Client of the Month - Neall P
Sep 29, 2021
Congratulations to Neall P. for being our next client of the month! Neall has been a client for six months, and he has shown great progress over that time. He always shows up for his sessions, and works very hard! You can read below about his story:
Q: How long have you been with Fitness Together, and how often are you working out both inside and outside of the studio?
A: I have been training at Fitness Together for more than five months. I joined because the stress and depression of the pandemic ruined what few healthy habits I had left, and l'd found myself in a place where I felt weak and unable to really build up my strength on my own. I wanted to take control of my health and wellness in an aggressive manner and develop better habits that would carry me through my lifetime. Since then I've been doing cardio and weight training outside of the studio two more days a week (Saturday is for sleeping in and eating sandwiches) and approaching my diet with a macronutrient-based view to make sure my food and exercise programs are in line with one another. It's been a big change for me and my partner to approach our health more holistically and really cut down on the amount of carbs vs. protein and fat in our lives, but it's worth it.
Q: What are the results you've seen so far?
A: When I first came in, I said that losing weight and slimming down was an admirable side effect, but my real goal was to increase my strength and mobility and feel strong again. Since I've started, I've been able to restore my old push-up form, lift much heavier boxes, and walk distances without becoming overly winded. I'm sleeping better and feeling stronger and more alert in general. And, yeah, I've lost weight and body fat percentage, and it's showing on my figure and my face, so my vanity is sufficiently appeased.
Q: What can you attribute mostly to your success so far? What hurdles did you have to get over in order to succeed?
A: I'll definitely attribute a heck of a lot to Marques, Chris, Aidan, Rick, and the other members of the staff I've trained with who design innovative and flexible programs and keep pushing me every time I'm in the studio, although they'd say that I'm the one doing the work. Really, the biggest hurdle had to be surmounted before I came in - overcoming embarrassment and self-doubt, and wanting to approach my health without judgment and self-recrimination. Consistency is the other big hurdle - coming in three days a week even if I feel tired and would much rather watch TV on my sofa. The only way to see continuous improvement in maintenance and results is to do the work and not skip on it. Lastly, working on my mental resilience to push myself in the studio and always chase higher weights, more reps, and being able to work through even difficult exercises and maintain my form. When I first started, the inspirational quote on the board was from Arnold Schwarzenegger, talking about how those last three reps where you have to push yourself past pain and strain are what separate champions from those who are not, and I think of that quote every time Marques is counting out my last three reps.
Q: What are some of your goals with FT moving forward?
A. Continue to get stronger and start working with the staff to utilize the equipment I have at home to improve my off-day workouts so I can effectively synchronize them with the in-studio workouts to get maximum results. Also, bench my body weight, because that's just a cool thing to do and I've never been quite strong enough to do it even in my college athlete days.
Q: Anything else you would like to share with others looking to hit their goals?
A. Just that consistency really is key and that you're paying professionals good money to help you, so let them, and take advantage of their expertise. Listen to your body in terms of true fatigue and injury, but also be aware of the difference between your body telling you something is wrong and your body complaining that something is just difficult to get through. And always keep pushing yourself, because working hard and coming in is the only actual way to see results.
