If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.
--Mahatma Gandhi
All my life I have used my bad knees as an excuse not to work out. I have tried working out at other facilities or at home and saw no results at all. After my divorce I decided I needed to find the real me. While talking to my dad about his friends' gym, I decided that I needed to check out Body Basics to get health and meet new people. The first month I was coming to Body Basics I kept seeing this group of women working out together and smiling. I talked to Mary Stone about her class and decided to join Workouts 4 Women. I really wanted to lose 50 pounds or more but didn't believe I would meet that goal. After talking to Mary and going to classes I started seeing results, slowly in the beginning and then more quickly as I changed my eating habits as well as my activity level.
My strength and endurance have grown so much that I've been able to do things I never thought I would do. This summer I was able to go on a five day canoeing and backpacking trip in the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area in Minnesota. I carried my own canoe, I hoisted a 60 pound food pack above my head to tie it up in the trees out of any bear's reach. I paddled my own single canoe upstream against a strong breeze for 3 hours straight. I pushed my family members canoes over a beaver dam while balancing atop the dam. I gained the respect from my family that I am no longer the wimpy one! It was the most empowering and confidence building experience I've ever had and never would have had the courage to do without the training I did at Body Basics before hand.
Through Mary's class and inspiration, I have been able to lose 45 pounds. I have made more relationships here at Body Basics and in the Workouts 4 Women classes that keep me coming back. I am 5 pounds from my original goal and would like to lose 15-20 pounds further and do more body toning. I'm so thankful for Body Basics, Mary and the girls' encouragement, as well as the love and support from my friends and family. It has been an incredible journey of hard work, discipline and getting to know my own strengths and I have surely acquired the capacity to do it.
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