No Limits May Client Spotlight: Jennifer Duquette

We’re thrilled to feature May’s Spotlight, Jen Duquette because we know you’ll be inspired by this busy mom of 6! Jen has been a part of our No Limits Family for over 5 years, and has had amazing strength gains (hello 155lb bench press) and success. If this mom can make time for her health and well-being, anyone can! Way to go, Jen!


Q: What is your favorite inspirational quote?

A: Progress, not perfection.

 

Q: What are your personal health and fitness goals?

A: To stay healthy and strong as I enter my 50’s later this year. Continue lifting weights and supplementing with cardio to keep my heart healthy.

 

Q: What ONE thing keeps you most focused and motivated to continue to work hard to reach your goals?

A: The way I feel after a workout. It is easy to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep instead of working out at 6am, but then I sacrifice the feeling that I have after; the sense of accomplishment, the positive endorphins, the good feeling of finishing a workout before breakfast!


Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started with us?

A: I have struggled with my weight for most of my life. I’m a mom of 5 and I was nearing my 40th birthday (10 years ago!). I knew I had to make a change and I started exercising regularly. I lost 60lbs and felt great! I spent some time going to another gym and also had great success doing an outdoor boot camp. About 5 years ago, the boot camp I was attending closed. I had heard great things about No Limits Fitness so I made the switch.


Q: How has No Limits Fitness made a difference in your life?

A: No Limits has made a great difference! The trainers really make you feel like family, and you are missed when you are not there. They supported me greatly two and a half years ago, when I found out I was unexpectedly pregnant at 47 years old with my 6th child. I was able to work out up until the day I was admitted to the hospital to give birth. I was given modifications while attending the boot camps and lots of encouragement!  My little guy spent 10 weeks in the NICU. During that time, they kept in touch with me and even brought me a meal!  It was hard getting back in the groove of exercise after a baby at my age but I think it made a huge difference in my recovery and my mental state.  As a mom of a very special two-year old with Down Syndrome, I find my mornings at No Limits Fitness are one of the favorite times of my week. I get to focus on myself for an hour. I know that it helps me be a better mom by keeping me fit and giving me energy and a more positive outlook on my day.

 

Q: What kinds of milestones have you accomplished and what specific results have you achieved so far? 

A: There have been so many small milestones that are hard to count. I especially have enjoyed the small group training that I am now participating in. I always had to kind of force myself to do the bootcamp workouts since I have asthma and struggle with high levels of cardio. But since I started small group training and lifting weights, I actually look forward to the workouts and feel great about myself when I am done. I have been able to increase my weights on all the lifts and even bench pressed 155lbs! That was probably the biggest accomplishment that gave me the most pride. I am not the fastest and I hate burpees, but I love the strong feeling I get from lifting.

 

Q. What made you decide to join No Limits Fitness?

A: I heard great things about the gym from a few acquaintances and then my good friend, Christine, encouraged me to join together with her

 

Q. What was the obstacle that almost prevented you from joining?

A: Fear! Even though I had been doing other boot camps, I was a little intimidated. I was afraid I wouldn’t be fit enough.

 

Q. What has exceeded your expectations since joining?

A: The enjoyment I get from seeing friendly faces at the gym every morning. And the personal commitment I feel from the trainers, especially Mike and Davina, to all aspects of my health. They are willing to help when I am frustrated, give specific advice when I come to them for encouragement, and to help develop plans for me to reach my goals.

 

Q. What would you say to someone on the fence about making a change & committing to their goals?

A: Don’t hesitate!  You won’t regret it.


We are so proud of you, Jen! Keep up the amazing work. If you know Jen, or her journey has made an impact on you, then leave her comment!

Start Your Trial Today

About No Limits

No Limits Fitness provides step-by-step programs to help busy adults get the body they’ve always wanted, without restrictive diets or time-consuming workouts, so they can lead more fulfilling lives. Life is a much better experience in a strong, healthy body!

Recent Posts

By Juan Perez 03 May, 2024
Every year millions of people make the resolution to improve their fitness. It’s not exactly a secret that the majority of these good intentions will quickly turn into empty promises. When you first get started, your excitement and energy are high and it’s easy to feel like you’re in control and that your will power alone will help you through the difficult days ahead. The reality is that you’ll probably have more days when you don’t “feel” like training. This is the reason we preach Standards Over Feelings because we understand how fundamental this is for human behavior. There have been several studies on human behavior that have helped identify the single biggest predictor of success when it comes to long-term consistency with your fitness. It’s not keeping a gym bag ready and with you at all times…although this helps. Setting your gym clothes out the night before is a great idea…but it’s still not the determining factor. Surprisingly it’s not even having an accountability partner. Schedule in advance when and where you’ll do your training. Everything else is simply in support of this habit. Being accountable to someone you don’t want to disappoint is incredibly helpful, but if you haven’t taken that first step, accountability falls short. Having been that accountability piece for hundreds of people, I’ve been ignored and ghosted more times than I can count. Even my sister stopped responding to text messages and phone calls at one point. (I called our mother but apparently you can’t put an adult on restriction). Scheduling in advance WHEN and WHERE you’ll workout is the single most important step to developing consistency with your fitness. This helps you develop integrity with yourself…if you say you’ll do something, that thing gets done. Period. Show up like a boss and bosses don’t cancel. Your training is time on your calendar dedicated to getting better. The workouts on your calendar become non-negotiable. You don’t wake up and see how you “feel” because you already know there will be days you don’t “feel” like it. In advance, you schedule your training where it best fits into your life with your responsibilities. Once you’ve planned your work, you show up and work the plan. If you fail to plan the work, you’re significantly increasing the likelihood of failure. Ask someone that has been remarkably consistent with their fitness if they know when and where they’ll workout.  This has already been decided. Their feelings aren’t involved in the process. If you truly want to be consistent with your fitness, this habit is a must: Schedule in advance when and where you’ll workout.
By Will Matthiessen 19 Apr, 2024
Crunches.  The go-to core exercise for a lot of gym goers. Yet, it’s one of the worst ab exercises you can do. Shocking, I know. You’re probably wondering why it’s one of the worst. Crunches put force on your spine and oftentimes strain on your neck. They force your spine into flexion, which is generally what people are told not to do in order to protect their back. Aside from the pressure it puts on your spine, crunches don’t activate your core muscles to the extent that a lot of other dynamic core exercises do. If your goal is to have sculpted abs like a lifeguard on Baywatch, crunches are not your solution. Aside from the aesthetic aspect, a strong core is important for your body’s balance and stability, posture, and reduction of back pain and other injuries. If you want to develop a rock hard core, here is a list of exercises better than the old fashioned crunches that you can start incorporating into your workouts: The Hard Style Plank Put your forearms on the ground and your arms set shoulder width apart. Your arms should be parallel to your body. Once you’re up in the plank, imagine squeezing your elbows to your knees and your knees to your elbows. Don’t be surprised if you start shaking like a leaf as soon as you create that tension. Dead Bugs Lie on your back with your arms straight up and your hands above your shoulders. Bend your legs at a 90-degree angle with your toes facing up at the ceiling. Imagine pushing your belly button into the ground and keeping your body tight enough to where if someone was pulling on your limbs, you’d be able to resist it. Next extend your right arm and left leg at the same time, without touching the ground. Keep pushing your belly button into the ground to avoid arching your back. The right leg that is still bent should stay completely still while the other leg is in motion. Bring your arm and leg back into the start position and then switch sides. When it comes to Dead Bugs, one of our favorite sayings applies: “Slowly is holy. Faster is disaster.” If you want to increase the intensity, add a kettlebell to the stationary arm. If you want to significantly increase the intensity, press the kettlebell once you’ve reached the fully extended position. Reverse Crunches Lie down flat with your back on the floor and your legs straight down, toes pointed up. Press your lower back into the floor and pull in your belly button as you lift your legs together up off the floor. Push your heels through the ceiling at the top and slowly lower them back to the ground. Fun, right? Double Kettlebell March Hold two heavy kettlebells in the racked position. Pull your belly button to your knees and your knees to your belly button to find max tension in your core. Once you feel that tension, slowly lift one knee up 90 degrees and then switch legs. Hollow Rocks I’ve saved the worst (I mean best) for last. Lay down on the ground with your legs a little bit off of the ground as well as your shoulder blades and head. With arms extended over your head, rock back and forth like a banana rocking back and forth on a counter. Or a see-saw…take your pick. Alright, now that I’ve given you the secret sauce to getting rock hard abs, it’s time to get to work people!
By Juan Perez 05 Apr, 2024
One of the first recommendations you’ll hear for someone wanting to lose weight is to begin by counting calories. Although weighing your food and counting calories does work for some people, the reality is that this approach to weight loss has an astonishingly high failure rate. If this strategy is “based in science”, why does it fail more than 95% of the time? The Top 3 Issues With Counting Calories The number of calories in the foods you eat are estimates. This is where the concept of counting calories being “based in science” can be misleading. The FDA allows companies to use 5 different formulas to estimate calories and a standard deviation up to 20% is acceptable. This means that something listed as 150 calories exists on a range between 120 calories and 180 calories. How ripe is your banana? The ripeness affects caloric availability. The second issue is that as individuals we each absorb a different amount of the calories from the food we consume. Thirdly, Americans are notoriously bad at determining healthy portion sizes. Our super-sized culture has heavily influenced our concept of a normal sized portion. The good news is that there is another way to lose weight without counting calories. The Three Pillars of Nutrition Whether or not you’re a card-carrying member of Camp Calorie Counters, the foundation of your nutrition is built upon three pillars: Food Quality, Food Quantity and Food Timing. Food Quality All calories are not created equal. The popular 100 calorie snack bags do not offer the same nutritional value as 100 calories from fruits or vegetables. When the majority of your meals are composed of minimally processed single ingredient whole foods (lean protein, fruits and vegetables), you’re more likely to get the micronutrients your body needs to thrive. Food Quantity As mentioned earlier, Americans aren’t known for our skills at eyeballing healthy portion sizes. Although using a food scale to determine portion sizes can be helpful, it isn’t always practical. This is the reason we recommend learning to use your hand as a guide to determine portion sizes. You can’t take a food scale with you everywhere you go but you’re always allowed to bring your hands!
Show More
Share by: