October 2019 Client Spotlight: Michelle Shoaff

We’re super excited to bring you this month’s spotlight, Michelle.  She is 66 years young, and you would never guess it!

She gives it her all at every workout and gives us all a run for our money!

Michelle has a big heart, and befriends any No Limits client that happens to be in a session with her. 

And did I mention her guns?  Just check out her arms! We all want to be like Michelle when we grow up.  We think you will find her story inspiring and her wisdom helpful. 

Q: What is your favorite inspirational quote?

A: I have many favorite quotes, but here is one appropriate for this moment:

Teachers don’t make you learn.  Trainers don’t make you fit.  Coaches don’t make you rich.  At some point, you must realize that other people can help you, but your growth is your responsibility. ~Unknown

Q: What are your personal health and fitness goals?

A:  I focus on strength and cardio training.  At my age, I need to boost my metabolism, maintain energy levels and stay strong.

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

A:  I am amazed with the human body and how it responds to exercise.  I benefit physically and emotionally from a daily commitment to high intensity interval training.

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

A: You can teach an old dog new tricks.  I began exercising in 1978.  Over time, my exercise programs have changed as new research has become available.  When I began my commitment to physical health, most health information came from textbooks or body builders (i.e., Joyce Vedral, Rachel McLish, Corey Everson). I have enjoyed participated in early aerobics (Flash Dance type classes), STEP, Slide, Running, Cycling, Spinning, Pilates, Yoga, Les Mills classes, Boot Camps, and Weight Training. 

I came to No Limits Fitness in November of 2018 by member referral.  I was a newbie to NLF, but I have felt like I belonged the moment I arrived. I have had memberships to A LOT of different gyms (some franchised and some private).  I am grateful to belong to a gym with knowledgeable and caring people. This is probably what stands out most about No Limits Fitness.

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

A: Muscle definition, by far.  I like the philosophy and science behind High Intensity Interval Training. I am a believer in Core development exercises. Strong abdomen muscles support a strong back.

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

A:  Honestly, my age haunted me.  I thought younger people would mop me up off the floor.  That was not the case at all.  I hold my own.  It was a great lesson to learn. I liked the proximity to my home.  I belonged to Pro-Health in 2000’s.  I didn’t want to return to a franchised club.

Q. What kinds of results have you achieved so far?

A:  My body fat composition is wonderful.  My weight is holding and great for my height and age. My muscle strength is pretty awesome.  I couldn’t do many push-ups and now I do plank push-ups.

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

A: You won’t find any better encouragement to meet your goals than at No Limits Fitness.  The Coaches are great and personable.  Mike is okay, too.  LOL!

Q: What is your “word” of the year?!

A:  Burpees

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

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: