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Evertrain Case Study - Mary McDowell Personal Training

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“Wow, I feel so much better… and I’m only getting started!”

How to lose weight after 50

Her story

Mary McDowell knows what it’s like to struggle with her fitness. For the past 4 years she has been trying to make changes. According to Mary she has tried it all. She signed up for a gym membership and tried it on her own. She joined group fitness classes for the extra push she thought she needed. She has even tried different diets to help her lose weight. 

    Unfortunately Mary never seemed to make much visible change and would often wind up with an injury that would stop her from exercising altogether.

“I have been going to the gym for the past 4 years on and off and I have never been able to change the way I looked or felt. I always maintained the same weight, was always sore all over and had constant muscle aches.”

    The injuries seemed to be Mary’s biggest obstacle. Working in an office for years had resulted in muscular imbalances (i.e. hip flexors) that were preventing her from doing some of the things she loved. Not only did it affect her ability to exercise, it started to prevent her from doing other things as well. 

“Anytime I tried weight training, I would always hurt my shoulder, arm, etc.  As a result, I chose to always do cardio exercise instead.” 

    Mary and her husband had been skidoo lovers for years. They would plan skidoo trips with other couples and would do this regularly. Mary was beginning to feel severe pain in her hips when she would go on skidoo trips with her friends. Over time the pain became too much to bare and she had to stop going all together.

Highlighted in blue: Psoas group, iliacus, rectus femoris (a.k.a. Hip Flexors)

Highlighted in blue: Psoas group, iliacus, rectus femoris (a.k.a. Hip Flexors)

An Opportunity

   Although discouraged, Mary didn’t give up hope and maintained regular visits to the gym. Even though she wasn’t seeing the results she had hoped for, she knew the importance of staying active. Then one day she spoke to her good friend Karen E (a former skidoo partner). Karen had decided to put her faith in working with a trainer. When she told her this, Mary’s initial reaction was skeptical. In fact, she told Karen not to waste her time working with a trainer and that it wasn’t worth the investment.

    About a year later, Mary saw Karen again. Her jaw dropped as she was amazed to see the transformation! Karen had lost almost 40lbs and said she was pain-free! Mary couldn’t believe how much she had changed. 

    “I thought to myself, “Wow!” She went into detail as to what her training sessions were like (they spent 2 months focusing on stretching and learning how to do the exercise correctly).  After that conversation I said that I wanted the name of her trainer.”

    That is when Mary contacted us. Right away Mary felt that Evertrain Lifestyles was a good fit for her. After speaking with us over the phone, she knew that we would tailor our program to her goals and specific needs. Even after signing up with us, she remained a bit skeptical as she still wasn’t 100% convinced that she would see the same level of success that her friend had seen. 

The Process

    With Mary we started slow and focused on improving her movement. We worked on her mobility with self myo-fascial release techniques and Fascial Stretch Therapy every session. This was followed by strengthening her weaker muscles. With this we were able to practice key exercises and work on high quality movement. A large focus for Mary has been loosening her hips and strengthening the glutes. Every four to six weeks we review her current program and make adjustments to keep her moving towards her goals. As we progress we will gradually increase the degree of difficulty in her program.

Weight Training

    Because we prioritize “mastering the basics”, the beginning stages may seem a bit slow to some. We asked Mary to emphasize better eating habits and regular exercise outside of our training sessions. Mary has taken this to heart and has found alternatives for her “chocolate cravings”. We’ve also discussed the importance of not taking an "all or nothing" approach. Instead we work with a food spectrum. Mary has decided to substitute chocolate in the evenings with greek yogurt and dates. Great choice Mary!

“Wow, I feel so much better… and I’m only getting started!”

    So far Mary has improved her overall strength, her ability to do every day tasks has improved significantly and she's removed pain from her hips, shoulders and back. Despite having missed 4 weeks due to family emergencies, she has lost 16.4lbs, and 14.5 total inches and she is only starting to build some real momentum! Now Mary is focused ahead to her daughter’s wedding this summer and is motivated to keep on going!     

Weight Loss

Only a few months in and Mary has not only achieved great results, but she has a renewed hope that yes, she can reach her goals. Together we've changed her fear of injury into a confident desire to try new things in the gym. At the age of 60, Mary is showing that age is not going to prevent her from reaching her goals of living a happy and healthy life. The best part is… that we’re just getting started Mary!

Mary McDowell (right) and her coach Andre (left)

Mary McDowell (right) and her coach Andre (left)

    Congratulations on being selected as the Evertrain Client of the Month! We are so proud of you! As our client of the month you will receive a gift card to a local Beechwood Village Business. 

    Do you want help creating a customized plan on how to not only reach your goals, but maintain them for life?

Request a complimentary consultation now at

http://www.evertrainlifestyles.com/contact-us

Yours in health,

The Evertrain Team

The Evertrain Team