June 2022

June Topic: Share a moment when your business met the need of a client.

By Marion Knaus with Raise the Bar Fitness & Nutrition and Granolala

A few years back I had an older woman contact me to help her improve her upper body strength using weight training. Why only upper body? As a runner she felt that she had enough lower body strength due to her regular running routine.

After a few sessions working together where we built a trusting and a good relationship, she allowed me to add lower body exercises to her routine. You know, just to see where she was at.

She wasn’t as strong as she thought. From that day onward we included lots of lower body exercises to her regular workout routine.

As the training sessions went on, she started reporting back that her run times and stamina continued to improve. Her improvements were so significant she decided it was time to sign up for a half marathon. For the first time. In her sixties. Not a 5K or 10 K, but a half marathon – 21 kilometers or 13.1 miles. Huge goal.

The day of the half marathon, I was there to cheer her on at the end. It was so exciting to hear her name announced as she crossed the finish line. The look of elation on her face was beautiful.

When she saw me there, it was hugs and tears all around.

And it was the beginning of many more runs over the years. 5K runs, 10K runs, the Santa Run, and many others.

The strength, stamina, and confidence that she built working out in the gym with me grew her athleticism leaps and bounds.

One funny story she told me was being in a pet store buying a large bag of kitty litter. The clerk asked if she needed help putting it in the cart.

“Nope,” was her reply as she easily hefted it into her shopping cart. She reveled in the shocked look on the clerk’s face.

Proof that it’s never too late to start an exercise program with a fitness professional.

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