“At 59 years old, I was healthy and happy, but a total couch potato. I loved to travel, but the most exercise I usually got was walking in from the parking lot at work! Realizing I was on the verge of my 7th decade, I joined the River Valley Club.
Katie is great. She met me where I was, in all my slug-like glory. She encouraged me to come in an extra day per week beyond our appointments. This was difficult for me to achieve at first, but she never badgered me about it.
One evening, after six weeks of regular training, I felt a most peculiar sensation while sitting at home watching TV. It was very unfamiliar. Then I realized: my body wanted to EXERCISE! Wow! I started going in three days per week, then four, and then to my surprise, I found myself starting every day at the gym at 6:00am.
Now, a year and a half later, I have reached my 7th decade more fit than I have been for 20 years! Katie continues to work with me twice a week, gradually increasing my strength and endurance. She encourages me, corrects my form, and pushes me to succeed.
I have lost almost 30 pounds without dieting—fitness was and is the goal for me. I am doing things I never dreamed of doing: Dead lifts! Kettle bell swings! Pull-ups, dips, rowing, and squats. I feel great, and last fall I enjoyed a fabulous hiking trip in Italy, in which we hiked from Assisi to Rome in ten days—about twelve miles per day on average, through the hills of Umbria.
I am amazed at what I have achieved, and I am enormously grateful to Katie Brownell, who has been with me every step of the way. It really is never too late to start a fitness and health routine. If I can do it, anyone can!”
Fran Brokaw
