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Pro Fitness is excited to put the spotlight on Kris Stencil this month! Congratulations from staff and friends at Pro Fitness!

I started training at Pro Fitness 15 years ago. I would have periods where I slacked off, but now I have been doing sessions with Doug and going to group classes consistently, multiple days of the week and I can see the improvements in not just my physical appearance, but my overall health.

I decided to begin working with a trainer because I not only needed motivation, but someone who knows the right and best techniques to workout regarding my age, focus areas, and ultimate fitness goals.  All the Pro Fitness trainers have a genuine care for their clients that go beyond just the numbers on the scale.  Pro Fitness is such a strong close knit family, that they know who you are, and want you to succeed and achieve your fitness goals. They are an amazing help on your fitness journey through their training methods, health tips, and overall push to do things outside of your comfort zone, but measures that make a dynamic improvement in your everyday life.

My initial goals when I first started would be that I wanted to be in better shape. I was very involved with athletics (skiing, tennis, golf) all through my younger years, and then they ended up getting lost in all the craziness of work/life balance. Raising a child and going through hard times, I started putting everything in front of my own health and well-being. Going to Pro Fitness for the first time was a big step to take, and the continuous support from the trainers and other clients was instantly contagious. Sure I fell off the bandwagon multiple times, having to cancel appointments; however the important part is that I worked out when I could even if it was once a month way in the beginning, and just the overall environment at Pro Fitness started igniting a fire inside me because I was now accountable to people. To be a part of a community should never be something someone does not get to experience in their life. Pro Fitness is a judgment free zone, where people help each other accomplish their goals and grow together.

I feel like a million bucks! I have less stress, not only because of the intense workouts, but also because I am dedicating time to take care of my body’s health. Through the knowledge of Doug, Lisa, Steve, Chrystal, and the other trainers, I am constantly hearing new health tips to better enhance my life. From recipes to newly found health remedies, my skin, my energy, and even my outlook on life has greatly shot up in a positive direction. Even on my worst days, going to Pro Fitness just changes me for the better through the work outs, positive reinforcements, and kind people.

Going forward, I would like to continue attending group classes and being a positive person for newcomers, reach my goal weight, and continue to build muscle and to push myself on those days when you just do not want to work out.  I would like to be a figure that when people look at my transformation they get a spark inside them to live a healthy lifestyle that focuses on them and their overall success.

I am so fortunate to have found Pro Fitness. Because of them I have made lasting friendships, a better lifestyle for my future, and I have become a stronger person than ever before! Thank y

Pro Fitness is excited to put the spotlight on Thom Cody this month! Congratulations from staff and friends at Pro Fitness!

When did you start training at Pro Fitness?

I believe that it was May of 2016 after meeting Cindy.

Why did you decide to begin working with a Trainer?

I had made the decision to get back in shape and then I had met Cindy through one of my clients. Cindy was kind enough to offer me 5 free sessions as a thank you gift – Crazy Like Fox!  I came in for my first session and was humbled in 15 minutes to realize how far out of shape I really was.  With this in mind, it made sense to have a true professional help me on my journey so that I did not hurt myself!

What were your initial goals when you started?

Survive and not hurt myself!!  As I said earlier it was a humbling experience to realize how far away from health and fitness that I really was.  I started shortly after my 50^th birthday and my goal was to get back in shape and to be healthier, stronger, thinner, and in better shape at 55 than I was at 40.

How has the changes you’ve made impacted your lifestyle?

Meeting and working with Cindy has truly been one of the greatest Blessings of my life!  Not only has she helped me get back in shape, but she has helped me and my family with nutrition and eating healthier.  Because of her council and hard work with me around nutrition, in particular giving up sugar and grains, I am pain-free in all my joints for the first time since my mid 30’s. This combined with my overall physical heath and strength has allowed me to live the more active lifestyle I am accustomed to!  What a gift!

Going forward, what are your new goals?

It is my goal to build on the three days a week that I am at the gym at 5:30am.  In addition, I am going to continue to build on the progress made and focus on getting down to my goal weight and improving on my overall strength and health.  I would like to be a positive example to my kids, family and anyone else who believes that it is too far, too hard…It is hard, it is early to be at the gym at 5am waiting for the doors to open, but it is worth the effort!!! If I can do it, anyone can!

Any extra thoughts you would like us to add

My final thoughts are simple but important…Thanks!!  I would like to thank the whole team at Pro Fitness – Cindy, Doug, Tammy, Crystal and the wonderful early birds Pat & Gary that I have the honor of spending time with each morning!  You are all an inspiration to me and to all who come in contact with you!  Thank you your positive, loving, caring spirit and for being my family, my peeps!!  THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT OF YOU!

Pro Fitness is excited to put the spotlight on Pam Heiser this month! Congratulations from staff and friends at Pro Fitness!

August 1st, 2017, was the first time I walked in to Pro Fitness to meet Jason (My daughter took the 1st picture just before I went).  I was very nervous because I’d never been to a fitness place before.  The last time I did regular exercise was Jazzercise in the late 80s!

I’ve had back trouble all of my adult life and later a herniated disc which eventually led to 9 epidural steroid injections.  There were days I couldn’t walk much farther than my neighbor’s house or get in and out of a car.  I was also feeling the general aches and pains that come with aging and the scale kept creeping higher and higher.  The final straw was arm/shoulder pain that was hindering my work as a professional pianist.  I checked with two doctors to make sure it wasn’t serious and then after several massages with Jackie Bushner, I realized that if I could make time for these appointments, I could also make the time to exercise!  Jackie highly recommended Pro Fitness and working with a trainer.   I’m so thankful we had that conversation and I acted on her advice!

My main goal was to reduce pain and get more motion in my arm.  At the time, I couldn’t get dressed easily or turn pages at the piano without pain.  I also had no clue how to begin which is why I needed a trainer to guide me.  I was afraid I would make things worse for my body but everything has improved from head to toe and I’ve lost over 12 pounds!

• I have more energy and improved posture.
• I eat healthier and drink more water.
• I don’t need to rely on coffee and ibuprofen to keep me going anymore.
• I have not been sick since I started exercising regularly.
• I’ve been able to go back to my full work schedule after taking a semester off to focus on rehab.
• I can now keep up with my husband and his love for really long walks and bike rides.
• We also want to vacation more but I need to be physically fit to enjoy that. I was pain-free during our last trip and able to stand, sit, and walk with ease and even played beach volleyball with my kids!

I feel like I’ve just started this journey.  The toughest part will be continuing to make the time in my schedule. I can easily tell when I’ve waited too many days to go back.  Core strengthening and increased balance, flexibility and muscle strength will continue to be goals.

Jason is a truly gifted teacher.  Shortly after I started training, I sent this text to a friend “He’s super nice and doesn’t make me feel stupid, old, or inept!”  He’s super attentive with how I’m doing the exercises so that I do them correctly.  He’s an expert at how muscles work and makes modifications on the spot if I’m struggling.  I could not have made these improvements on my own!

Pro Fitness is such a friendly and supportive environment.  There’s always a happy face there to greet you!  I was impressed that they knew me by name after one visit.

After a lifetime of sitting behind a desk, Mike decided that investing in a personal trainer would be the best way to improve personal health and maintain his ability to move with age. “I knew I had a lot to learn about personal fitness and felt that a trainer would be the best source  of information and help.”

Mike started training with Doug more than seven years ago and is now able to enjoy 10K runs, travel across the country and around the world with comfort, and maintain and improve his overall health. “In 2017 I was able to meet my goal of walking an average of four miles a day, totaling almost 1,500 miles!  I hope to increase that mileage in 2018 while keeping up a healthy diet and lifestyle.”

“Through my time at Pro Fitness, I have learned a great deal about my own abilities and healthy living.  Doug’s philosophy of exercise and healthy eating has been very helpful to me.  All the people (staff and clients) are friendly and challenging.  This is a great place to improve yourself!”

Pro Fitness is excited to put the spotlight on Mark Mariucci this month! Congratulations from staff and friends at Pro Fitness!

It seems like only yesterday to Mark, but four years ago this spring he began his journey toward a healthier life at Pro Fitness.

Mark had good intentions but often lacked motivation. “Using a personal trainer gives me the motivation but also makes sure I am doing the correct things and not injuring my body. I originally stopped in because we thought my dad could benefit from this place, but I immediately knew I was going to join and start with a trainer.  Such a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere.”

Mark’s initial goals were to improve mobility and lose some weight. He also had knee problems that made it difficult to do the things he loved, especially photography.  “When I would go for a long walk or basically overdue anything, I would then have problems walking or using stairs for one or two days. Personal training has given me greater mobility.  I am doing things I avoided previously and enjoying life more, including going out shooting photography of events.  I am stronger overall and feel better with more energy.  Some of that energy and feeling better is directly connected with my recent weight loss and better control of my diabetes through diet and exercise.”

Going forward, Mark would like to finish losing the rest of the spare tire around his waist and continue building lean muscle on his upper and lower body.  “I have this heavy video rig that I want to be able to shoot with effortlessly.  Right now I can go about 15 minutes with it.”

“Once I started training I realized this was going to be a slow process. I also didn’t really believe I would be able to change my diet enough, long term, to reach my goals.  I know now that I can achieve the goals.  I just have to stick with it and believe in myself.”

After thinking about it for 25 years, Anita decided she was ready to become stronger and more physically fit.  She hoped this would allow her to spend more time dancing and eliminate the need for medication. “I’d also like to look nice for pictures at my Granddaughter’s wedding.”

It’s been 16 months since Anita began training with Lisa and people are noticing.  “I’m getting compliments, which builds my self esteem, buying new clothes, and I have more energy.”  Personal training keeps Anita disciplined and committed to working toward her fitness goals. “You have to trust the trainer’s knowledge and respect their decisions.  Because of the healthy changes I’ve made, both my personal and public life are better organized!”

 Going forward, Anita would like to lose more weight and be physically active at least 30 minutes a day.  “I’d like to lose another 80 pounds and maybe run or walk a marathon.”

 “Without a trainer, you get no-where on your own.  Trainers are not just training!  They listen, encourage, praise, mentally stimulate you, befriend you, and set a good will example.”

About seven years ago I decided to make a change. I was worried about the possibility of looking for a new job and didn’t want to go to an interview looking “unhealthy”. I got on the scale and was somewhat stunned to see I had hit 240lbs.

I started walking and watching what I ate which started the ball rolling but I quickly realized that this wasn’t going to be enough.  Chrystal, who had recently become certified as a personal trainer, told me to start writing down every calorie that I consumed in a day, and don’t cheat!  It was the 2^nd best health tip I ever received. When you are standing in line at a store and don’t buy that candy bar or bag of chips because you don’t want to have to write it down, that’s motivation!

The best advice I got was to try group fitness. Chrystal was trying to get me to personal train with her.  I had been walking, biking and even tried P90X in our basement but I just didn’t have the confidence to try training yet. She had just become certified as an Insanity instructor and convinced me to try it. It was the day before Thanksgiving and I tried in my head to come up with every excuse I could, too much traffic, too much to do, etc….but I went.  I wasn’t instantly hooked but I did prove to myself I could do it. I talked Mark Zeratsky into trying it with me to help hold me accountable and now almost 7 years later we still workout several times a week together and we are both hooked. We do a boot camp near our homes in Howard at Bode where Brian does a great job and I take every class I can at Pro Fitness.

I now have the confidence to do some personal training, which I like to mix in with the group fitness and love the special events that Pro Fitness offers. The Spartan training we did was the most rewarding and motivating class I have ever been involved with. The trainers at Pro Fitness do an incredible job of making every workout seem tailored to your level. You can always amp it up or modify if you need to work around and injury or some other obstacle. The other clients are what keeps me wanting to come back, they make it fun, they make it hard and they make it the fastest hour of my day and one I’d hate to miss.

I’d like to thank Doug, my wife Chrystal and the entire Pro Fitness team for not making this a diet, but rather 60lbs. later, a life style change.

Gary started training at Pro Fitness about a year and half ago.  His initial goals were to improve balance, flexibility, mobility, and most important, because of Asthma, Gary wanted to increase his lung capacity.  Gary’s asthma is improving, his balance is getting much better, and he feels a lot better overall.  Amazing accomplishments considering how much his life changed 23 years ago.  Gary’s inspiring story, in his own words:

“My fitness journey began on an icy morning, December 9^th, 1994.  I was struck by a truck while attempting to assist people in a van that had rolled over.  I endured a broken right hip, broken left leg, broken ribs, ruptured spleen, and had multiple fractures.  I was confined to a wheel chair until my broken bones healed enough to put weight on them.  Dr. Grace stated if I do it right, he would get me walking again.  Dr. Grace referred me to the CP Center for treatment in their aquatic pool.  The staff at the CP Center was terrific and did a great job in getting my mobility and getting me back walking again.

After I completed my therapy, I did not want to lose mobility, so the staff at the CP Center referred me to the YMCA.  It was there during a class that I noticed a group of runners on the track above.  They invited me to join them and my running took off from there.  It was after I started running that I was diagnosed with Asthma.  Just another obstacle to overcome in my fitness journey.

I continued taking classes at the Y and some time ago, I took a class that Chrystal was leading.  After class we got talking and she invited me to stop over at Pro Fitness and try one of her classes there.  After some thought, I decided to take her up on the offer.  It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  Her first class was kind of tough but I survived.  The people I have met and friendships I made have made Pro Fitness a dynamic place to work out. I have also done personal training at Pro Fitness and will be signing up for additional personal training sessions this fall and winter.  The staff is great and has been so helpful in keeping me motivated.

I would like to thank the staff at Pro Fitness for all their help in keeping me on track and everyone will know I am there when you all hear Chrystal proclaim “Breathe Gary”.  Thank you so much for all Pro Fitness has done in keeping me focused and on track to reach my health fitness goals.”

Mark’s journey at Pro Fitness began in May after his physical therapist, Dr. Andy Taber, from Advanced Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, recommended Mark see a personal trainer to help reduce pain in his hips and lose weight.

Mark signed up with Jason and began training three times a week.  In less than three months Mark has lost over 40 pounds and counting!  “Training has made me more mobile and I have less pain in my hips.”

Mark also meets with Nutritionist, Alicia Slusarek, every two weeks to discuss diet and lifestyle habits and incorporate real-life nutrition strategies.  They set weekly goals together, which holds Mark accountable as he works toward his short and long-term goals.

Going forward, Mark would like to continue losing weight and restructure his body mass.  “I’m very satisfied with the results so far.  Working with a trainer is very helpful and I’d probably lose interest if I wasn’t working with Jason.”

I started training with Doug in 1999, in order to build strength, equilibrium, flexibility, and accelerating levels of fitness in the knowledgeable and factual guidance that Doug Van Iten and his team can provide.

I led an aggressively satisfying physical fitness regiment of running, hiking, biking, and weight lifting for about 20 years prior to joining Pro Fitness.  Doug found ways to add to the strength and stamina I had enjoyed as a Marathon runner in the New York City Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, and in a number of other athletic challenges and fitness contests.  I also enjoyed encouraging others to experience a fitness goal for the first time in charity races I ran for my local church for many years.

Working with a trainer allowed me to build on those gains I had made and be prepared to take on new and harder fitness challenges.  Doug has a personality that encourages his clients to have a can-do attitude.  He knows how to motivate clients to push themselves beyond their self-imposed past limits, and rejoice in the successes gained from that philosophy.  Since I have always shared Doug’s philosophy in life, working with him was a perfect fit for me the past 18 years.

Through the skills and levels of strength, equilibrium, and flexibility I learned, I have been able to add a specially selected list of home fitness routines in addition to my weekly session with Doug.  I do 100 pushups and a 2 minute plank each day in my home garage, a low-impact exercise routine 3 x a week, as well as biking and occasional running on weekends.

The outstanding gift of fitness training has helped me not only achieve and keep building on my fitness goals as I have reached my 70^th year, but to enjoy the confidence and fun of realistically setting new fitness goals.  Like Doug, I believe that your goals expand when you push yourself – and that the confidence gained keeps pushing you on to be even healthier.  Not a week goes by without Doug sharing some new research or knowledge that helps me understand the body and its potential, and he uses that knowledge to help me in the specific ways that match my own strong goals and match my potential.

Even though I have had numerous sports, health, and other life events that have challenged my fitness goals, Doug was always knowledgeable in helping me work through those interludes and adjust my rehabs at those times realistically through positivity.  As a result, I have unlimited confidence that I can achieve the highest possible level of fitness, far beyond what I myself could have ever imagined.  Thank you, Pro Fitness!