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OUR
JOURNEY
“The race is not given to the swift nor to the strong, but to he that
endures until the end…” That scripture applies to our journey from an
unhealthy lifestyle.
Our journey has been about reducing our “real estate” (our size
and weight). Let me tell you that from the beginning, we never had any idea
that we would get as big and out of shape as we had gotten. The weight just
crept up on us. We kept planning to lose and endured several diets in our
attempts. We tried Weight Watchers, Butter Busters, diet cookies, South
Beach and Richard Simmons to name a few. Sure, we lost weight only to gain
it and more once we completed the regimen. Why was that? We did not
incorporate exercise or a changed lifestyle.
During our Twenty-one years of marriage we have had three children,
which generated more weight with each birth. We became less active due to
the change in lifestyle and our servant hood to the children. We
inadvertently, put our own health on the back burner, not realizing that we
were doing a great disservice to God, ourselves and the children. We say
this because the word states in I Corinthians 6:19 “...do you not know
that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit...” We allowed the home (body) in which the Lord lives to become
dilapidated. We kept starting and stopping different diets to stop again. As
life would have it, John became ill with Atria Fibrillation (an uncontrolled
rapid heart rate) and sleep apnea (his breathing would stop or become
dangerously shallow while sleeping). We really packed on and in the calories
and were paying the price. He could not be active for fear of the rapid
heart rate for twelve years. My life style and activity mirrored his and
thus, we both became unhealthy. We were easily tired and stressed… unable
to play a normal active role in the lives of our children. Our wake up call
was the deaths of our parents due to congestive heart and kidney failures,
high blood failure and diabetes. Realizing that we were on the same path, we
decided that we did not want to “go out” like that. We did not want to
succumb to our food addiction and our being allergic to exercise.
John had corrective surgery for the rapid heart rate and after the
recovery period we decided to seek help form Don & Marilyn. Our journey
began when we met Don & Marilyn who challenged us to exercise and train
with them. I remember telling Marilyn that” I don’t sweat.” She said
that I never exercised with the right amount of intensity. I still hear
her…”Last set - best set! Come on Tonya… Push it!” I appreciate how
she encouraged me and beat me down to build a better me, physically. I have
lost forty-seven pounds and dropped from a size 18-20 to a size 12. We are
still works in progress and loving every minute of it. My excitement about
life has returned.
Don has been patient with me while inspiring as a trainer and friend.
He took into consideration my condition and worked with me as I progressed
physically. I have gone to barely moving to doing things that I couldn’t
imagine. He took into consideration the medications I was on (approx. seven
different ones), the side effects that came with them and finally I was
taken off of them all for a period. A new health issue popped up and I’m
temporarily on three new medicines. My heart specialist says if I continue
the healthy path I’m on, I will soon be off of those too. I reduced from
292 lbs to 243 lbs. My weight has since increased approx. 7 lbs. after being
placed on the new medications. We are better at dealing with family issues,
I am able to help around the house – inside and out, and I don’t fall
asleep any time I sit down any more. I feel like I have been reborn. I have
life and can participate again.
In summary, it has been a blessing to working out together and we are
and have been having so much fun on our journey to fitness. We ache
together, laugh together and encourage each other. Part of our formula for
success is that we joined together and work out as a team. Doing this as God
designed marriage…As one. We challenge you to get up and get moving and
you will be glad you did! (Click
here
for our before and after pictures)
Thank you Both!
John & Tonya Gause
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Website Last Updated on
09/13/2010 07:26 AM
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