Pro Fitness is excited to put the spotlight on Kimberly Uelmen this month! Congratulations from staff and friends at Pro Fitness!
When did you start training at Pro Fitness?
I began training at Pro Fitness in December 2016 when I received a coupon from my best friend Maria, who has trained and exercised at Pro Fitness for many years. At the time, I had thought that I’d only train for the five sessions that the coupon offered, but I have now trained at Pro Fitness for almost two years.
Why did you decide to being working with a trainer?
My first training sessions were with Doug. At that time, I thought I was in pretty good shape, but I clearly remember feeling like his sessions were a whole new level of fitness that I wanted to be part of.
I have worked with each of the trainers in some aspect, and each one brings a different fitness aspect to our session. All of the trainers at Pro Fitness are easy to talk to, tailor the workout to the individual, and are invested in the trainee’s life.
I am a highly competitive person, and, primarily training with Doug and Lisa, I greatly appreciate the toughness they provide during my session. They constantly push me to be better than last time and to push to my limits, which is something I would not do working out on my own.
I am also a huge proponent of teamwork in my everyday life and fit life, and I absolutely love team training sessions with Cindy and my friends Kirstin and Alicia. It provides an amazing workout and a building of camaraderie.
Finally, Jason’s timed obstacle courses and Crystal’s Strong by Zumba classes are perfect for when you are ready for a high energy, fun, and sweaty workout.
What were your initial goals when you started?
When I walked in the doors of Pro Fitness, my goal was simply to feel good. Doug pushed me to make more tangible goals, so we worked on toning my arms and achieving a certain weight in the bench press. I am proud to say that I recently benched 145 pounds, which is something that I could only achieve with the help and support of my trainer.
How have the changes you’ve made impacted your lifestyle?
I believe in a healthy body leading to a healthy mind. When I started training at Pro Fitness, I was working out 2-3 days a week, and I have now transitioned into exercising 5-6 days a week. The 30-60 minutes of daily exercise have become my favorite part of each day as it allows me to burn off my (for those who know me) plethora of energy and to think and reflect on the day.
This increase of exercise stems from wanting to push myself to be better when I have my weekly training session. I want to be the strongest and fastest I can be when I work with my trainer because I see it as a weekly test that I want to get an A on.
I have had multiple knee surgeries, and, since training at Pro Fitness, I have less pain and irritation seeing as the muscles surrounding the joint have been greatly strengthened. The trainers also listen to what my body is telling me during the workout. If I am experiencing pain in my knee, they tailor the exercise so that we are still working the muscles, but without joint pain.
Going forward, what are your new goals?
The man who trains before me competes in Spartan races, and, I must say, my interests are piqued. It seems, though, that upper body strength is a necessity in those competitions, so a new goal I have set is to be able to complete 10 body weight pull ups by the end of the year. I also want to continue to learn which foods best compliment my fitness practices so that I can live a well-rounded and healthy, yet balanced, life.
Extra thoughts:
Fitness is not worth it unless it’s fun, so I must give a huge shout out to the Slusarek and LeMieux families for making Pro Fitness a blast for me. I am so thankful that my best friend Maria sparked my passion for fitness, which remains something that we talk about regularly as we share in each other’s excitement when we achieve goals.
Some of my favorite things about going to Pro Fitness each week are my annual team training session with Kirstin on my birthday each year, and beating Bob in “horse” and/or “pig” every Friday in the summer. Finally, Alicia of Nutrition With Alicia is an amazing resource when it comes to food choices and nutritional direction.