Doug and Kathy have been coming to the gym for nearly 3 years. Kathy had two knee surgeries within an 18-month period followed by having difficulty walking long distances and doing stairs. So, her Fitness Coach Blake created an exercise program for her that has built up her leg strength to walk long distances (like a full day at Disney World) and do stairs. She still needs to listen to her body to not overdo it and risk another knee or foot injury. Kathy has primarily used a variety of the machines, weights, and walking the track for her daily routine. Kathy said, she tries to do this 4-5 days per week for 2 hours or however long it takes to complete her program. They review her results quarterly and make adjustments as needed.

Doug has used a combination of classes, machines, and walking for his daily routine. Doug said, the variety of classes he has attended has done the most to keep him excited and fit. Kelly and Brandi have been his Cardio and Power class instructors the longest, but he has also had many other great instructors along the way. Zoe has also provided him with a good workout program to fill gaps in between his classes.

Doug mentioned that if you ask his friends in the group exercise classes, they’d say his challenge is getting to class on time and balancing on one foot. Doug’s bigger challenge is knowing when to take it down a notch when pushing too hard. He has aortic stenosis, but his cardiologist wants him to maintain this level of exercise because a strong heart will make it easier to deal with a bad heart valve when surgery is needed.

Going to the gym has helped Kathy to be more active to do daily tasks with little to no pain. During a recent visit, her younger sister-in-law was surprised how well Kathy could walk many flights of stairs without huffing and puffing. They have also increased their strength, gained mobility, reduced their body fat and gained more energy. Doug even mentioned that he has now more energy to perform daily chores.

Kathy is proud that she took the incentive to join this gym, follow the exercise programs, and continue moving at home. In the recent 30-day challenge, she was the top woman in her age group which was a major accomplishment for her. She is happy that her health is better, especially when she needs to keep up with the grandkids.

Doug also recently won the 30-day challenge at the gym for most moves. He was proud of his effort because it was a combination of classes, running/walking, and spending time on the machines that made it possible.

Kathy and Doug both want to give a shout out to the maintenance staff for keeping the facility clean and the personal trainers who are always willing to help and are great to work with.

Kathy and Doug both said they look forward to coming to the gym to get their day started, talk to the friends they have met since joining the gym, working hard in a class or on the machines, then wrap up with 30 minutes on the track. Then repeat 4-5 times per week. Kathy’s gym relationship has even extended to the dogs of the personal trainers. She enjoys listening to her trainer’s dog stories, so periodically she makes homemade doggy muffins for the trainers to take home to their dogs. This usually leads to more fun stories that they get to share.

Kathy and Doug are happy that they did their homework after retirement to join a gym. Settling on Advocate Bromenn Health & Fitness Center has been a great fit for us. We look forward to coming to the Center for years to come. Whether it’s babysitting, running kids around, helping to finish a basement, or climb a ladder to power-wash a 2-story house, they are able to do these things as a result of their accomplishments at the gym.