Member Success: Gina
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Gina has been through a lot in the past few years. And we are thankful for her willingness to share her story with you. Learn about the battles she faced, how she overcame them with having the courage to start, and how the education and support from our staff helped her find her health, balance, and freedom!
"When I quit smoking, I put on a ton of weight. I essentially filled the time and void I had with smoking and turned to food. While quitting smoking was great for my heart and lung health, over eating was not good for my physical, mental, and emotional health. I was sick quite often because of the extra weight I put on. I didn’t feel good at all. The heartburn I had constantly was awful. Enough was enough. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. My goal was to get to a healthy weight and not become another statistic of the obesity rate.
This was not only a physical battle, but a mental battle as well as I had always been thin up to the point of quitting smoking. How could doing something so good for my body, leave me feeling terrible? I was depressed. It was New Years Eve of 2016, about a year and a half after I quit smoking, I was not happy with the person I let myself become. I needed to make the decision to change, so that's what I did. With the new year, I decided I was going to join the DAHLC and lose the weight.
It wasn’t that easy for me. I started by walking a couple of miles a day and I really didn’t change much else. I wasn’t seeing much progress. So I decided to take a beginners course on the machines and started a resistance training routine. I also did an iDEXA scan done to see where I was currently at and use as a way to track my progress.
I then met with Jason, a Well-Being Specialist, and we had a discussion about nutrition. After practicing and implementing his nutritionally advice, that’s when changes started happening. I also did an Exercise Prescription, a functional movement screen which identifies movement patterns and personalized exercise recommendations based on your interests and goals, which was extremely helpful! It took about a year of experimenting with what I ate, making positive changes into lifestyle habits, and consistent exercise to really be back to myself.
After I got there, I started lifting free weights and have been focusing on that for about a year and a half now. The coaches at the DAHLC have been a huge influence in my transformation! They are friendly, knowledgeable, and want nothing more than to see you succeed. I also challenged myself and got out of my comfort zone by trying new classes offered at the DAHLC. I have participated in beginners classes in all different areas, did Pilates for a while, and the Exercise Prescription.
If you’re currently struggling to reach your goals, I encourage you to have the courage to go to the front desk at the DAHLC and ask about their Wellness Services. The resources to achieve your goals are here, and their professional guidance is freely given. The hard part is asking for help. But I’m telling you with full confidence that you’ll be so glad you did. Don’t be intimidated either. You just have to start. Stop waiting until “you’re ready.” There is no perfect time. The perfect time is now. Start where you are with what you have. Be there for yourself. And compete with yourself everyday. The benefits far out-way the fear.
After taking the plunge to join the DAHLC, I feel so much better both physically and mentally. I have lose over 60 pounds and have so much more energy for life! I just can’t believe how awesome my life is and I am so grateful that we are lucky enough to have such an amazing facility and helpful staff at the DAHLC!"