Three years ago, when I was nearing 50, I was so debilitated by arthritis, there were days I could walk upstairs to my office only very slowly and with great pain. I was afraid I was going to be permanently crippled. I visited my doctor, who told me that unless I began resistance training to strengthen my muscles and take the pressure off my joints, I very likelywould be crippled. As unappealing as the prospect of lifting weights then was, the alternative wasn’t an option.
Today, after nearly three years of twice weekly sessions with Stacey Hardin, I can’t imagine ever wanting to stop training. At 52, not only am I stronger and healthier than before, but also more confident. I still, of course have arthritis, as there’s no cure, but thanks to Stacey, we’ve contained it to occasional flare-ups that we manage with targeted stretches following my workouts. Once again, I am able to do all the things I love–dance, play golf, and run around the backyard with my grandson! Even my doctor is impressed. “Wow, look at those abs,” she said. “Tell your trainer that whatever she’s doing, she’s doing the right thing.”
But teaching proper diet and exercise isn’t all that Stacey does right. Both professional and caring, she treats each of her clients as individuals, knowing the most positive ways of motivating each to achieve his or her goals. She sees her clients not as bodies to be strengthened but as whole persons to be realized and celebrated. Her outlook being as contagious as her laughter, working with her hasn’t been work at all. It’s been a joy.
V. Kane