After two hip replacements what does the future hold? Most people would put the activities they love on the shelf and accept their situation for what it is. After all, it's just a part of getting old. Right?
Not for Brenda. She wanted to move better, feel stronger, be healthier and feel better. She refused to let the issues she was having with her hips define the rest of her life.
She had always been active and she wanted to be able to continue playing volleyball (her favourite sport). She noticed that as she was getting older she started to feel restricted in what she was able to do. That's when she realized that if she didn't tackle this now, it wouldn't get any easier later on.
She knew she had to find something that would allow for a slow progression. She had hesitation about joining a gym and potentially moving in the wrong direction. She couldn't afford to get hurt or to create further issues for herself. "I wasn't interested in any sort of bootcamp. I needed to find the right thing for me."
Starting a program
After hearing about Evertrain from her friend Kathy B. (2017 Evertrain Member of the Year Finalist), it sounded like just the thing she was looking for.
What she liked most was the structure and flexibility of the program.
She was excited to get started and even a little impatient at first. She was just ready to get going.
The plan
Brenda committed to 12 months on the LeanAfter50-Accelerate program. This meant she would follow the majority of her program from home and have monthly in person training sessions with her coach.
Brenda followed her program with stellar consistency. She does weight training workouts at home 3-4 times per week and walks or does cardio on other days.
She has also committed to improving her eating habits, although she had a good base starting out.
Over time as her confidence and abilities increased, she began moving her workouts from her home to the gym, which she really enjoys.
Rows have helped Brenda create healthy and happy shoulders. Something any volleyball player would love.
Confidence in her abilities
Even though weight loss was not her original goal, Brenda has achieved a net loss of 20lbs and her clothes are looser than they've been in a long time.
Brenda's abilities are improving all the time and she has improved total body strength and mobility. By spending time on mastering the basics she has created the kind of foundation that we should all strive for (let alone someone coming off of 2 hip replacement surgeries).
"I feel more competent in the gym. I'm not scared to try new things or exercises. The other day I was at the gym and I tried a more advanced exercise. I could do it and it wasn't even hard! Also, I'm prioritizing my workouts more than I did in the past. After working out with a friend the other day, I realized I was at a much better place than I used to be. I hadn't even realized how far I had come."
Hands elevated push-ups have allowed Brenda to build upper body and core strength.
Feelings about the future
"I want to try new activities. I am thinking of trying ringette. Now that I have seen these changes I am more confident and stronger. I can do more things without thinking I'll get hurt. The whole purpose of training is to be able to do other things in life. I am looking forward to ringette, snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the near future."
Brenda has a bright future ahead of her. She understands the importance of consistency and accountability. Yet at the same time she doesn't sweat the small stuff. If she messes up on something, she doesn't let it drag her down. She just cleans the slate and finds a way to keep improving.
When looking at the longterm, it's important to find balance like this. We know that Brenda gets this and we're confident she will continue to progress to an even better place than she's already at.
Brenda smiling as she shows her basement workout area. This is where she's spent a lot of time putting in the hard work to get where she is.
What she enjoys most as an Evertrain member
"The structure. I am very task oriented and when I have a list of things to tick off during the day it works well for me. Knowing that there is something to complete on a daily basis is key to me being successful. The exercise instruction and guidance made me confident that I could do them well without hurting myself. Also during my workouts my coach helped me to progress faster and gave me an objective perspective to see how well I was doing."
Advice for others like her
“I would definitely say to start a program like this. One where you build gradually and safely. To do that they need to have someone supervising them to make sure they aren't hurting themselves.”
If you would like to learn more about a coaching program like the one Brenda is on, simply click the link below. We would love to speak with you on how we can help you overcome obstacles and reach your goals.
