With my education and credentials, I could work in a hospital cardiac rehab unit or all that way to an athletic trainer for a sports team (and all points in between).  My heart belongs to those people who tell me that they aren't athletic, or what you might call exercise phobic.

These people have the absolute most to gain and the least to lose by becoming healthier.  They have their lives to gain, which to me is the ultimate prize.  When I meet with someone who is overweight and out of shape, my heart breaks because I understand the pain that they are in, along with the joy that they can have.  These are my people the ones who make me jump out of bed in the morning.

With patience, kindness, love, and encouragement, these people can go from inactive to walking a block without stopping, playing with their kids, or completing their first triathlon.

The smiles and hugs that I have shared with my clients over their first successes (and every subsequent success) is the stuff that dreams are made of.  I focus on teaching my clients how to do things themselves so that they can be successful without me.  I believe in them until they can believe in themselves.

I was working with a woman a couple of years ago whose 20-something daughter convinced her to do a triathlon.  This woman was scared to death.  She not only completed her first triathlon, she went on to complete FIVE (5) in a years time!  You can't tell me that the life of this overweight, deconditioned mother of three wasn't completely changed in the course of a year.  She is no longer inactive and overweight and has been a great role model for her husband and her children, which made a dramatic impact on the lives of the whole family.  Her self-confidence and self-esteem have soared, and this is just one of many stories that I have been able to share with my clients.

Last updated on October 28, 2008 by Jennifer Malocha