Inspired

By Alison Wells

Over the past few days I've been interviewing our staff and writing their bios for the revamping of the New Heights web page. I never anticipated learning what I've learned...

I am so grateful to be a part of the team we have at New Heights. I am inspired by their personal journeys with fitness, their ability to overcome adversity in their own lives and their desire to help others. Though I knew it before, I was reminded of what an accomplished and inspiring team of fitness professionals we have.

Ruthie has battled depression and lost almost 100 pounds with healthy eating and exercise. I will never know that kind of determination but I do know she has it and I'm proud to simply know her.

Rob's experienced a childhood of ridicule and hurt. I will never know what he went through but I do know he had the courage to overcome all of it, lose 100 pounds and now help others do the same. He inspires me.

April had no self confidence and was so shy that she hid in the very back of her fitness classes and feared being in front of other people. Now, she's amazing at teaching classes! Have you seen that girl move?! And she doesn't care who's looking. When she gets up in front of the class, I know she's inspiring others to be free and confident in who they are, including myself.

Melissa's passion for life makes me want to be around her more often. Her smile is beautifully contagious and I know she is helping our clients feel good about who they are. She has such an amazing work ethic, not only personally with her own fitness goals, but professionally working 2 jobs and fitting in workouts and life on top of it all. I'm so proud of the career she's started in this industry and even more proud of who she's become.

Kourtney was 50 pounds heavier and so down on herself when she joined the gym that she actually feared coming to classes. She was afraid people would look at her and that she would be the slowest and weakest person in the group. She has overcome so much! Now she's so strong and confident and have you seen her?The girl is beautiful! She's a great indoor cycling instructor and I know she's helping to change peoples lives.

Verna always wanted to be a teacher. It hurt her to give this dream up. She was burnt out and working as a waitress when the owner of a fitness centre told her she should get into this industry. She says it saved her life. What she may not know is that her dream came true in the process. I see her teaching every day. She teaches fitness to our members and she's great at it. She makes them feel good about who they are and what they're doing and she teaches them how to be even better. Verna is a teacher.

Lisa used exercise to get through some really hard times in her life. Now she's helping others de-stress with kickboxing classes and cycling. She has such a fire in her that comes out when she's got the headset on or the focus pads in her hands. She has a way of getting people to work hard and feel good doing it. Under her tough exterior, I know she has a heart for helping others and I also know she's doing it.

Jenny is an accomplished power lifter. She's won gold, silver and bronze medals in the sport. And have you seen how small she is! The girl can squat and bench press most people. She's also one of the sweetest most genuine people I know. She's easy to get along with and has such a positive, uplifting personality that people want to be around her, including myself.

Sarah is dedicated and determined and it shows. She's worked very hard to be in the kind of shape she's in and continues to work hard every day. Although she's fairly new to the fitness industry, she is a fantastic cycling instructor with an intensity that makes her class attendants work hard and get the most out of their class. If she chooses to pursue it, I know she'll make a great fitness instructor.

Mandy is selfless. I ask her about herself and she tells me how inspiring the members at New Heights are. She tells me how they inspire and motivate her to be better. She says their dedication is "nothing but inspirational". She's so sweet and so positive and really wants to see people succeed in fitness. It's refreshing to have someone so uplifting greeting our members and helping them feel comfortable in the gym.

All I can say is that it's a privilege to work with such a great team of professionals and it's been awesome getting to know them better. They inspire me.