Hear from our Members and Franchise Owners

Members

Currently Showing: ALL Members

Peter & Shelley Henderson

Group: Step into Life® Carramar, Western Australia

Comments about Step into Life®:

Peter and I joined Step into Life because we were sick of being couch potatoes and with Peter having major problems with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stress. We tried to join inside gyms and also to be self motivated, but failed every time. So we decided to try a different approach to our exercise, we loved getting out and about cycling with our friends and enjoying walks with our dogs so we thought maybe some fitness training in a park could be the answer. WE also took into consideration our lack of self motivation to reach our goals and by doing step into life it would be similar to having our own personal trainer to give us the push we needed.
The things we love the most about step into life, is of course our trainer Cath, who is always pushing us and inspiring us to keep going and never give up. She has the ability to get us to run and exercise as we would never have done in the past. We also love working with the other team members and having a bit of a laugh. We are also enjoying the fact that our fitness is definitely improving.
I would have to say my favourite naughty treat is Chocolate and for Pete it is ice-cream.
We have found that we are definitely feeling a lot more motivated about exercising and actually look forward to our classes. Peter is now running and doing loads of exercises he felt he would never have achieved in the past and is having a major turnaround with his fitness goals. I said at the get go to Cath, you will never get me to run, but I am running and jogging and doing lots of things I thought my body was never capable of.
Our main Goal is to be fit enough to tackle some of our bucket list dreams such as hiking the Milford Sound in New Zealand and also just to be able to be more fit adults with a can do attitude. For Peter it is getting that blood pressure and stress under control and to also be a fit and healthy person.

back to top

Robyn Cowling

Group: Step into Life® Yarraville, Victoria

Comments about Step into Life®:

I have been a member for just over 2 years, trained by the fabulous Tess van Pamelen in Yarraville.
I recently turned 48, and had spent the previous 46 years as a dedicated couch potato!
Whilst the couch is still a favourite location, I knew I needed to start getting off it in order to live a bit longer!

I have had a weight problem for a long time, and had various attempts at gym membership with little motivation, and little result.
I kept on getting SIL flyers in the mail, and thought I would check it out.
Two years on, I am still going strong, physically and mentally.
My body is letting me do things I never thought it would!
The whole concept of SIL really fits for me- the group aspect, the mix of fitness levels, the variety in the training.

Most impressive of all is the part that Tess plays.
She is friendly, approachable, supportive,and really enjoys what she does-especially when dishing out those push-ups for misdemeanours!
She sometimes believes in me more than I believe in myself!

I have always found it hard to set goals in life,let alone follow through on them.
I hurtled right out of the comfort zone just recently, when I signed up for Boot Camp!
There was one particular activity on day 2 that really pushed me to the limit.
As the activity progressed, I just thought I couldn't finish and I was going to drop off
Something shifted and I just put my head down and kept going.
What I realised was that it didn't matter that our team came last, but that I finish the activity-and I did!
I can still look down at the bruising under 2 toenails and feel a sense of achievement!

I could go on and on about the difference SIL has made to my life.
Suffice to say, I will keep doing this until I can do it no longer!

Thanks for it all!

Kind regards

Robyn Cowling

back to top

Rosanne Clifford

Group: Step into Life® Ivanhoe, Victoria

Comments about Step into Life®:

About me!

Hi, my name is Rosanne and I have just turned 50. I am the Manager of Client Liaison at Capital Securities (Aust) Pty Ltd, a Non Bank Lender located in East Ivanhoe.

I want to give you some background to what led me to joining Step into Life. Five years ago I was diagnosed with Renal Artery Stenosis. This is a condition whereby the Renal Arteries become “kinked” preventing blood flow to the kidneys resulting in renal damage. Because blood pressure is regulated by the kidneys as a result of this, I sustained Hypertension (high blood pressure). I suffered a series of 3 strokes and after a lengthy stay in the Stroke unit at the Austin was discharged on multiple medications including blood thinners and anti hypertensives.

Following this I was diagnosed with a congenital PFO (hole in the heart), this was corrected with an implant and also further medication to maintain a regular heart beat. I was now completely drug dependant and the side effects included weight gain, fluid retention, numbness in the extremities, blurred vision and fatigue to name a few.

Approximately 6 months ago I was told by my renal specialist that I must lose weight and try to exercise more as my blood pressure was going up. At first I was afraid to push myself because I thought I might have another stroke. Being drug dependant I had developed an almost “invalid mentality” which inadvertently kept me from improving my fitness and ultimately my lifestyle.

I came to Eddie and Vicki with great trepidation. I was unsure that they could cater to my individual requirements. Firstly they insisted on a full medical history and of course a letter from my Specialist to ensure I was fit from his perspective to start training.

So away I went, I threw myself in the deep end and started my training program three times per week. Yes it was very hard and many days I thought “I just can’t do this”, “this is madness”, “I’m too sick”, but every time I felt that low, Eddie and Vicki would be there encouraging me to keep going. They praised me when I needed it and they pushed me when I needed it. For months I would be last on the marathons but every time I looked to my left or right Eddie or Vicki would be by my side walking with me and they never left me behind.

Four weeks ago I saw my Cardiologist. He greeted me with “you’ve lost weight” after a check up he told me my blood pressure had come down significantly and I would no longer need the blood thinning medication, and my heart medication (Beta Blockers) dosage was significantly reduced.

I have “Stepped into Life” and feel wonderful. Being fitter has completely changed my outlook on all aspects of my life. I not only feel more alert but I know I have increased my life expectancy. For those of you that have a medical condition this is my advice. Working with your Doctor and Step into Life, three sessions per week (3 hours) can dramatically improve your health and outlook on life, so grab the opportunity with both hands. You owe it to yourself and the people you love.

back to top

Ruth Nicolas

Group: Step into Life® Iluka, Western Australia

Comments about Step into Life®:

Ruth Nicolas is a member at Iluka in WA. Wayne is very proud of the effort and commitment she puts into all of her classes (including a recent Bootcamp) and would like to share her story with you all.

My 40th birthday was looming and I knew that I had to make some drastic changes to my lifestyle. My weight had slowly crept upwards over the past 12 years and each year I had grown more desperate, more depressed and hated myself more. My choices were clear - to carry on doing exactly the same thing for the next 12 years with the same result or to make the changes now – for life.

A friend of mine had been talking about Step Into Life. I liked the idea of training outside instead of a stuffy gym so I went along to my first morning cardio class.
My first class was a real struggle – I can’t lie – and I went home and cried in the shower because I couldn’t believe how unfit I had become. Then I had to lay on the couch all day to recover because I felt so ill (my body wasn’t used to exercise)!! It would have been easy to give up right there but Wayne and the other members had made me feel so welcome and had been so encouraging that I decided to give it another go.

Nearly 1 year on and I’ve never looked back. I go to three sessions a week Cardio, Kick Boxing and Toning, and really look forward to every class. I’ve lost 15kg so far and feel so much better about myself. We recently had a family holiday in Europe where a group of 7 of us climbed the 1021 steps up the Eiffel tower. I jogged up most of them and was constantly asked by the rest to slow down!! I’ve also managed to run 4km now where before I would be out of breath running down the hallway. I don’t sit on the side lines anymore and watch everyone else enjoying life. I’m the first one with my hand up for any activity – even Boot Camp!! (Such good fun)

I’ve never done any kind of exercise that I’ve enjoyed so much. It’s never the same class twice, Wayne’s always changing it up and keeping it interesting so each week is a surprise. I’m now proud to be fit and 40!!

back to top

Sandra Nickels

Group: Step into Life® Albury, New South Wales

Comments about Step into Life®:

Hi Linda

I would just like to give you some feedback on our program in Albury with our trainer Michelle Fletcher. I joined Step in May 07 and have found that after a year of attending various sessions that Michelle's enthusiasm, commitment and professionalism have been of the utmost highest and have continued.

I thoroughly enjoy the sessions and no matter how cold, wet or even at the other extreme the heat we endure in Albury it doesn't faze us from attending as we know every session we attend, we never know what endurances we are going to be put through but we always come up smiling and looking forward to the next one. Great friendships have been made and our social events always bring not only a health focus but also a fun factor to it. I was lucky to participate in our Olympic challenge and the commitment, fun and competitiveness we had was awesome.

Cheers

Sandy Nickels

back to top

Take the Next Step: Find Out More