Before joining Results Fitness, Mary Jo had already tried another gym.
It wasn’t a great experience.
“The people were not very friendly, the workouts were generic and the atmosphere was so-so,” she says.
Eventually, she decided she would be better off exercising at home.
But that wasn’t quite the answer either.
Mary Jo found herself focusing mostly on cardio and doing very little strength training.
Then her daughter, Wendy, gave her some straightforward advice: Go to Results Fitness!
Wendy explained that the Results Fitness coaches would focus on her individual needs and abilities.
And although it sounded good, Mary Jo still hesitated.
“I hesitated about the cost,” she says. “However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed a little more structure and I also knew that if I didn’t do something, my physical abilities were going to diminish.”
So Mary Jo booked a (free) Strategy Session to learn more about the program and deespite her hesistations, made a big decision right then and there!
She committed to an entire year of personalized, strength training three times per week.
That’s when the nerves really kicked in.
For Mary Jo, making that commitment was intimidating. She had never done anything like it before, and after signing up, the second thoughts started coming fast.
“What if I couldn’t do the exercises? What if it was too demanding? What if the people are snooty? What if I just couldn’t hack it? What if I couldn’t figure out how to do scheduling? What if everyone was buff and I’m pudgy?”
Mary Jo’s first session was a 1:1 personal training session with Coach Amie, and it went well!
But when she returned the following week, she decided to try a small group, personalized training session and those nerves came right back!
She kept telling herself one thing: “Just do it!”
Then something happened that Mary Jo hadn’t expected.
She looked around the room and realized there were people at all different fitness levels.
Some people struggled with exercises just like she did.
Others seemed to move through them with little effort.
And that realization actually helped.
“So I figured that in the array of fitness levels, I was probably very near the bottom, and the only way to go was UP!”
At Results Fitness, every exercise program is personalzied to the individual. The RF coaches provide options at different levels, allowing everyone to work at the appropriate level that is right for them.
Mary Jo started with level one.
And sometimes, even level one needed to be modified.
Either way, the coaches simply adjusted the exercise so she could do it.
“There was no judgment, no pity, no down-the-nose attitude from the coaches nor from other participants. I did get plenty of encouragement which helped tremendously.”
Slowly, things began to change.
Mary Jo got stronger! She became more capable! She started accomplishing exercises that had once been difficult!
And her coaches noticed, as did her fellow Warriors, and celebrated her progress with her.
“Little by little, with baby steps, I began to get stronger and more able to accomplish the lower level exercises. And, if I could make this small amount of progress, then I could surely make more progress if I just kept working at it!”
So that’s exactly what she did.
All those small victories started changing what she believed was possible.
Then came one of Mary Jo’s favorite milestones: she completed a level-two exercise!
“I thought I had hit the jackpot — what a feeling of accomplishment!”
All of these incredible, empowering changes? They didn’t stop at the gym.
Mary Jo’s progress soon started showing up outside Results Fitness, too.
As she became stronger, she noticed she was moving more fluidly, steadily and comfortably.
Her balance and stability improved, she had more energy and stamina, and she felt better physically!
But the physical changes were only part of her transformation. The confidence she was building in the gym was beginning to carry over into the rest of her life.
“My mental outlook changed as well. I began to look at things with a more positive light and was more willing to attempt new ventures.”
And then there was something else Mary Jo hadn’t expected when she first walked through the doors.
Remember Mary Jo’s concern about whether the people at the gym would be “snooty”?
She quickly discovered the exact opposite.
In fact, the social component of being part of the Results Fitness community became one of her favorite parts of the entire experience!
“Results Fitness cultivates a climate of caring and kindness mixed with a healthy dose of humor,” she says.
Mary Jo began connecting with other Warriors and having conversations about all kinds of things.
She wasn’t just getting stronger, she was having fun!
And the woman who had walked into Results Fitness wondering whether she would fit in?
She found a community where she belonged!
Looking back at the past year, Mary Jo can see just how far she has come.
She started with doubts, worried she wouldn’t be able to keep up, wondered if she would fit in, and questioned whether she could “hack it.”
But she showed up anyway.
Then she showed up again.
And again.
Those baby steps became progress.
Progress became strength.
And strength became confidence that reached far beyond the gym!
Today, Mary Jo has better balance and stability, more energy and stamina, greater confidence, a more positive outlook and a community of Warriors cheering her on.
And she knows that making the decision to start was about much more than exercise.
“During the past year participating in Results Fitness regularly has been one of the best things I could have done for myself and also for my family.”
Mary Jo’s story is a reminder that you don’t have to walk into the gym already feeling strong, fit or confident.
You just have to be willing to start.
Because as Mary Jo discovered: the only way to go is UP!