Buddha: Daily Dharma - Testimonials Photos

Buddha: Daily Dharma

Testimonials Photos

Pam



I have been a Yo Yo dieter all my adult life and always found it easy to lose weight when I put my mind to it, that was until 2 years ago.

Dieting and exercise was no longer easy, although I was determined, my results were disappointingly slow. In 12 months I shed 12 pounds, but at this rate it would take me four years to reach my goal. My determination was fading, I needed help.

In June 2009 I joined Newbury Park Athletic Club. Upon joining it was recommended that I meet with a trainer to get started. After 3 months of doing it on my own I had lost 7 pounds and was starting to lose my motivation so I decided to try a personal trainer to get the most out of my work-outs.

This is when I met Jackie Brand and got serious. She introduced me to weight training. Instead of 30 minutes of cardio 3 times a week, I was now working out with weights for 1 hour, 3 times a week and cardio on my off days. Although I only met with Jackie one day a week, she was in my head encouraging me that "Fitness is a Life Style".

My relationship with food began to change too. I always ate only low calorie foods when I was trying to lose weight. The problem was when I reached my goal and started adding new foods into my diet the weight would sneak back on. I adopted an 80/20 philosophy towards food. 80% of the time I eat well balanced, healthy meals, the other 20% is for enjoying foods that may be less nutritious, but still healthy for me when eaten in moderation. I never feel deprived and know that I am in control of what I eat, not the other way around.

I have been at my goal weight for 5 months, losing over 15% in body fat, and now realize that fitness is much more than a number on the scale. My goal for the New Year is to maintain balance in all areas of my life: work, exercise, food and relaxation, all must work in harmony to be truly fit.

Have a Healthy and Fit New Year, Pam

James Lloyd



Before                                            In Progress

“Being 54 years-old, and over 100 pounds overweight, I was reluctant to join any fitness center. After meeting with Jackie, I was so motivated that I signed up and had my first work-out that same day. That was 23 pounds ago! I now actually look forward to our work-outs.” James L

A friend of mine took a chance.

Bill Winfrey has been a friend for 30 years. Last year he became very concerned about my health. I weighed 350 pounds, walked with a distinctive limp, and took 15 pain pills a day, in addition to the 13 others the doctor had prescribed. I was a type-2 diabetic, with alarmingly high blood pressure. Sciatic nerve damage kept me in extreme pain. I lost feeling in my feet, and lost all strength in my legs. I could not walk up one flight of stairs. As a professional speaker, I had difficulty managing the 2 steps to the stage, where I now needed a chair from which I delivered my speech.

Bill was concerned enough to take a chance. This is the phone message he left for me:

“James, I know you have been looking for a way to get healthy, and I think I can help. Newbury Park Athletic Club has everything you need. Weights, machines, cardio, even chiropractic and massage. This place is only 2 blocks from your house! You can even walk there! And most of all, they have personal trainers. I just spoke to Jackie. She told me she lost a lot of weight herself, and she believes you can do the same. I hope you don’t mind, I gave her your phone number and told her to call you in 2 hours if she hasn’t heard from you. I am really excited about this! Bye. Bill.”

I couldn’t decide if I was upset or impressed with his assertiveness.

Oh yeah, he lives 3,000 miles away in North Carolina.

I didn’t wait for that call. Within an hour, I had joined the club and signed up for personal training with Jackie.

A turning point for me was when I realized the question was not “Is Jackie worth that much?” The real question was “Am I worth that much?”

The first month we met 2 days a week for 30 minutes per session. Now we work out 45 minutes a session three days a week. I do my own cardio 3 days a week. And I eat healthy, delicious food.

This year I have lost 82 pounds! I am no longer a diabetic. In fact, I no longer take any medicine. This past summer I enjoyed hikes in both Glacier and Zion National Park.

I even occasionally grace the Brazilian dance Zumba class at NPAC. Come visit! Trust me, it will be worth the laugh when you see me!

Thanks, Jackie! And thank you, Bill!

Cherie and Norm Nelson

Before After

Cherie lost 15 lbs, Norm lost 90 lbs!

I had been a couch potato most of my life and I was always the biggest in my family. I have tried losing weight in the past, but of course it came back. My blood pressure was on the high end of normal and I was on medicine to keep it in check.

In May, 2007 my wife Cherie joined NPAC to lose weight and get healthier and wanted me to join as well. Of course I avoided it and eventually decided to give it a try and joined at the end of May. Cherie had already started training with Jackie and wanted me to do so as well. I began to follow Jackie’s exercise plan as she gently guided me towards journaling what I eat. After a few months and 10 pounds less, I decided to get serious about my eating habits joined Weight Watchers online and began to track all that I ate. Once I started to do this, my weight started dropping and I gained more energy in my everyday life. Each step of this journey was filled with encouragement by my family, friends and Jackie. As more of my weight came off, Jackie gave me more challenges. First it was the elliptical. At the beginning I could go about 2-3 minutes before I thought my legs would give out. After about 1 month, I was up to 45 minutes, increasing the resistance every week. My speed on treadmill increased as well. Jackie’s goal for me was to get on Jacob’s Ladder and be able to do it for 30 minutes. Of course I thought she was crazy and said I don’t think I can ever do that. To prepare for this challenge, I started on the StairMaster starting at 5 minutes to start with and working up to 40 minutes. It was at this time Jackie had me try the ladder and I did it!

It is now September 2009, I have lost 95 pounds so far and am maintaining at this weight. My friends and family hardly recognize me when they see me and I have one friend who has started calling me Slim. I wouldn’t always respond, because who would have thought someone would call me that?; but I have gotten used to it now. My newest activity is cycling. I hadn’t ridden a bike in 20+ years and have started again. While I won’t be in the Tour de France, you may see me going up and over Wendy Drive or other hills around town.

All of this would not have happened without the love and support of my wife, my kids, my friends and my trainer, Jackie.

Norm Nelson

Robin M

Before After-

Robin has lost a total of 115 pounds!

"I have been meaning to thank you for a while now for introducing me to Jackie. Remember the day last August you came up to my daughter and I while she and I were working out and you introduced yourself as the club's owner? We were trying it out since Body Focus had just closed. I mentioned to you that I had lost about 50 pounds on my own but had reached a plateau.

You suggested I speak to Jackie Brand the personal trainer at your club who had lost 150 pounds herself. I immediately made a date to talk to her and see if she could help me lose the rest of my weight (about another 70 pounds). She said she knew exactly what we had to do. She taught me about writing down everything I eat every single day and recording how many calories I was eating. The pounds started dropping off immediately.

In addition, we started lifting weights to build muscle since I was losing so much weight. She always encourages me to push myself as hard as I can. It has worked since I now spend about 4 hours total a week lifting weights with her and on my own (and I even sort of enjoy it!)

To date I have lost about 45 pounds working with Jackie and 95 pounds in total. I am getting near the end of my "losing fat" journey but thanks to Jackie realize that this is not "the end". Eating healthy and keeping track of calories will continue and I will keep lifting weights to build muscle. I have changed the way I think about food and changed many bad habits. I will not gain this weight back!

I really like working with Jackie because she has been in my shoes having lost all that weight herself. She knows exactly how hard this is and it helps when someone has been there. We are about the same age and married with children so we have lots to talk about. If you had not introduced me to her I may never have begun to conquer this lifelong weight problem. I was stuck in a rut and could not get out of it.

By this summer I will be where I want to be and have both you and Jackie to thank for that!"

Sincerely,
Robin M.

Mary Webster

At the age of 60, I joined NPAC. I was reluctant to join, having the mistaken idea that only young, fit people joined gyms and had trainers. However, for several reasons, I was highly motivated to improve/ maintain my strength and fitness and knew that I needed a regular exercise program. Over the previous 18 months I had lost over 65 lbs with the Weight Watcher Program and now needed to tone! I also had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in ‘95. After using a cane to assist with walking for over 8 years, as unusual as it is, I was feeling stronger, no longer needed the cane and wanted to maintain my strength.

In 2007 I began working with Jackie. Immediately I was happy with my decision to hire a trainer. Knowing that I had MS, Jackie researched the disease and incorporated her newfound knowledge into my workout routine. As I progressed through the training Jackie continued to update her knowledge and brought in new ideas to each training session. At one point I had extensive hand surgery and she was able to adapt my workouts so that I could safely continue despite the disabled hand.

Shortly after I began working with Jackie I started training for a half marathon walk. During the 2 ½ months that I trained, Jackie offered continued support and encouragement, planned the workouts with the walk in mind and even offered to walk with me!

I am extremely lucky to have met and been able to work with Jackie. She is bright, caring and an excellent trainer who goes beyond the “extra mile”.