Carla-Jane Romeo
When I first met Marie Lynn I was feeling somewhat like a slug as I had not worked out for several months and other than taking the dog for an occasional walk, I was pretty much a couch potato. I would refer to myself as a chubby mommy somewhat jokingly, but I would always get upset when people would say that I looked good for someone who had triplets. The only thing was that the triplets were now 14 years old so the chubby mommy excuse was getting a little old.
My first meeting with Marie Lynn, we talked about my current lifestyle and what my long term fitness goals were. I explained to her the health issues that I had with my lungs and we talked about the medications that I was taking and the sad situation of my eating habits or lack thereof. Marie Lynn did her research, came up with a fitness plan for me and prepared a nutrition plan to kickstart my metabolism. After about a month we did another assessment which I was not looking forward to as I was concerned that the pounds were not “melting away” (which Marie Lynn always told me not to focus on as muscle weighs more than fat – my brain was saying sure, but my attitude was saying – yah whatever). I knew that I was feeling stronger, but what a surprise when Marie Lynn was telling me how many inches I had lost. That is when I thought, okay the scale is not so important. My clothes were fitting a lot looser, I had more energy and the nutrition plan was so easy to follow that my husband started to follow it as well.
It was not long after meeting Marie Lynn that she stopped being just my trainer and became not only my dear friend, but a part of our family. Just before our family was about to depart on a six week drive across Canada, Marie Lynn planned out some exercises for me that I would be able to do on our trip, whether I would be stuck in a cramped hotel room or out and about in nature. As I was worried about how I wazs going to stick to the nutrition plan while on our grand adventure she helped me to thing about better options while eating on the road and things that I could take along that would be healthier options for snacks. Not only did she plan things out for me before we left, but she kept in touch with me over the summer to see how our vacation was going, she helped keep me motivated and on track and reminded me to not sweat so much if things fell behind a bit. I was excited to see Marie Lynn when we returned and happy to say that with her help, I came back without excess “vacation pounds” and I had energy to get back into a regular training schedule, which I missed so much while away.
Over the next few months, Marie Lynn kept on working with me and kept motivating me to keep on going when I felt I wasn’t keeping up, she helped me get into shape both physically and mentally. I noticed a great improvement in my overall health, not only was my body becoming stronger, but I could tell that my lungs were getting stronger and my breathing was greatly improved. I had energy that I never knew existed in my body. I would actually look forward to exercise instead of trying to find excuses for becoming a couch potato again.
With great appreciation for all her hard work, Marie Lynn helped me to feel more alive again, to look forward to being active and eating properly. Although I miss working with Marie Lynn and having our chats while she pushed me to try “just one more”, Marie Lynn helped me get started on a new path – a healthier path to a new and better lifestyle.
No longer a chubby mommy, but a stronger, healthier me!
Marie Lynn – we wish you great success in your new adventure in fitness and know that you will help change the lives of all those who come your way.
