Elevate

Part 1 -Dancing Again!!

When Eldridge asked me about doing a testimonial, my first thought was OMG! Before and After
pictures! No Way! As I thought more about it I realized I would never have come as far as I have in such
a short period of time without Eldridge’s training, support, and yes, the occasional kick in the pants.

Most of my life, I was always an active person, running, biking, skiing, skating, dancing. Staying in shape
and within 5 pounds of my “ideal” weight was never a problem. The last few years due to work stress,
relationship stress, sliding into bad eating habits and not exercising have taken their toll. My “before”
picture is March 2011 and was something of a shock. I found myself looking in the mirror and wondering
who this person was? I didn’t recognize her. And as for doing all the activities I used to do – my knees
and back simply would not tolerate it.

October 2011, with Eldridge’s help, I did a complete reset on my fitness goals, eating habits, and focus. I
made my health a priority. However, knee, shoulder, and lower back problems were an issue. Working
with Eldridge we focussed on re-building my stability around my knees, my core, and my lower back
flexibility and movement. His understanding and application of body mechanics and corrective exercises
has worked wonders. We started out slowly and carefully building up the muscle strength and stability
with dynamic exercises. Eldridge has continued to increase the challenge as I’ve improved. I can now do
the lunges, the cross over squats, and the dreaded stairs. Best of all, I have started taking dance classes.
Who knew my knees and lower back would ever allow me to dance (and in heels) again!

This “after” picture is April 2012. In the last 6 months, I am over half way to my total weight loss goal.
My strength and endurance have skyrocketed. I’m working out twice a week with Eldridge, dancing
twice a week, and doing 2-3 sessions of cardio on my own. I have so much energy these days, I still can’t
believe it. Being in better shape is helping me deal with the day to day stress, sleep better, and simply
have a more positive outlook on life.

So what’s next? I am on track to lose the rest of the weight. I’m definitely continuing with my training
sessions with Eldridge. I’ve come so far in such a short time with his help. I’m excited to see how much
farther I can go (and I know he will push me). And I will definitely keep dancing....