Testimonials

Ingrid Thornton

My journey to fitness actually began during the month of May 2001 after having achieved the age of 70 and being classified as a diabetic that was in dire need of some serious help.

I joined the RDV Fitness Center after much research and professional recommendation as being the singular most advanced and qualified facility to provide the assistance I so badly needed. I wandered around the facility for a couple of days by myself but it became very obvious to me that without professional guidance and assistance I would go nowhere. I had been introduced to Kim Boere when I joined and was advised that she would spend two sessions with me to orient me and set up a program. That was all fine but as previously stated that was not enough and I decided that I wanted and needed the services of a professional trainer.

Kim ran me through a routine exam to determine my current fitness. I was over weight and successfully registered at the bottom of every test she gave me. The report read "At Risk." I swear I heard her mutter under her breath, "Dear God why me?"

At no time did Kim ever indicate to me that my situation was going to pose a major challenge to her and it was only after we started working together that the seriousness dawned on me. I could not complete 5 minutes on the treadmill without stopping while the others around me seemed inexhaustible. It was then that I realized that the road ahead was going to be difficult and seemingly without end. We had the added burden of just one year ago having had my aorta replaced with a plastic tube, the femoral arteries in both legs have wire stints, in addition to having spent two weeks in the Intensive Care Unit with a horrendous infection of the left groin that required plastic surgery to reconstruct plus other obstacles too numerous to mention including high blood pressure and diabetes. My legs were uncoordinated and I could not even tap my toes.

Undaunted by the situation we worked out a routine involving not only exercise but diet and suddenly our efforts were being rewarded. Over a period of only six weeks we dropped 35 pounds, the blood sugar level dropped below 100, the calf machine got the toes in rhythm and we improved from the "At Risk" category to "Needs Improvement." It started becoming obvious that we were going to make it.

It should be noted that I use the term "We" as opposed to "I" because there was no way that "I" was going anywhere alone.

The RDV Fitness Challenge presented an opportunity to hitch our wagon to a vehicle moving in the same direction albeit not as far. It would provide further motivation and support and set an intermediate goal for us to achieve, so with much enthusiasm and confidence we joined right in. We knew that I had just achieved a weight loss that could not be sustained but there were sufficient other judging categories that gave reasonable expectations that we could not only participate but in fact could win. We had no idea of the challenges that would lie ahead. First, I lost the right knee from an old injury that was aggravated by our hard work. A medical evaluation allowed us to continue but only to an extent that could be tolerated. We had to give up the treadmill and other machines that the knee would not tolerate. We were basically limited to the Top XT for our cardiovascular exercise. We knew the knee had to be operated on and the question became, when? If we operated now would we be able to continue or would we be knocked out of the contest in that I am a seventy-year-old with diabetes, neither of which are known for rapid recovery from surgery. We initially thought that the surgery could be put off until after the contest but the pain was becoming unbearable to the point of sleep deprivation. Kim recommended and I concurred that we should strengthen the muscles around the knee prior to surgery; we worked hard and did just that. The reasoning being, why not strengthen the muscles prior to surgery so that rehabilitation would be much less. This proved to be a correct decision in that we had the surgery on a Thursday and we were back at the RDV the next morning as though nothing had happened other than the knee being wrapped with an IV tube sticking out and a whole bunch of folks questioning my sanity but I am happy to report that we were 100% right. Two weeks later there isn’t even a scar. Who said 70-year-old diabetics do not heal?

Two weeks later I informed Kim that I wanted to run. We tried the treadmill but I just was not comfortable. I thought about it until our next scheduled session when I pointed out to Kim that I did not know how to run. She took me outside to run around the volleyball court. The gait was all-wrong, there was no stride and nothing felt right. Remember the femoral arteries, the stints, the groin infection and the knee operation? How could anything be normal? Once again Kim put me on the treadmill and basically taught me how to run. "Pick em up in front, kick your tail to the rear" and soon we discovered the weaknesses and went to work on them. I now can run with comfort and enjoyment. I told Kim the next day, which was not a training day that I wanted on the stair stepper. She responded "not today but we will try at our next session." At the next session we did 40 flights. We have now identified the weaknesses, mastered the basics and positioned ourselves for the next challenge.

Thank you RDV Fitness Challenge for letting us tag along, I must thank the staff and all the trainers and Debbie Heim (Nutritionist), that gave me encouragement and assistance but most of all, how can I ever thank my trainer Kim for bringing me though all this and providing me a much more promising physical future. I particularly enjoyed the satisfaction that Kim and I achieved. The look in her eyes and words of surprise and approval will never be forgotten as the sense of accomplishment and success invigorated and motivated me to never give up. The rewards already achieved cannot be overstated. The RDV is fortunate to have such fine dedicated personnel in their employ. Now that the Fitness Challenge is over and we are parting ways our Challenge will go on.