Blog: I’ve been down this path once or twice before…

Loralie and Melissa, two busy work-at-home moms, are partnering with Advocate Condell Centre Club to take steps towards better health. Today, Melissa updates us on how she’s doing.

I’ve been on this path once or twice before. You know the “I’m going to eat better, exercise and lose all the weight.”

I have also worked in health care, so I know what I’m supposed to do and how I’m supposed to do it. But knowing and doing are two very different things.

Generally, my path has looked like this…

Eagerly declare new diet/exercise plan THE ONE and commit to it like nothing I have ever done before.

Join new gym or start new class or video program. Go 150 percent from the get go-hardest level, heaviest weights. Work out every single day no fail. Post sweaty selfies about how I’m dying from the workout.

Two weeks or less in, burn out, get bored, get derailed because of a sick kid or get injured. Throw in the towel and declare this plan a total failure and not for me.

But this time, it’s been different, and not because I’m older and wiser-that is for sure! The benefit of being at the Advocate Condell Centre Club for this journey, a medically-based facility, as opposed to other general fitness centers, is that the trainers and staff are all looking out for me and my health. They are not concerned with making an up-sell, with trying to get me to sign up for additional classes or food. Their core mission and combined goals are to make sure everyone is working out in a safe and healthy manner.

That is why all facilities and classes are included in membership. Unless it’s taught by an outside instructor or has limited space (TRX, Pilates Reformer) all the classes are available to any member at any time. It’s also why every single new member gets a one-on-one training session with a Centre Club trainer before they start working out. The trainer will talk with them about their goals and their history, go over all the equipment and how to use it properly and help develop a routine to get you off to a good start.

I have been using the workout from my first training session for over 80 days. I have upped weights, lengthened cardio time and chosen the cardio method I liked the most on any given day. I recently added one more “circuit” to the workout, as I have built strength and stamina. I can tell you that this guidance and help to start slow is exactly why I have been successful this time. Steve, a trainer, sees me in the gym several times a week and has stopped to ask how I am doing, has helped me master certain machines and worked on my form when I was struggling. Most importantly, he is like my own personal cheerleader.

I recently scheduled a one-on-one with a new trainer, something available to all members. I wanted to change up my routine and work in some exercises that would help me reach specific goals. While I was feeling stronger and had more energy, I wanted more. I wanted to be able to do a pull-up again, and I wanted to work on my core strength to help me run longer distances. Tim talked to me about my goals, which parts of my routine I liked and which I didn’t while I warmed up. He also made sure to catch up on my history and what kind of exercises and equipment I liked. Would I be willing to use free weights or did I want to stick to the machines? After a five-minute bike ride, he had a great new routine for me. He spent the next hour walking me through each step to make sure I had proper form and did it right. It was tough, and I was exhausted when I got home, but after two weeks, I’m feeling even better and stronger.

That’s the difference with having Centre Club’s medically based trainers as opposed to a trainer at a fitness shop who is trying to sell the next class, method or bar. My health and best interests are what they are concerned with, not with filling a class or meeting a quota of food sales. It’s about creating a routine and a workout that I can do and will stick with for long-term health and results.