This post is a little out of the norm and is one of those “Nothing to do with Coupons” posts. But, every post we make is with the hopes that it will provide someone value in your day to day life, so if this post helps just one person it will be worth it. I believe the value is far greater than money.
Several months ago I saw a commercial for diabetes awareness made by Gail Miller on behalf of the late Larry H. Miller. Have you seen it? While watching the commercial, I literally began crying. No, not because I'm a sensitive sap (although, I am) or because I have an admiration for Larry Miller (although, I do), this was because Gail's words hit so close to home. You see, my hubby is one of the 130,000 people in Utah that is diabetic. To add insult to injury, he also has Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Over the years I've watched as the combined conditions took the toll on his physical and emotional well being, as year after year progressed, he began to give up. adding 5 lbs after 5 lbs to his weight, when would it stop? How often have I heard his manly words “I'll fix it, Don't worry, I'm watching it” I felt helpless, nothing seemed to help, encouragement, an attempt at healthy cooking, and finally resorting to nagging, which of course made it worse.
For the past several years, hubs has pretty well lived a life of inactivity, taking to his favorite Lazy Boy and TV for adventure. I became scared and often wondered what our life would be like as we grow towards retirement. He was in constant denial, pain and stress and pretty soon we both gave up and I too began to put on the pounds. Taking on the “If you can't beat 'em…” attitude.
And then, a turning point, a large rock… Hubs has been helping our kids put in a new yard at their recently purchased home. This stupid rock, that he felt he most certainly could move, got the best of him. My hubs is a big guy, has always been strong, this rock should have provided no challenge. But, his lack of proper attention to his sugars, coupled with his years of inactivity along with the pain of the arthritis, caused him to collapse. In his words, It bugs me, I should have been able to move that rock easily.
Timing is sometimes funny isn't it? Shortly after all this happened, I met the owner, of a company called Fitness Together, through a mutual friend at a lunch. We talked about possibly doing a local spotlight feature. Fitness Together, is a personal training facility, located in Cottonwood Heights, where people can work in a private setting, one on one, with a personal trainer. Jacob, the owner, offered me a few workouts so I could get the overall experience.
They take the social pressure of the traditional gym and put the focus on the workout and nutrition needs of each individual. While visiting I met one of their clients that is 80 something years old and has gone from walker to barely needing a cane in 9 months. They have worked with athletes, elderly, injured and those of us that are just everyday people looking for needing a life change. I told Jacob about the Hubs and he was sure he could help. It took a little of my best sweet talking, but I was able to convince him to consult with his doctor, who encouraged him emphatically, to check it out.
(Jacob, owner Fitness Together & Hubs goal consultation)
Clients receive one on one guidance on diet, fitness and get personalized workouts under the watchful eye, of highly trained professionals, to help them reach and maintain their individual goals. So far the consultations, workouts and motivational fun factor have been spot on. One of the cool things, is that the workouts are pretty easily duplicated at home without much special equipment, making it is easy to stay on track. Guys, I'm telling you, these training sessions are unreal and they don't take long. Find more information on their website here.
Now, I believe that things come together for a reason so, after much conversation with the hubs, we have decided to share our fitness journey with you. I plan to post some simple recipes, do at home exercises and our overall thoughts and feelings, successes and failures. Our hopes is that it will inspire and motivate you, or someone you know, to take action, before it's too late.
A very special thanks to Gail Miller for inspiring me to stop nagging and start doing and to Fitness Together for providing us with some amazing workouts. Find more information about Diabetes in Utah, it's treatment and prevention here.
“Go out into the world and do good until there is too much good in the world.”
~Larry H. Miller
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