By Will Matthiessen
•
07 Oct, 2021
We are so impressed with Donna’s commitment to herself and the amazing results she has achieved! And we know you will be inspired too! Donna has been a member of No Limits for over 2 years and started taking our bootcamps, then transitioned into our Small Group Training. At 64 years young, Donna is a great example that age is just a number and can’t hold you back. Read on below to read this Nana’s words of wisdom and how crushed her goals! Keep it up, Donna! You are amazing! Q: What is your favorite inspirational quote? A: “You’re always one choice away from changing your life.” Mac Anderson I truly believe that your life today is a combination of the choices and decisions that you have made in your past. Change is inevitable. I find it is best to embrace it rather than avoid it! Q: What are your personal health and fitness goals? A: My basic goal was to lose some weight, tone up, gain strength, and I feel so good about myself again. I have been a client for two years now. I am so excited and happy to say that I have lost about 25 pounds, feel stronger, more toned and feel better about my changing appearance. Q: What ONE thing keeps you most focused and motivated to continue to work hard to reach your goals? A: I am a Nana now to two beautiful granddaughters who have recently moved to Florida from Las Vegas. I want to stay strong and healthy and mobile enough to take care of them, play with them and continue to be a big part of their lives for many years to come. Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started with us? A: I am an active 64 year old with a very full and busy life, which is just the way I like it. I enjoy spending time with my family. I have three beautiful daughters, two wonderful sons-in-love, and two adorable granddaughters. I taught elementary school for 29 years in NJ, retired in 2008, and moved to Florida with my high school sweetheart. I have volunteered with Nana’s House (a local non-profit that provides a safe, loving home to needy children) for the past 12 years. My husband passed away five years ago after a brave battle with kidney cancer. I enjoy traveling, and love dancing to good music! I am enjoying a new relationship with a local musician singer/songwriter that keeps me very busy and happy. I joined No Limits to stay active and keep healthy to sustain my busy life. Q: How has No Limits Fitness made a difference in your life? A: No Limits Fitness has helped me to establish a work-out routine on a consistent basis. What works well for me, is to reserve my sessions in advance. I find that if I reserve, I will go. I am the type that once I commit, I have trouble cancelling. The coaches follow up with you, plan personal programs for you, really listen to your needs and help you with your goals. The Nutrition Challenge by NLF really helped me concentrate on eating better and filling half my plate with veggies and a quarter of my plate with protein. I lost weight during this challenge and gained confidence that helped me reach my short-term goals. Q: What kinds of milestones have you accomplished and what specific results have you achieved so far? A: Of course, the number on the scale is a big milestone for me. Excited to be 25 pounds lighter and my goal is to lose about 15 more. But, more important than the weight change , is the fact that I feel stronger and healthier. Another plus with NLF is that you weigh in each month, and you receive your in-depth results that show muscle mass, body fat percentage and even visceral fat level. Tracking progress this way is very helpful. My numbers for skeletal muscle mass, body fat mass and body mass index have all improved significantly, as well as body fat % and visceral fat. Q. What made you decide to join No Limits Fitness? A: Two years ago, I was unhappy with my weight and appearance. I needed to make a change . No Limits Fitness is only 5 minutes from my home, they offered a boot camp class, I showed up and signed up! The choice to sign up on that day, changed my life for the better. Due to COVID, I had to move to Zoom classes, done at home with borrowed equipment from the gym… a CHANGE , but I got through it! Then, another change …move from boot camp to small group. I gave it a chance and now I really find that I like the freedom to train within a looser time period, by myself following a trainer generated workout specifically designed for me and my goals on my phone, at my own pace with trainers by my side has been a great experience. Q. What was the obstacle that almost prevented you from joining? A: I feel the obstacle that almost kept me from joining is the same thing that keeps most people from joining a gym…. just making that initial commitment, going and getting started after not working out for a while because deep down you know it is going to be hard. And let’s face it… change IS hard but can be so worth it if you persevere and stick with it. Q. What has exceeded your expectations since joining? A: I really didn’t expect to have so much support from the coaches. Coach Davina has checked in at least twice a week to ask about my highs and lows with not just my workouts, but also with my eating habits and has taken an interest in my life in general. She shares articles and current research pertaining to health and fitness that have helped encourage me to stay on track to reach my goals. Q. What would you say to someone on the fence about making a change & committing to their goals? A: What do you have to lose? Give it a try! Just make the hardest decision, the one that’s gets you started. Once you start, take it a day at a time, stick it out, and watch the “changes” happen. Q. What is your “word” for this year? A: My word for this year is Change. Big surprise…that word has appeared throughout. Change is hard, but making the initial decision sets the stage and staying persistent and consistent makes it happen. Stick with No Limits Fitness, listen to the coaches, do the challenges, and you can change for the better, too!