The jeans challenge was interesting in ways I didn’t expect. At first, the food was the hardest part because I wasn’t eating enough. For me, having enough food is all about preparing and cooking enough for the next few days. After a couple of weeks of being part of Praxis’s program, I got it! What I didn’t expect was how my coworkers, up until the very last day of this challenge, tried to sabotage me by “jokingly” placing candy on my desk and telling me to “have a snack.” I was shocked that some people wanted me to fail. Thankfully the trainers at Praxis wanted me to succeed – I wanted me to succeed! Their support and guidance helped me finish confident and strong, with results that show.

I’ve done Atkins before and lost weight, but at the expense of having energy. With the jeans challenge, even with the workout schedule, I never felt tired or weak. I never felt hungry or craved my favorites (cola and sugar).  Planning helped – I ate consistent foods on a regular basis, avoided sweets and limited alcohol to the weekends.

The time sped by. I worked out and followed the guidance my trainers at Praxis provided – and am inspired to keep doing so. I’m so glad to have been a part of this jeans challenge!

I knew I wasn’t “fat.” Friends always told me I looked great. But inside, I didn’t feel that way. I was never at ease with myself, never experienced significant changes despite regular workouts. All that changed during Praxis’s jeans challenge. Even though I already ate healthy foods – whole grains, organic, proteins, fruits and veggies – those eight weeks of nutritional guidance taught me more about eating the right foods at the right times. That, combined with the phenomenal, never-boring workouts, not only helped me meet my goals, but surpass them. I am forever thankful for that!

My life is like a lot of other people’s: I’m a mom with kids who play sports, I work full-time and I’m involved in the community. But I’ve learned I can push myself beyond what I thought were my limits. I make time to work out. I push myself. I sweat! My new habits are my new lifestyle and when I need to reach out for guidance, Praxis is there. The personal attention from trainers who understand the science of achieving one’s best self and the accountability of working out with others means I have ongoing motivation to push myself harder. I’ve shed weight and gained an energy and confidence I never expected to have.

Membership at Praxis has meant real change. I like it! I’m sticking with it!

When I walked into Praxis Fitness for the first time I knew I had found what I was looking for.

Before starting at Praxis Fitness I didn’t really know what was in store for me. I was working in an office full time; I wasn’t happy and didn’t know why. I heard about Praxis Fitness and knew I needed a change in my routine of life. Everything for me changed after that moment. ##more##

I started with a lunch time class to see what it was all about, I had never taken a class at a gym before and didn’t know what to expect. I definitely didn’t know I was going to find peace of mind.

From the second I walked in the door I could feel the energy of happy people, all the staff was so warm and welcoming it was hard to not want to stay there forever (little did any of us know that I was really going to stay forever). It only took me three days of lunch time classes to get me to wake at the early hour of 5:05am to make it to class at 5:30am. I had never in my life felt excited to work out but suddenly I found that was all I could think about was when my next workout would be. I became obsessed!

After 4 months of working out 5 to 6 days a week I realized I had found what I needed to be happy and felt like I needed to share what I had found with others. That is when I joined the team of Praxis and haven’t looked back once. The education and confidence I have gotten from Praxis is amazing. My goal is to share what I have found with as many people as I can.

Sure, the thin waist and tight butt look good – and looking good makes me happy – but the times I most thank Praxis happen when I’m encased in neoprene, slugging my way out to the surf line-up or, even better, paddling myself into a wave. I’d been surfing for years prior to Praxis, but maintaining the upper body strength necessary frustrated me. If I surfed every day, the muscles I needed to be strong for paddling would respond. Miss a few days or, in the winter, a few weeks, and every time was like starting all over. Since I love to surf more than just about anything in the world, but the frequent setbacks discouraged me. The ocean around here is full of big waves and powerful currents. A woman needs all the power she can muster to compete out there.##more##

         Mary Before                                        Mary After

I believe my story is fairly typical.  Mid twenties, put on a little weight.  Get married, gain a few pounds.  Have a baby, gain lots of weight.  Spend the next ten plus years losing and re-gaining weight.  Sound familiar?  I can’t think of a woman I know who is 100% happy with her body or her weight.  We are never truly satisfied.  We are constantly bombarded with unrealistic images of perfection that often times we feel like we will never be good enough – so why try?

I joined Praxis originally to help work through the stress of a family member who has a long-term illness. ##more## I believed that it would help me become mentally stronger as well as physically stronger.  I enjoyed personal training sessions with Pam and took Noon-time classes with Ceci.  I lost ten pounds in the process and felt great.

I lost a job, started a new job and forgot to make myself a priority.  Bad habits snuck back in and the weight found its way back.  I saw Ceci at a community event and she gave me a big hug and told me how much she and my former workout buddies missed seeing me.  I missed them too.  I made a promise to Ceci that day to start back at Praxis.

That was March of 2010.  I made lunch-time my time.  I started with the TRX and Circuit Training classes and continue with them today.  The classes are challenging.  There are days I leave the gym knowing that by finishing a hard workout – I can do anything!  Ceci and Lia have been inspirations to me.

In the past six months, I have lost 30 pounds, but more importantly, I have regained confidence and a desire to be successful and proud of myself.

Finally, a gym membership only works if you use it.  I can’t think of any other workout program or gym I have belonged to that I actually looked forward to going to.  Can you?