I became a FitCity member in November 2015, at the age of 73.
After years of long hours managing people and projects, it became easy to find excuses for not exercising, or eating properly. I would talk about doing something, but just never did. Fortunately, my wife and I are very lucky to have family that care and watch out for us. After my son Mike joined FitCity he said, “Dad you should talk to Sarah. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.” That was the catalyst for me to get started. I met with Sarah and after she explained the program, I made up my mind to give it a try.
Never having belonged to a gym or fitness club before, I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to gain some strength, balance, and generally feel better doing everyday tasks. My overall goals probably haven’t changed, except now I can see and feel the progress I’ve made. I look forward to each new challenge, just to see if I can do it. It’s like competing with myself. If I do 5 of a particular exercise this week, the next time I want to do more.
When I showed up for my first workout I was pretty apprehensive. I will say the members I met that day were so friendly and welcoming, I was made to feel at ease. The actual WOD was probably harder on Sarah than it was on me. She explained what I was going to do and stressed we would take it slow and easy to start. To say I was out of shape would be an understatement. I barely did 2 minutes on the rowing machine (slow) and was out of breath, flush, and had to think about how I was going to get off the thing. Sit ups were non-existent. I barely got my head and shoulders off the floor. Sarah was like a helicopter coach hovering around me. It would have been easy to give up after the first few workouts, but the fact that Sarah was always positive, recognized my strengths and weaknesses, and built subsequent WODs around them, kept me motivated. I have observed this trait in all the FitCity coaches.
I can see progress with each subsequent WOD. Overall changes to my mental and physical health are measured by how I cope with everyday living. It’s simple things that you don’t think about i.e. walking up a flight of stairs, walking around a department store and not stopping to catch my breath, and getting in and out of the car much easier. Still can’t climb a rope and ring the bell, but I may get there. I’ve lost weight and my kids say I look good so it’s been worth it.
What are you most proud of?
What are you most proud of?It’s hard to identify what particular skill/strength I’m most proud of. Everything I’ve done has been a first. I did feel pretty good about my first “real” sit up. Most recently I completed 5 box squats onto a 20 inch box which I am very proud of. (I had been doing them onto a 24 inch box.)
My favorite FitCity moment(s).
Now that’s a hard one! Sarah and Javier Llanos have built more than a gym. FitCity is a place where members are coached and encouraged to stretch their abilities. There is a mutual respect between coach and member, and this is carried through in the respect and encouragement members give each other. I hope this isn’t too corny but, I moved to Florida two and a half years ago, and outside of my family, I didn’t know anyone. I can’t tell you how nice it is to walk into FitCity and have people stop and say hi. For anyone thinking about starting, I would say, “just do it”. Pick up the phone and make an appointment to meet with Sarah. When you show up for your first WOD don’t look around and become self conscious. Sarah will be the first to tell you, you are not competing with anyone but yourself. Do your best each WOD and you’ll feel good when you leave.
Tell us something we don’t know about you.
Something I’m proud of – I made myself a promise to go to night school and I graduated from college (different colleges) the same year my daughter did. “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have” Vince Lombardi