When I joined a gym in April of 2007, I had never really worked out in my life. Seriously. I barely knew how to turn on a treadmill let alone figure out a strength training routine. Faced with figuring out how to lift weights on my own, I undoubtedly would have either injured myself or possibly killed someone else. You think I'm exaggerating but really I am amazingly uncoordinated. Remember that "Seinfeld" episode where Elaine is such a terrible dancer? I make her look like Mikhail Baryshnikov. I decided to spare myself (and the world) that kind of pain and hire a personal trainer.
Before meeting her for the first time, I carefully studied Jackie Mosure's bio on the gym's website.
Based on this picture, I decided Jackie was a stuck-up bitch who was obsessed with herself and wouldn't eat a candy bar if someone held a gun to her head. I imagined that she'd take one look at my fat rolls and be disgusted. She'd make subtle fat jokes and insults and then try to humiliate me into working harder. She'd look at the other trainers in the room and roll her eyes as I huffed and puffed through the routine she'd set up mostly to amuse herself at my inability to complete it.
Um, yeah. I have more issues than National Geographic.
The first thing I noticed when I met Jackie was that she has the world's kindest face, and that isn't an illusion. It only took me a few minutes to stop feeling intimidated by her. That first day, she lead me through a tough routine and I had to stop twice because I was close to fainting. She'd tell me to work some muscle group and I would have to confess I had no idea where on my body that was. I was a beginner in every sense of the word, but she was patient with me and understanding about how nervous I was about the whole gym environment.
We worked together for two full years on a weekly basis. She became much more than a trainer and I'm happy to call her my friend now. And our results? They were good enough to warrant this article in the gym newsletter.
(Yes, when that article came out I was mortified and thought that all the fit people on the treadmills around me were staring at me and thinking I should work harder. Again, my brain is not 100% right).
When I hit my 100 lb loss, Jackie gave me a ring. I had told her that I had never been able to really wear rings at my highest weight and months later, she gave me one. It fit perfectly. I can't tell you how great it is to look down at it and remember that there's someone out there who knows how hard I have worked and who is rooting for me on the sidelines. (Yes, this is like a scene from an 80s movie but I love 80s movies so just suspend your disbelief and enjoy it).
After the economic downturn, I couldn't afford to see Jackie as much. Recently I decided I'd go back to seeing her once a month, and yesterday we were reunited. I am unbelievably sore this morning and part of me hates her for that. When I tell her that, she just smiles sweetly at me and tells me to get back up on the treadmill. I've been lucky to have her in my life, and I know I owe a lot of the success I've had at weight loss to her.
Oh, and Jackie also trained Bernie Salazar, who was on "The Biggest Loser" a few years ago and won $100,000 after losing the most weight at home, thanks in part to my favorite trainer!
4 comments:
You know, I've been thinking of getting a personal trainer. Plus we just booked this Jamaican vacation for the spring. (Don't want to shock the Jamaicans with my arm jiggle.) After reading this, maybe I should. I'm terrified, though. I only like going to gyms when everyone else is asleep, like 10:00 p.m. That way I can be certain no one is staring at me.
My issues beat your issues.
Kate, very few people think of the horror of exposing citizens of foreign lands to arm jiggle. I commend you for that.
I'd recommend the trainer, though, especially if you are spazzy like me or don't have any idea what you are doing. I remember I used to think a good strength routine involved lifting soup cans over my head. Apparently, that's not the case.
And please, I have just exposed the tip of the iceberg of my issues. If you can compete with the whole enchilada (yum, enchiladas) you could be an honorary member of my family!
Ooooh, I've been on the lookout for a trainer who will help with the nutrition stuff too. I'm a member of WAC, now I'm wondering if I can go train with someone at LPAC or LVAC (since that's what gyms she seems to work out of). Hrmmmm.
Kim, she is truly great at her job and she's about as non-intimidating as you can get when it comes to gym stuff and nutrition. She even puts up with me and my non yogurt eating ways :) She does work out of LPAC but she also works on her own too.
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