Hear from our Members and Franchise Owners

Members

Currently Showing: ALL Members

Mark Bryant

Group: Step into Life® Iluka, Western Australia

Comments about Step into Life®:

I was born in Southampton UK in 1967. I immigrated to Australia in 1982 with my parents and big sister, Deb. I joined the RAAF as a Firefighter in 1987 and travelled all over Australia courtesy of the Government. Whilst in the RAAF I won a bronze medal at the International Firefighter games. I have also achieved a black belt in Tae Kwon Do (which took the best part of ten years).

I left the RAAF in 1998 and travelled around Europe for six months with Sally and Reece. We returned to Australia in 1999 and moved up North to work. We returned to Perth later that year and had my baby girl, Taylor. I went back to being a fireman working at RAAF Base Pearce.

I have tried many different types of fitness but never found anything that I was comfortable with. I saw the Step into Lifers training at the Iluka oval when I walked my dog and decided to give it a go. It took me a year to work up the courage to actually do it and have now been a Step into Lifer for over a year. It is a lot more fun that going to a boring gym plus the social aspects are fantastic. No other fitness organisation can match the friends I have made at Step into Life (Sally says the girls at class are my other wives), the Friday night bowls or the unforgettable Karaoke nights.

I have been so inspired since being a part of Step into Life I am thinking of having a go of it myself and buying a franchise. My goal is to inspire my kids to lead a healthy and active lifestyle and maybe just maybe do a triathlon.

back to top

Mark Gold

Group: Step into Life® Rose Bay, New South Wales

Comments about Step into Life®:

For me, Step into Life makes it too easy.

I'm no Olympic athlete but Step into Life provides a diversified programme in an informal environment that easily accommodates my hectic work, travel and family schedules. The program is flexible, the sessions are varied and well planned and the open air backdrop of Sydney Harbour is hard to beat.

The instructors are always knowledgeable, friendly and well prepared and help me to maintain my enthusiasm. My fellow participants are a great mix of people of all ages and it's always a friendly atmosphere.

I work in an office environment and recognise the need to keep physically active. This year, I achieved a personal objective of slicing 10 minutes from my City-to Surf personal best and I owe a lot to Linda and the team at Step into Life.

back to top

Mark Semer and Annick Vincent

Group: Step into Life® Rose Bay, New South Wales

Comments about Step into Life®:

Mark and I first discovered Step into Life whilst enjoying a couple of battered savs and hot chips. We saw a group of people on the oval doing push ups and running. We kind of felt guilty & sick after eating it and thought that we really should do something about our health and fitness. We had just moved into the area and found a Step into Life pamphlet in our letterbox and so made the phone call to Deb and Sue. A year and a half later, we are still enjoying the health and fitness benefits of Step into Life.

The great thing about Mark and I training together is that we are able motivate each other to go to the classes (as it can get a little difficult some times at 6.00 a.m. on a Winter's morning). During each session, we encourage each other to achieve better results. We now take a more active interest in each other's health and fitness. We also enjoy the quality time we have with each other instead of watching TV and it's another interest we can both share in. After training, we both feel less stressed which is beneficial to our relationship. Mark joined me in this year's City to Surf. We did it together, motivating each other along the way and we were so proud of ourselves and of each other for doing it.

We think that Step into Life is a fantastic program and highly recommend it. We have great trainers and enjoy the group workouts.

back to top

Mary Collins

Group: Step into Life® Hawthorn, Victoria

Comments about Step into Life®:

I joined Step into Life in October 2003 because I needed some support and encouragement to get back into an exercise routine. Going twice a week has given me a routine to follow and clear results. I am fitter, more flexible and, as it happens, have not needed a day off for illness all year.

The structure of the classes and the way in which Cathy runs them allows for a variety of fitness levels and as a “slow mover” I have not felt left out or inadequate.

Cathy adjusts her instructions and her feedback to meet the goals that I stated I wanted to meet. She manages to meet individual needs in a group setting which is not an easy thing to do. Meeting and training with new people is part of the enjoyment of each session.

back to top

Melinda Benstead

Group: Step into Life® Greensborough, Victoria

Comments about Step into Life®:

I joined Step into Life in September 2004 after receiving an advert for a free trial session at Greensborough after purchasing a new pair of sneakers. Having spent a lot of time on the push bike for a couple of years and jogging occasionally, I thought Step into Life would help to cross train. Originally I joined up at one Cardio session per week which I loved. Breaking up the monotony of road routes with oval & interval sessions always keeps you interested and Saturday morning adventures mean that you are guaranteed to see parts of Greensborough that you never knew existed!!

In May 2005 when Alan advised he was running Boot Camp, I jumped at the opportunity (even if it meant that I had to borrow my sister's car to get there!). I don’t know whether I'm sadistic and like being yelled at or, if I just like dropping and rolling in the mud, but boot camp was such an awesome experience. Don't get me wrong, there were times when using my rifle to take out BI Alan wasn't out of the question but my end results spoke for themselves. At the start we had to see how many push ups, ab curls & dips we could complete in a minute. I struggled through 14 push ups, 30 ab curls and 11 dips. By the end of the four weeks, I could easily complete 33 push ups, 44 ab curls and 34 dips in a minute. My beep test results had also increased from 5.5 to 7.3. I was impressed.

Boot camp also lead to an improvement in my running and gave me the confidence to complete City to Surf - a fantastic weekend away which everyone should complete at least once and I have spent the last 10 weeks training for the 1/2 marathon. I've even managed to rope my husband into Step into Life and we have increased our sessions to twice a week. My last time trial was completed in 23.20 at 5.18 a km. 12 months ago, I completed it at 6.44 a km. I've also lost approximately 14kg's.

The instructors & people at Step into Life Greensborough/Eltham make it such a fantastic experience that I can not recommend it highly enough. Not only are you getting outside in the fresh air and exercising, you meet wonderful people who are so supportive and encouraging that you leave each session with a smile on your face. Now I have got my husband to join as well, and he is enjoying it just as much.

back to top

Take the Next Step: Find Out More