Our Programs
About Us
Located in Kimling's Academy
3550 N. Andrews Ave.
Oakland Park, FL 33334
(954) 564-3833

Click here for other comments about Strength Fitness

Jen's Story

When I walked in to Strength Fitness on the first day of Bodyshaping Boot Camp (BBC) in September 2005, I had been overweight for 15 years and obese for 12 of those years. I didn't think I could ever really be at a healthy weight again. Like so many others who are overweight, I had tried different diets and exercise programs, but none of them had worked for me. I figured I just didn't have the discipline to succeed at losing weight and to maintain a healthy relationship with food. When a friend told me about BBC at Strength Fitness, I didn't jump at the chance to sign-up since I figured it would just be one more failed attempt at losing weight. One thing convinced me to sign up: my son.
My husband and I had adopted a 7-month-old baby boy in March 2005. I knew I had to be healthy for him. As an overweight person, I was tired a lot of the time, and I never wanted to be too tired to play with my son or to take him places. And I wanted to be a good example for him. I wanted him to grow up in a healthy household. My parents were not healthy eaters, and while I was not overweight growing up, those eating habits I established in my childhood stayed with me into my adult years and played a big part in my weight gain. Another reason I decided to sign up was that I realized that at 33 years old I wasnıt ever going to feel any better than I did right then, and I didn't feel that great. I knew that as I aged, I would ache more and be able to do less. I was afraid of where I would be in 10 or 20 years.
I was very nervous as I drove to my first class. I was afraid everyone there would be either not overweight and just needing to tone up, or just slightly overweight and trying to lose 5 pounds. I needed to lose 75 pounds. When I got there, I was relieved to see women of all ages and all shapes and sizes. I was the heaviest one there, but there were other ³real² women at the class trying to lose significant amounts of weight.
The classes were difficult for me at first. I wasnıt able to keep up the pace or do all the exercises. But Teresa and Craig were wonderful, and they helped me to work at the level I was able to at that time. The classes are small and there is a lot of personal attention from the instructors. I was surprised to realize that not only was I not embarrassed or self-conscious, but that I felt good about being able to do the exercises I was able to. There was one other big surprise for me: I was having fun. I really enjoyed the classes. Slowly, I was able to do more exercises. My form improved and I was able to keep up.
I had been worried more about the nutrition then the exercising. I love to eat. And I love to eat some very fattening foods. Food has been comfort for me after long and stressful days. After all those years of poor nutrition, I had strong doubts that I could change my eating habits. My first trip to the grocery store after the nutrition instruction at Strength Fitness lasted about 2 hours. I was reading labels for the first time, aware of what high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils could do to you. I was shocked to learn how many foods had these ingredients! It occurred to me that women (and maybe some men) give more thought to what goes on their body than what goes in their body. One thing that helped me with the nutrition portion of the program was a growing disgust with the thought of consuming these products that werenıt real food and that were doing such damage to my body. Once I knew what I could eat, my trips to the grocery store became less time-consuming. And the trips actually became more enjoyable. I found myself delighting in being able to come up with new, healthy recipes that were tasty, too.
Having 6 small meals a day really helped keep me from becoming too hungry. Even though the portion sizes were small compared with what I was used to eating, I knew if I got hungry that I would be able to eat again soon. Also, every Sunday is a free day‹you can eat whatever you want. Having the free day was the best thing about the program! It really helped keep me from cheating. There were many times when I would come home from work that I wanted something fattening in the worst way, but I knew that in a few days it would be all right to have it, so I was able to wait. With most ³diets² you feel like you can never have something fattening again; and then, if you do have that fattening food, you feel like youıve failed and you give up. With BBC, they teach you about having a healthy lifestyle and setting aside some time to enjoy foods you wouldnıt have the rest of the week.
The weight began to come off quite quickly. I had lost 13 pounds after 5 weeks. I felt lighter and stronger. It was exciting to be able to do more push-ups and sit-ups with each passing week. It was very empowering. I was able to do a lot more. I even had more confidence at work, which surprised me. I have a desk job, so itıs not like I am dependent on my physical strength for my work, but I still found that my accomplishments with BBC made me feel better about myself and it carried over to my career.
After 10 weeks, I had lost 22 pounds! I felt so good. I knew at that moment that I could never go back to where I was. I had to keep going. And I knew that I would keep going. I wasnıt going to fail. I loved feeling healthy and strong! I went through 2 more BBC sessions, and as of August 2006, I have lost 62 pounds. I only have 13 more pounds to go before reaching my goal of 75 pounds and I have no doubt that I will get there.
Iım not sure that I write well enough to adequately explain just how much better I feel. I am really a different person. Every day that I get up I feel good about myself. I now look forward to an active future. My husband I will be celebrating our 10-year anniversary in 2008 and we're planning a bicycle tour of Ireland as an anniversary trip; I NEVER would have planned that trip before beginning BBC.
Before starting Bodyshaping Boot Camp, I believed that it was too late for me‹that now that I was in my 30's, my habits were too ingrained for me to ever change. But that wasnıt the case for me. And itıs not the case for anyone. One of my favorite quotes is from English writer, George Eliot, and it has become my life philosophy: "It's never too late to be who you might have been."


Contact any of the staff at Strength Fitness through info@strengthnetwork.com