decide you wanted/needed to start a program? Back pain. I had hurt my back horseback riding and it was getting unbearable. I was desperate.
What did you do before? I had done PT, Osteopath treatments and a 3 set round of Prolotherapy, and none of it worked to ease my back pain.
What results have you achieved since starting your program that you are proud of? I have much better posture now. My spine is much more flexible and has a lot more mobility. And now even when I do activates that really cause my back to tighten up (like gardening) it goes back to normal really quickly. Editors note: Barbara got hurt in August of 2013. She started classes in May 2014, and by August 2014 she was able to go horseback riding without pain!
Do you have a favorite exercise? Least? What do you like or don’t like about them? Frogs (a series of stretches for your inner thigh) and butterflies (an exercise to strengthen your upper back) are my least favorite even though I know they are good for me. I love all the other exercises, because I know that I am doing a lot of good for my body by making it stronger and more flexible. If I did have to choose two movements that I especially love and which have been really helpful to me it would be the 90/90/90’s and the sliding back and forth move with my spine. The sliding back and forth (a lateral translation of the upper body) really started to open up my spine, and the 90/90/90 (Obturator internus myo-fascial stretch) has really balanced my pelvis, which has helped my back stay out of pain.
What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on? To keep my body in a place where I can keep playing. I want to hike, horseback ride, paddle board, work out, garden, etc., without having to worry that I am going to get hurt.
What do you like best about our program/ having a trainer? You guys make it so comfortable to come and work out. And it is a lot of fun in class. Really humorous.
What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members? Do your homework! (I swear I didn’t make her say that) ***Side note*** It took Barbara about four months before she started doing her homework. When she did, her results started to be extremely rapid.
What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program? Give it a try. To try it for three months is nothing.

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Apr 17 2015

Personal Training Success Story

Personal Training Success Story: Deborah Trouw

There are times when even I am amazed at the personal training success that somebody can make in our program. There are so many factors that go into it that you have to assume it will take a person a little time to put it together. After all it is not easy to switch how you operate on a deep level. But Deb Trouw was one of the people who put it all together from the start. Within the first month she had just crushed the workouts I had given her and was ready for more. Within the first three months she was basically already at her goals to the point where we had to set her new goals. I actually knew that she was going to do well. There is is a level of acceptance that I get from people who are really ready to change, and I know that there are going to get there fast. But this fast was a little surprising. But Deb has shown this for all her life, and the more I get to know her the more I realize that this is part of her character. Deb was born in the UK the oldest of 4 and came to the US with an optometry degree but was unable to us it here in the US. So along with raising two great kids she worked herself up form a Tax Preparer at H&R Block to a Financial Adviser for Waddell and Reed. But Deborah Trouw is not “Just” a Financial Adviser at Waddell and Reed, but one of there top 6 years running!

*Side note: When you are reading the interview you have to read the answers in a really cool English accent!

I am proud to announce Deborah Trouw our April 2015 members of the month’s Personal Training Success Story:

What made you decide you wanted/needed to start a personal training program?

My weight had been creeping up and I would lose a few pounds then put back on over the winter. I knew I wanted to weight train but was also aware that I wasn’t standing straight and didn’t want to compound that working out by myself.

What did you do before?

Nothing at all for quite a few years except a bit of hiking with the family. Before that, step aerobics.

What results have you achieved since starting your program and are proud of?

Getting stronger, losing weight and improving posture as well. Sticking to the program for a entire year!

Do you have a favorite exercise? Least? What do you like or don’t like about them?

I like mostly that we rotate thru different types of exercises, keeps it interesting and I can see progress when we do an exercise that we didn’t in a while and I am able to do more.

What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on?

Haven’t reached the point that I feel that i am “there” yet and can just maintain current status.

What do you like best about the our program/ having a trainer?

Accountability, and knowing that I’m working hard but not over- doing it. I haven’t had an injury so far. You know what works best for my type of body.

What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members?

Mostly to take YOUR advice, and to know that if they are feeling low energy and don’t want to come to the gym to do it anyway, that you will modify the workout as needed.

What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program?

Check it out for 3 moths – you can’t tell by just talking about the program!
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Mar 19 2015

See how she found the time for herself…

Personal Training Success Story: Liz Cale

I have known Liz since Fall of 2013. She is the President and COO of Santa Fe Properties and she was referred to my first ever structured group class “Posture Perfect” by her friend and coworker, Georgette. When we first sat down to do her consult, I instantly liked her. She is just one of those people that feels good to be around. I was really surprised to learn how many physical issues she had and the pain that she felt on a daily basis, and the fact that she was such a happy person was even more incredible! At the time she was working with another personal trainer, seeing a Chiropractor once a week and was thinking that she was going to have to get neck surgery to alleviate her pain. When she first started the class, I was actually a little worried. It was very difficult for her to get in and out of the stretches. All I could think was “I hope she doesn’t quit.” Now that I know Liz, I know that this was NEVER a possibility. I have seen Liz get consistently better over the years and she has over come some immense challenges. Liz’s intelligence, positive attitude, friendly demeanor, willingness to learn and change, and dedication makes Liz our March member of the Month and I am privileged to share her Personal Training Success story:

What made you decide you wanted/needed to start a fitness program? I had a lot of pain in my neck, Thoracic (trunk). It got to the point where I use a standing desk at my office because sitting was too painful.

What exercises or fitness programs had you tried before? I had a membership at Santa Fe Sport and Medicine and was working with a trainer. I was also seeing a chiropractor once a week to keep out of pain. But the workouts that I was doing were not what I needed. In fact they were down right dangerous for where I was and when I started the classes, I stopped with that so that I could focus on the classes and getting better.

What results have you achieved since starting your program and are proud of? I was able to not have another surgery and stopped having to see the chiropractor. And even though this was not my main goal, I lost inches and really toned my body. In fact, I was out one night and was with a group of people and one of them was a past client who I had worked with for a long time. And when we were going around and introducing ourselves to each other and it got to us being introduced and he heard that it was me, he he just stopped and said “No way!” It felt pretty good.

Do you have a favorite exercise? Least? What do you like or don’t like about them? The wall (L5-S1) is by far my favorite stretch, because it feels so good. The Frogs (series of inner thigh abductor myofascial stretches) are the most challenging of the myofascial stretches. It’s not that I don’t like them, it is that they are really challenging to me.

What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on? Creating more space in my Thoracic is a big, and it is difficult because my job is counterproductive to that. Eating regular meals has also been a challenge, and I need to make it a priority.

What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members? Have a good mindset. You can’t accomplish any goal without a good mindset. If you have a good mindset, it gets you through the hard times.

What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program? Try it! But if you do, have a good mindset and be open about it.

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Feb 24 2015

How Did This Renaissance Man Change His Life?

Personal Training Success Story: Roberto Codato

I met Roberto when I first came to Santa Fe and was teaching my class at BODY. He came a handful of times, and after I changed my format and moved to Railyard Fit (formally Buddha Fitness Club) I didn’t see him for about four months.

Roberto had some challenging injuries from some severe accidents, and he was looking to finally correct most of these issues. He was a dedicated yoga practitioner and was always serious about his health.

When he contacted me about rejoining the classes in the new format, I told him it would take about a year for him to get permanent results because of the severity of his injuries and how long he’d had them. He didn’t even blink and has been a steady, hardworking and positive influence in the classes ever since.

I am happy to say that in the year he has been in the Posture Perfect class he has corrected 99% of his injuries and now has the tools to keep them corrected.

Roberto will be out of the country for a while pursuing some amazing opportunities. Congratulate him and wish him well!

Below is my interview with him on his personal training success:

What made you decide you wanted or needed to start a program?
My body was a wreck! I had been in two major car crashes and had gotten Lyme disease. I had done a lot of other modalities and had gotten decent results, but none of them really integrated the whole body like your program.

When I first read about your classes and their structure, they sounded perfect for me. And then when I first took the class I instantly knew that this was what I had been looking for. It took me a little bit of time to commit to the class because I needed to get my life in order and wanted to make this a permanent thing is my life.

What did you try before the SolCore Fitness custom-built exercise program?

Everything! No joke. Martial arts, yoga for about 20 years, kettle bells, body building, gymnastics, raw diets, macrobiotic diets, chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncture, massage therapists—and that is just the surface. I tried a lot of really esoteric modalities. And I got some good results. I got rid of my Lyme disease with a raw diet and Bikram Yoga. I gained a lot of muscle through body building. But it never totally addressed my physical issues and in some cases made it worse. Like I said, none of it was as intricate and as integrated as your program, and that is what I needed. [Note: Roberto worked with and studied under some really high-level people. For martial arts he studied under David Carradine’s teacher. Yeah, Cane! He went so deep into yoga that Bikram asked him to be a teacher. Yeah, that Bikram!]

What results have you achieved since starting your program and are proud of?

First and foremost it has brought consistency to my life. I do a lot for work and for life and it has brought a consistent, positive presence. I look forward to SolCore Fitness’s Posture Perfect class! And as challenging as it is on multiple levels, I always feel better afterward and so much more accomplished. I move so much better now than I have since my accidents. My awareness of my body not only in class but more importantly in everyday life is so much more improved. I sleep better. My digestion is much better.

Do you have a favorite exercise? Least favorite? What do you like or don’t like about them?

I really don’t like the wall stretch (L5-S1 ELDOA). You are lying there and you expect that you are going to be supported by the floor and the wall, but you’re really not. It is very challenging to me. I really like the 90/90/90 (Obturator internus myofascial stretch) because it was really hard for me and I thought there was no way I was going to be able to do it. But now I can get in and out of it pretty easy and it always feels really good when I am done.

What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on?

Tight hips. But I guess that is just the reality of how we live our lives now. Always sitting in front of a computer. Stress is a big one for me, and recommitting to myself each day.

What do you like best about our program and having a trainer?

YOU! [You realize I totally paid him to say that, right?] You are very engaging and you keep the class fun and light. It is challenging at times, but keeping it fun really helps. There are also a lot of really interesting people in class who are working through their own things. They really inspire me to keep going.

What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members?

Appreciate what you have in this program. There are only a couple of places in the States where you can get this kind of training. The others off the top of my head are New York, Dallas and L.A.

What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program?

Sit down and take stock of your life and see what is working and what is not. Organize your life, decide what is important and write down where you want to be in a year—not in a New Year’s resolution kind of way, but real goals. This program works like nothing else. Commit yourself for at least a year. The first three months is like an introduction to your body. You get some good results, you start to feel better, your body starts to become more aware, but it is just the beginning to how good your body can feel if you commit to yourself.
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