"I've lost those 60lbs, I'm a fit, healthy and happy athlete, loving and living life!"
All the coaches here are, in my opinion, the best you’ll find anywhere. They are professional, approachable, patient, caring and extremely safety conscious, and The Combine community is one of the friendliest and inclusive communities I’ve found anywhere. At the time of writing this I am 75 years old. I came to the Combine three years ago, 60lbs overweight, out of shape and with bad knees due to bone-on-bone arthritis in both of them. Where am I today? I’ve lost those 60lbs, I’m a fit, healthy and happy athlete, loving and living life! I’m hiking regularly. I can maintain my independence because: I can lift my own water softener salt, groceries etc. I’m not afraid of falling because my balance has improved so much. I don’t need a power chair, shower seat, raised toilet seat etc., which means I can eat at restaurants and visit friends, this is because the appropriate muscles have been developed and I’ve learned to move correctly. I can clean my own home. It’s actually only taken nine months to get where I am today, because after about 18 months into my membership I had lost the excess weight and my fitness was improving; but then I developed some significant breathing issues that basically side-lined me for almost eight months and then COVID hit!! During my breathing issues, my Combine coach kept me coming to the gym, modifying my workouts specifically for my ability – which for a while was literally one squat and rest a full minute because that was all I could do. I don’t know too many places that would take the interest and time to do that for a member and that’s the only reason I am where I am today. I know that if I had stopped going to the gym I would not have returned. Unfortunately, during this time my eating habits returned to my pre-fitness days and I was starting to gain weight again. When COVID hit I was isolated, my eating got even worse, and my fitness was deteriorating significantly. For me personally, the zoom classes just didn’t work, mostly because I missed the gym and the community, and my internet connection kept freezing. Not getting out of the house meant I was bored and scared, so I ordered all the wrong foods to be delivered and gained back 50lbs About 9 months ago I re-committed to my health, talked with my Combine coach about my goals and invested in personal training, this is by far the best move I have ever made for my mental, physical and emotional well-being.