The 3 women who beat breast cancer
I see three clients who are breast cancer survivors and have gotten to know only a fraction of their suffering by spending time with each individually for quite some time.
Many of us wonder how we would deal with such a major health blow, a life threatening illness. These women beat the big C and started doing pull ups shortly after finishing treatment.
What I’ve noticed is how each woman savors smaller things in life. Their hearts have been softened by their suffering. Some people might feel cheated by life for having gone through what they did. It’s not that they are glad it happened but they all have let the experience massage their souls.
Just the other day, Mary, 55, was battling the heavy ropes with a ferocity a woman half her age might shy away from. Peggy, 68, is game for anything I give her and works out four days a week. She continued to go to regular classes during treatment as well. Leanne, 62, has the discipline to come and work out alone religiously for the last 18 months. She now has a perky apple bum.
It is truly a gift to spend time with each of them.
Courtney
Sharry: middle aged mama of twin toddlers:
Sharry, a mother and accomplished Canadian, found her lifestyle hadn’t prepared her for what her body would go through during pregnancy. She suffers from a degenerative disc disease and a variety of smaller issues causing her discomfort. Despite her extremely busy schedule and work that often took her out of town, she has been religiously tackling her body’s issues never giving up or accepting that she would continue to feel anything less than vital. She is my most consistent client coming in 3 times per week and never canceling. She has made her health one of her top priorities. Did I mention how busy she is?
Much to my amazement, she would still fit her training sessions in despite numerous press conferences that would immediately follow her workouts.
We consistently followed some simple recommendations about diet. Now she needs a new wardrobe, exudes vitality and rarely experiences the degree of pain she did before.
Azeema – hot mama and body shrinker:
Azeema has been coming to the studio since May 21, 2008 and has never looked back. She consistently kicks ass in Urban Warrior sessions and also fits in independent workouts whenever possible. The most time she’s ever taken off training was about a week and that was due to an ankle sprain. Many people are inspired when they sign in to see how many times Azeema’s name consistently appears.
Azeema has changed the shape of her body and significantly and continually improves her strength by working very hard while she’s here. She hasn’t been working out 6 days a week, 90 minutes each visit. The big ‘ah ha’ for her was how tightening up her eating AND efficient exercise propelled her forward. She even drags her two daughters with her if necessary (they love it here). She’s the PERFECT example of how a few training sessions a week combined with clean eating has gotten Azeema in smokin’ hot condition. Plus she’s got quite the cheerleader of a partner supporting her along the way. He even thanked me after dinner one night a few weeks ago “for making his wife’s body so smokin’ hot”. I responded, “Azeema did it, not me.” Go Azeema!