LifeStories

I was very lucky that until age 35, I never struggled with my weight. Despite not regularly exercising or watching my diet, my weight always remained the same. Unfortunately that all changed and I began to passively gain weight. Over the next 3 years I gained 50lbs and 6 inches on my waist line. When my 38" waist pants were getting tight, I decided enough was enough, and joined the LifeStart facility at 175 W. Jackson.

I began by taking RIPPED classes, running on the Woodway, and doing some light weight training. I quickly found that I was far, far more out of shape than I realized. Being a former athlete, I blindly signed up for a 5k run that was 6 months out so that I had a tangible goal on my calendar. The next 6 months were arduous as I clawed my way back at reclaiming a baseline athleticism. I finished the 5k with a respectable time, and had lost 20lbs in the process.

But I was hooked and I wanted more. I made the mental & physical leap from merely "exercising" to "training." I did not want to simply lose weight anymore, I wanted to gain lean muscle mass and lose body fat. I started to regularly speak with the staff at my gym, about unlocking the next level of training. They helped me learn more about how diet was the key to everything. So I began tracking everything I ate and over the next year I lost another 26lbs.

Over my first 18 months at 175 W. Jackson I lost 46lbs and my body fat dropped by 15%. I also lost 6 inches off my waistline. Since then, I have changed course and am trying to gain fat-free lean mass. While I maintain a healthy dose of cardio, my emphasis is now on strength training. I've gained 8lbs of lean muscle mass back over the last 12 months with an overall 13lb weight gain and a modest increase of 1.5% of body fat. My waistline has not changed. At this point, I am no longer focused on the number on the scale as much as I am with my proportions in the mirror.

I am very thankful to the staff at 175 W. Jackson for educating me on diet and more advanced training techniques. Don't just exercise, train toward your goal!"

Since April of 2018, I've lost 85 pounds. Swimming every work-day morning at the Esplanade Fitness Center has been a big help in reaching this weight. Of course, better diet and the support of others has also been a big contribution. However, the availability of a fitness center (through my company) helped me get there a little quicker and healthier.

I'd like to thank Katie, Howard, and Henry, who are always helpful and greet me every morning with a smile plus a cheerful hello. Some mornings, it's hard to get up early for the workout, but knowing there will be friendly faces to greet me helps a lot.

I've still got a ways to go in my weight loss journey, but thanks to having a place to go to swim each workday morning, it's a little easier and a little more fun! Thanks LifeStart!

At age 74, I’m sure I’m one of the more “senior members” enrolled in LifeStart. But that’s all the more reason for me to stay in shape, as I want to continue pursuing my active lifestyle.

I retired 10 years ago because I wanted to be able to travel while I was still in good health. While I’ve had several other personal trainers, the one who’s made the biggest difference in my life is Brian Halling, general manager of a LifeStart fitness center in Chicago, who has trained me for the past five years.

I train with Brian for two 45-minute sessions each week. The sessions are a combination of weight training and cardio exercise. We also work a lot on balance, especially in the winter, because I want to remain upright on Chicago’s icy sidewalks. One of my favorite things is to lace up the boxing gloves and throw a few punches. A few months ago, I started taking a weekly kickboxing class and now want to try some of the other classes too.

About six years ago I was diagnosed with arthritis in my left hip. It gradually worsened and, after trying various anti-inflammatories, physical therapy, and cortisone injections, I finally had hip replacement surgery in November 2016. I spent three months recuperating, and was thrilled when my surgeon told me I could start working out again. I was very touched that, while I was home recovering, Brian and his lovely wife Michelle gave up one of their Saturdays to visit me and bring lunch for all of us.

In March 2016, I didn’t like what I was seeing in the mirror and decided I needed to do something about my weight. Each time I’d try to lose weight by myself, I’d start out with great intentions but after three or four days I’d be back to my old bad habits. Brian put me in touch with Grace Iberle, a LifeStart Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. In our first meeting, I admitted to eating a doughnut every morning and having a dish of ice cream every night. Grace helped me understand that I needed to add more protein, fruits, and vegetables to my diet. She explained the “Plate Method” which aids in portion control. During the period that Grace and I met, I kept a food diary of all my meals and snacks. She would review my food logs at our weekly meetings and help me set goals for the following week. She had excellent suggestions for healthy snacks, including yogurt, almonds or pecans, Babybel cheese, and Kind bars. She encouraged me to try new foods. I discovered that I really liked brown rice, and that I really didn’t like turkey bacon!

At the end of four months, I had lost 18 lbs. and have managed to keep it off, although I do occasionally backslide. But when I do, I know what to do to get back on track. Since our initial sessions I’ve periodically scheduled “refresher courses” with Grace if I feel that I’m starting to lose focus or the number on the scale begins to edge up. I now use "Healthie", an app on my iPhone, to log my food as well as my workouts.

Exercise and healthy eating have now become a way of life for me. I’m grateful for the support and encouragement I’ve received from both Brian and Grace and value tremendously the personal and professional relationships I have with them.

I’ve been at LifeStart going on 6 months now. I originally joined LifeStart because it was located right in my building, and for me, I am more able to suceed when I remove barriers (excuses) from my path.

I decided to take my first group classes at LifeStart as a way to mix things up and get motivated. I find the Bootcamp class run by Gabrielle and the Butts & Gutts class run by Jamie to be extremely useful. They push me to use muscles I don’t normally work on and the 45 minutes goes by without a thought!

The facility is always clean and the gym is never overcrowded. I know LifeStart has more to offer, with 1 on 1 training, fitness tracking, etc and I plan to take advantage in 2019! Thanks for supporting me in and cheers to all the success coming our way in the new year!

I never thought about working with a personal trainer until I joined the Buckingham club. I was introduced to Rebecca Bersano when the club was offering a free health screening. Rebecca was so positive and projected so much enthusiasm that when she offered up the opportunity to work with a personal trainer, I didn't have to think for long that it would be great to try.

Rebecca worked with me toward our laid out exercise plan and each week she came up an innovative program to concentrate on different muscle groups. So far I've lost over 15 lbs and have seen serious progression towards a healthier body and mind.

I also take advantage of the free classes especially Pilates and Core which are both fantastic.

Overall, the staff at the Buckingham couldn't be more helpful and supportive and I look forward to my classes each week.

Thanks for the opportunity to let me share my story with you and a special shout out to Rebecca who made all my success possible.

I was always a relatively active person but at age 40 I broke both my tibia and fibula playing hockey. After the injury I seemed to find excuses to let my workouts slip. I was still skating but nowhere near the level I was accustomed to. I'm 5'9" and at the low point, I weighed in at 205 lbs. I decided I needed a change so I joined LifeStart.

I started by taking a group fitness class but was unable to finish it. It was a little embarrassing considering I was a triathlete not that long ago. Since starting this journey, I have graduated to taking classes 4 days/week at LifeStart and am a regular at Total Body Express, MyZone Boot Camp and Strength and Conditioning. The coaches at LifeStart including Eric, Jon, Kristin, Randi and now Molly have been the support and consistency I have needed to get back to where I need and want to be physically. In August of 2018, I was down to 166 lbs with a 19% body weight loss.

By no means am I suggesting this was easy. I have worked hard to get back to where I am and I honestly could not have achieved this level of success without the training staff and the other LifeStart members that have become my "family". I will forever be grateful for all they have done for me. I'm not done yet and have more goals in mind but I finally believe I am in a position where I can go out accomplish my goals.

My weight loss journey started on my 55th birthday, February 24, 2018. I jumped on the scale at my doctor's office and weighed in at the highest weight of my entire adult life...186.8 lbs. I was "shocked" to say the least. I worked out 6 days a week but I knew my eating habits were bad. My heart dropped and I was extremely discouraged. I had recently suffered a personal loss and turned to food and unhealthy lifestyle habits as a way of handling my grief. The scale was going in the wrong direction and I knew I had to make some major lifestyle changes.

I started tracking my food intake, made the commitment to give up alcohol, sugary treats, junk food, and commit to eating clean and monitoring my portion sizes. I met with Jon Calhoun at my Lifestart Fitness Center and he helped me start my journey. I had my starting measurements recorded and a personal training session with him. You can't help but feed off the energy of those working out around you, it's intense! With incorporating HIIT training into some of my workouts and making a daily commitment to pushing myself beyond my comfort zone, I am proud to report that as of September 15, I have lost 18 lbs! I feel so much better about myself and healthier now that I lost 18 lbs. My journey is still a work in progress but I am so proud of the that that I am on.

I continue to workout 6 days a week and continue to monitor my food intake on a daily basis. I made a commitment to my health and overall well being and I stuck with it. I hope that this story inspires women ages 55+. We all know how easy it is to gain weight at this age but we also know how extremely hard it is to loose it. It's not hopeless but it takes hard work and commitment.

I have been a LifeStart member at 150 N. Riverside since August of 2017 when our company moved into the building. Our company had been located in another nearby office building for 12 years prior and I was a member of the fitness center there for the entire time. I would work out 2-3 times per week and basically follow the same routine every day. I would run 3 miles on the treadmill and then use 4 or 5 of the same strength training machines.

After moving to the new building at 150 N. Riverside and starting a new experience at a different fitness center, I started to think about participating in sessions with the fitness trainers. But for the first 4 months I just continued my old routine. However, I felt that I had plateaued and was not making any progress. Meanwhile, one of my coworkers had signed up for a package of personal training sessions and told me that she felt she was making some good progress. That’s when I seriously started looking into the pricing/options for personal training. When she gifted me with her remaining training sessions, I had no excuse anymore not to give personal training a try.

I was introduced to Ashley Schroeder in late November of 2017. I weighed 215 pounds at the time and my goal was to lose at least 15 pounds while generally increasing my muscles tone. I also wanted to learn a variety of new exercises so I could break out of my normal routine and increase the effectiveness of my workouts.

Ashley enthusiastically accepted and we started personal training sessions 3 times per week. In addition, I would come to the fitness center one or two days per week to work out on my own. Ashley has been a great trainer. She is always full of positive energy. When training, she strikes an ideal balance of being pushy to achieve results while still being nice and making the workouts fun. At times, I have given her the death stare (10 more burpees? – are you kidding me?) but I always want to hug her after every workout because she is so good at what she does. She continually provides guidance on diet/nutrition, and other behaviors that all lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Ashley also encouraged me to purchase a MYZONE belt and download the MYZONE app to my phone. I use it during my workout sessions with Ashley as well as when I work out on my own. I find that I work out a little longer each time in order to achieve a higher level of calories burned or MEP’s. And I try to be one of the top performers each month for MEP’s with my group of connections on the app. It’s a friendly competition that really helps to keep me motivated.

After about the first 2 months of personal training, I dropped to 200 pounds and reached my initial goal (for weight loss). But I still felt like I could achieve more. Ashley and I agreed on a goal of 185 pounds. It sounded ambitious but I was ready for the challenge.

After 3 months of personal training, I transitioned to group training and have been part of group training for 4 months. It has been a lot of fun; Ashley really knows how to keep the group moving and we get a great workout. During this time in group training, I reached the 185 pound goal. I look and feel fantastic at this weight. I can run longer and faster, I don’t tire as easily, and my mid-section is slimmer.

Now that I have achieved the goals I originally set 8 months ago, Ashley and I have recently discussed where to go next. I am excited to begin Phase 2 of my fitness journey with a new focus of increasing my strength.

Training with Ashley has been a phenomenal experience. I am very happy with what we have achieved together so far. I could never have achieved these results on my own and I look forward to making additional progress. Thanks to Ashley for being such a positive influence on how I think about fitness, health, wellness and life. I look forward to seeing her every training session and I consider her a dear friend and personal adviser as well as my fitness trainer.

Complications from Type-2 diabetes contributed the death of my mother and grandmother. With that family history I've known for years that I was at risk and my weight added to that risk. Yet, for years I failed to heed the warnings.

Last year, that changed. My doctor's report went from "pre-diabetic" to "borderline and at your next annual physical you will be diabetic and we will start you on medication." That was the wake-up call I needed. I was determined that even if that happened, it would happen with me fighting it every step of the way.

I immediately made one change at a time. I’ve tried to get control of my health before but always jumped in with both feet thinking “all-or-nothing”. The efforts always failed and I always gave up. Incrementally, first I cut easy-to-cut sugar (like tea, coffee, soft drinks and desserts). Then I started logging food and tracking blood sugar. Then I changed how and when I ate carbs. Next came morning walks. Two months in I was seeing some pretty great results with about 20 pounds down but I knew I could do more.

I finally walked in to the LifeStart Fitness Center at work, something I joined when it opened years before but only used a time or two. I met with our Manager and Dietitian, Kristin, to discuss nutrition. She encouraged me to meet with Colin, the Fitness Director. After the first meeting with Colin, I was hooked. His enthusiasm and encouragement got me excited. Despite many gym memberships through the years, I’ve never been excited about fitness. I signed up for personal training three days a week, started a variety of group classes and found myself going at least once a day, often more. I love that right there at work I can do personal training with Strength, HIIT and endurance goals and have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of fun classes including aerobics, dance Pilates and yoga. Each aspect of the program provides a different yet critical part to my success.

It has now been a year since that doctor's appointment and I’m down 80 pounds. The results of my follow up appointment were wonderful! A year ago I was borderline diabetic and had been pre-diabetic for years. As of my annual check-up last month, not only am I not borderline diabetic (or full on diabetic as my doctor had predicted), I’m not pre-diabetic at all! My fasting glucose and A1C numbers were all within normal range. My blood pressure was also a lot lower and she has me on a 3-month plan to wean off of blood pressure medication. I really owe my life to the team at Laitram’s LifeStart facility.

After having my second baby in 15 months, I knew that if I wanted to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I was going to have to make my health a priority. I began my journey by getting an assessment done by one of the trainers at LifeStart. I was provided with a detailed breakdown of my body fat vs. lean muscle and what I would need to do to reach the goals we discussed. I began working out immediately. I signed up for all available classes and was working out at least 5 times a week. While my activity level was high, I didn't alter my diet at all. While I lost some weight, it was minimal. I expressed these concerns with the new trainer, Izzy. He got a feel for my personality and started challenging me with little things. Of course I had to not only meet, but beat the challenges. He provided healthy eating tips, tricks, and methods that not only changed my way of thinking about food but also transformed by body. I noticed that my body was slimming down in the areas I wanted to focus on. He started me on a weight lifting program and I began to notice definition in all the right places. I started taking new and more challenging classes, like spin for an extra calorie burn. The classes offered are just the right mix of cardio and strength training.
I am closer to 40 than I am to 30 and just had babies back to back and I am in the best shape of my life. I feel stronger, have more energy, get less winded, and look better than I ever have. Kudos to the staff for letting me vent and then pushing me to be my best.

Ever since turning 30, I have been avid about working out and trying to be healthy. My workout consisted of a 3 - 5 mile run daily...that's it. But I was still young enough that I was able to eat pretty much what I wanted. Then I turned 40... so I bumped up my runs to 5 to 8 miles a day. I tried incorporating weights on my own but that didn't seem to get me anywhere - then came the 45 year mark where I was putting on weight and would continue to put on weight over the next 5 years - to the tune of 50+ extra lbs. And because of all the running I had been doing, my knees were shot - Cartilage was little to nothing in both knees. It seemed that it didn't matter what I did, I couldn't lose the weight. I was so depressed and unmotivated that I wasn't doing my daily workouts which increased the weight gain. Well...Just under 3 years ago Club Samsung opened here at the office and I signed up for personal training sessions immediately. I first met with my personal trainer for Body Metrics (which was awful for me to see where I was) and to set up a workout schedule. Personal training consisted of 3 days a week (M-W-F) for 1/2 hour. On T-Th I would workout on my own for 30-45 minutes walking. I was also aware of my eating habits. Oatmeal for breakfast, small snack at about 10 am, lunch consisted of a good sized salad with protein, small snack at about 3, and dinner had more veggies on my plate than anything else. By June of the following year I was down 51 lbs. and more leaner and muscular than I had ever been in my life. Fast forward to today - I am 55 years old - I continue with my workout schedule and with my personal trainer. My abdomen alone went down over 9 inches, 6.5 inches in my thighs, and Body Fat went from 28.9% to 17.2%. These numbers still astound me! I just love the new me! Thank You to Cara Simpson my LifeStart Coach and Fitness Enthusiast!

I’ve been training with Matt Banchak for several years now. With a combination of personal training with Matt and participating in his classes, the changes to my lifestyle that I would attribute to him are numerous. He manages to change up the workouts every week and they’re always challenging. With his knowledge of training, motivation, encouragement and much support, I’ve been able to lose 16 lbs, get stronger and closer to my ultimate goal. I’m on my way to losing a couple more pounds and building the strength that training with Matt has helped me to achieve. He’s an awesome trainer!