I received an email last week that I want to share with you. After reading it you will understand 1) why I do what I do and 2) why you need to make exercise a priority in your life.
Paul
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Hi Paul,
I wanted to share this with you, if you want to use it for a testimonial that's great, but really I want you to know this because I appreciate what you do.
First of all, I always love your boot camps (regardless of how much I whine). But I always came sporadically because I would have a hard time finding time and I would feel guilty for spending the money. (It's a mom thing I think). When I started coming with Bridget, it gave me the incentive to keep going. (If she wanted to keep going, I should too. I can't abandoned her now.) And I do actually love the classes.
As it got closer to my birthday it really made me think. My mother was only two years older than me when she had her first heart attack. A little history of my mom, she was an amazing athlete. I mean amazing! She played golf, field hockey, bowling and even had a contract to play professional baseball for the Fort Wayne Daisies. Any sport, she was amazing. (not hereditary).
In her 20's she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Her sports were limited. In her 30's she could still bowl and play golf, but that was about it. In her 40's just golf. Because of her pain, she didn't move much. She certainly didn't do excercises to get her heart rate up. And then her heart attack. I remember her making a few attempts at exercising (Dancing with the Oldies with Richard Simmons) but truly it didn't last.
The older she got, the more pain she was in. It was sad. She was diagnosed with Alzheimers at age 60 and died before her 61st birthday.
To say this isn't always in the back of mind would be a lie. When I want to give up, I think of her and have made a decision that I am going to do whatever I can control to prevent this from happening to me. Exercise being the most important. Diet right beside it.
I had a physical a couple of weeks ago. My cholesterol is perfect, instead of giving me an EKG, they did a test for inflammation which can predict heart issues. I was told my asthma would probably screw those results. It did not. It was again at the perfect level. (Inflammation is also something that every Alzheimer patient has). I have to attribute that to running and I have to give you credit for that.
With your encouragement, and just telling me "yes, you can do this", as much as I hate it, I run 5 days a week. Now I feel like I can breathe real breaths. I never realized how shallow I used to breathe, I feel like my lung capacity has grown significantly. I may never run a marathon, but that isn't really the point for me. No signs of arthritis. Essentially, I got a gold star.
I decided that paying for boot camp is cheaper than paying for medication for not exercising. It's cheaper than liposuction and I feel so much better because of it. That is how I need to look at spending the money on myself.
So I want to thank you for making it fun and challenging. I have gotten so much stronger since I started and I forgot how much I miss feeling this way. I look forward to class and it keeps me motivated. It is obvious how much time you put into your classes, I can honestly say, I never left class feeling like I didn't have a great workout. So thank you for helping me, you have no idea how much.
Joanie
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