Since Apr 10 2008 |
Snap Fitness |
Member of the month Snap Fitness Salutes..Brenda Bakal "Cleaning out my closet and ditching 20 pairs of pants was one of the things that made me realize that I have really achieved something" says Snap Fitness member Brenda Bakal. Brenda has been hard at work since the beginning of January, along with her trainer (AJ Hoffman) and her supporting cast of friends. Brenda has been a regular at the club, exercising in the mornings, and often again at 11pm at night. She credits the convenience of Snap Fitness as one of the huge contributors to her success. "If I'm sitting around at night, and feel like I could get a quick 20 minute cardio session in, it's so easy to do. I would never do it if the club were further away. Plus, I always feel safe and secure." Since January, Brenda has lost 25 pounds, and 20 inches. When she's out shopping,, she's looking for clothes that are 4 sizes smaller. These are some pretty fabulous results, but Brenda confesses that it hasn't always been easy. At the beginning, Brenda says that she set a goal to lose 100 pounds. She realizes now that for her, that goal was too big and too far away. "At first, I got really frustrated because while the inches were coming off, I wasn't really losing any weight." Brenda consulted with AJ about her disappointment when she stepped on the scale. AJ convinced Brenda that she really needed to eat more, not less. She already chose healthy foods, but she would often go all day without eating anything. AJ convinced Brenda to eat 5-6 times per day, and now Brenda and that scale are no longer enemies. "I've changed my goal from losing 100 pounds to smaller, more short-term goals. I now think in terms of 10 pounds", says Brenda. " I am now dropping about 2 pounds per week, and I'm really happy with that". Losing the inches was a much easier battle for Brenda. "AJ deserves so much credit", Brenda says. "He has been so supportive, and so motivating to me. And I am not an easy client sometimes"! Brenda goes on to explain: "I'm a whiner. I can't believe how much whining AJ has had to endure from me. As a matter of fact, we made an agreement with each other. AJ told me that he would let me whine all I want, but he was not going to let me cheat myself". Brenda appreciates the fact that when she just really doesn't want to push out those last 2 reps, AJ is there, reminding her of their agreement, and not allowing her to quit. One final result of Brenda's lifestyle improvement is her sleeping patterns. "I was a huge insomniac before I changed my life, only sleeping 3-4 hours per night. Now I'm getting about 6 hours each night, and it feels great", Brenda exclaims. Of course, the best feeling of all for Brenda is one that all women can relate to: "Now I love it when I get a pair of jeans straight out of the dryer, and I just slide right into them. No more doing the 'jean-wiggle' for me", laughs Brenda. |
