Member Spotlight | The Man Who Learned to Stand Again

Member Spotlight | The Man Who Learned to Stand Again

by | Jun 26, 2017 | All, Community, Fitness, Home, Member Stories

A Moment, A Change

On July 2, 2003 a tackle during a scrimmage game at football camp would forever change Logan Seelye’s life. He lay on the ground – motionless – as coaches and medical staff ran to his aid. He felt as if his whole body was on fire. He could see his left hand out in front of him, but he couldn’t move. Immediately, Logan was rushed to a local hospital, and given a steroid shot to quickly stop the swelling taking place in his body. He was then airlifted to a medical center in Seattle, WA to have immediate surgery. Following the surgery, Logan was faced with the heart-aching news that he would never have movement, or feeling, from his chest down again.

Logan was only 16 years old.

The Picture Perfect Life

By the end of his sophomore year in high school, Logan was voted captain of his football team, named “Rookie of the Year,” was a starting varsity player, excelling in his classes, being recruited to play at D1 universities, and had an amazing girlfriend in his life. It would seem as though Logan had it all, and then the life-changing, tragic tackle took place. Logan suffered from a broken neck and spinal cord injury.

Now, fourteen years later, Logan has turned his serious injury into a platform to help inspire others to view their situations in a more positive light. He refers to his life’s philosophy and mindset, as the “10 and 90.” His “10 and 90” approach stems from a quote by author Charles Swindoll, which states, “Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” Logan shared that “this idea and mindset is about attitude, belief, commitment, discipline, grit, perseverance, positivity and choosing to not let life dictate who you are as a person.”

Making Progress

In 2009, after years of physical therapy, Logan joined LA Fitness. By then he had graduated college and was finally able to drive a car again. Initially, he was unable to hold as little as 5-pound dumbbells. It took him some time to learn how to figure out how to get himself onto certain machines, and once on the machine, how to perform the exercise. Eight years later and Logan still continues to train on a consistent basis at LA Fitness. His determination is unfailing as he pushes on, unable to give up.

“What is important, and what really matters is how you react to things. I have found that this mindset has allowed me to accomplish so much in my life, and I will continue to set goals and accomplish them with absolute positivity.”

- Logan S.

Logan feels that working out leaves him both euphoric and energized. “It helps to set up your day for success because you can get your mind right,” he shared. His long term fitness goal is to one day be able to walk on his own again, and he vows that he will never stop fighting to get there. While Logan doesn’t have a trainer, he enjoys meeting others at the gym, some of whom are fighting their own battles, but continue to stay fit – much like Logan.

Where is he now?

Logan is now married to his junior high girlfriend, has a beautiful 5-year-old daughter, and works as a senior web designer. He is also an author and motivational speaker. His book, titled “10 and 90: The Tackle That Changed Everything,” shares a more detailed look at the events that led Logan to where he is today. Logan’s positive outlook on life helped grant him the opportunity to do a TED talk in which he shared his incredible story and refreshing outlook on life.

“Plain and simple: never give up. Approach life with an intense amount of positivity and grit, that the only option and outcome of anything you set your mind to is success. When you believe with so much of your mind, body and spirit that good things will happen, I firmly and 100% believe that they will happen. And when things undoubtedly get frustrating and challenging, just remember that it all comes back to my ‘10 and 90’ mindset: it doesn’t matter what happens that is important, what is important is how you react to it.”

- Logan S.

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Member Spotlight | Do What You Love

Member Spotlight | Do What You Love

by | Jun 12, 2017 | All, Community, Fitness, Home, Member Stories

Baby Steps

Coming out of high school, Sylvana M. of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, didn’t quite feel like herself. She felt as if her body “had been stuffed into a tight shell and [she] just didn’t fit.” Weighing in at 156 pounds, and standing at roughly 5’6″, she wanted to feel comfortable in her own skin again. Unsure of where to begin, she started adding walks to her daily routine and watching YouTube fitness tutorials. She cut her calorie count down to 1,000/day and began running. Not before long, the weight slowly started to come off – until she plateaued.

May 2013

May 2013

May 2013

May 2013

A New Horizon

Sylvana realized that she wasn’t eating the right amount of calories for what her body needed, and admits that her exercise routine was at times, inconsistent. After years of trial-and-error, with varying diet and exercise routines, she came across a bodybuilding website that seemed to help. She started noticing that she was gaining muscle, but with that, came a good amount of fat due to poor dieting.

“I was [consuming] whatever I wanted, full pints of ice cream, bottles of wine, medium fries – and it was showing,” shared Sylvana. With that, the familiar feeling of not fitting into her own skin began to come back. She started feeling insecure and lethargic, and with that, decided something had to be done. In June of 2015, Sylvana walked into an LA Fitness and was determined to make a lasting change.

“I was never the ‘fit’ girl. No one ever ran to me with questions or to seek advice in the gym. But I’m getting there! I’ve lost 10 pounds since last May (2016) and my confidence has soared. Not just from how I look, but how I feel. I know what I put into my body and I know what I put into my workouts. My body is mine and I finally feel at home in it.”

Sylvana M.

LA Fitness Member

Her original fitness goal was to lose fat, with the intent to become “bikini ready”. However, since first joining LA Fitness, Sylvana shared that she has gained a lot of perspective on what makes her truly happy and comfortable in her own skin. She realized that for her, it wasn’t the way she looked or a goal number on the scale, but how exercise made her feel inside. Although, she did joke that losing over 20 pounds wasn’t a horrible side effect of her newfound exercise routine.

Her goals today are a lot more strength driven. She hopes to become better at burpees, improving her sprint speed on the treadmill, while also tackling pistol squats and pull-ups. She appreciates that her newer goals are not as aesthetically centered, but instead, more focused on how she’s pushing her body into becoming stronger than ever.

Tasty Talk 

Having made strong advances in her fitness routine, Sylvana understood that it was only half the battle. In order to achieve her overall goals, she was going to have to adjust her eating habits too. While diet varies from person-to-person, Sylvana noticed that what worked for her was increasing her veggie and lean protein intake, while completely cutting out dairy, and drastically decreasing her intake of junk foods and red meat. She has noticed a remarkable difference in her body’s health since she made those changes.

A Word of Advice

“My one piece of advice to others on their fitness journey, or just starting out, would be to do what you love. I tried so hard to like spin classes and 6 AM jogs when I started out because I believed those to be the best workouts. But I found it difficult to get myself out of bed knowing that’s what I had to look forward to. I’ve found that I love weightlifting and interval body-weight exercise (like push-ups and jumping squats and even burpees) and that’s what gets me excited to hit the gym! Find what works for you and work it!”

Sylvana M.

LA Fitness Member

BEFORE – July 2016

AFTER – February 2017

Where Is She Now?

Sylvana continues to work out and eat healthily and credits her boyfriend for helping push her to get out of her sweatpants and into the gym. While Sylvana doesn’t have a trainer, she does appreciate the encouragement from her boyfriend, who oftentimes works out with her at the gym. (Multiple studies have shown that working out with a partner can better increase the chances of you reaching your fitness goals, read more here).

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Member Spotlight | Mini and Mighty

Member Spotlight | Mini and Mighty

by | May 22, 2017 | All, Community, Fitness, Health, Home, Member Stories, Motivation, Wellness

“Everyone starts somewhere. It is important to do your personal best and not let your size, age, or anything that may appear as a barrier stop you from achieving your goals.”

Rachel M.

LA Fitness Member

Mini and Mighty

It’s said that some of the best things in life come in small packages – and that describes Rachel M. perfectly. Known by her friends and family as “Mighty Mouse,” this 4’9” powerhouse has become an inspiration to fellow LA Fitness members in her hometown of Valencia, CA. However, she wasn’t always this way.

Growing up, Rachel suffered from multiple health complications that caused her to dread physical activity. She didn’t enjoy P.E. and ended up on teams by default; oftentimes being the last one “picked” for team events. It would usually take Rachel 10 minutes to run a mile, with breaks in between to stop and use her inhaler. She reflected back on a moment she will never forget, when one of her coaches had to give her a piggyback ride because she could not complete the run on her own. Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of a series of troubling events Rachel faced.

Next thing she knew, Rachel was hospitalized in the ICU with severe pneumonia. While she was admitted, she was told that she was pre-diabetic and had hyperlipidemia. Rachel had previously undergone cataract surgery and suffered from retinal detachment and spondylolisthesis – all at a young age. She knew she had to do something to change the harmful direction her health had taken.

Before

After

 

Small Changes, Big Results

Both of Rachel’s parents were members of LA Fitness and were constantly trying to persuade her to join them at the gym. But working out felt like work at the time, which made Rachel skeptical about giving it a go. However, she was determined not to rely on daily medication while only in her 20s, so she joined her mom for a cycle class.

In that first class, she could not last five minutes without having to use her inhaler. However, as she continued with cycling, she became stronger and stronger with each class, until she could complete a full class. As time went by, working out and focusing on health and fitness became her new passion.   This had great results, as she was slowly taken off all of her medications.

She credits being a member of LA Fitness as a huge part of her fitness journey. She would tell herself, “You’re stronger than you think,” “You could do anything for a minute”, and “You’ve got this.” She shared that fellow LA Fitness members would encourage her, and believed in her so much, that she began to believe in herself.

A Closer Look at Labels 

Along with working out, Rachel started paying close attention to food labels and ingredients. Now she incorporates proteins (chicken, ground turkey, egg whites, lean ground beef), carbs (sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa), healthy fats (nuts, olive oil, avocado, coconut oil), and greens into most of her meals. She enjoys snacking on nuts, veggies with hummus, and brown rice cakes with almond butter. Rachel enjoys foods that have minimal ingredients, and she tries to stay away from processed foods, or foods with additives and colors.

Where is Rachel now? 

Rachel hopes to inspire others through fitness and enjoys meeting people at the gym who share goals similar to hers. She continues to strive for her personal best, by increasing her rep counts, developing better endurance and lifting heavier than before. Her focus on fitness is inspired by her goal to stay out of the hospital, off medication, and to be living proof of Shakespeare’s quote, “Though she be but little, she is fierce!”

“Don’t compare yourself to others. You’re as strong as you think. Celebrate baby steps. Progress is progress. Believe in yourself. Believe in others such that they believe in themselves. Empower. See someone that inspires you? Let them know. Pay it forward.”

Rachel M.

LA Fitness Member

Results will vary. Rachel M.’s story reflects an exceptional result, which does not apply to the average person, and is not representative of or a guarantee that you or anyone else will achieve the same or similar results. Do not attempt to change your diet, fitness routine, or any other activity related to your health without first obtaining the advice of a medical professional.

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Commit to Fit | Mother’s Day Edition

Commit to Fit | Mother’s Day Edition

by | May 12, 2017 | All, Community, Fitness, Home, Member Stories

 

 

Goals, Commitments, Community

Welcome to a very special edition of our Commit to Fit – Mom Edition! These incredible moms manage to make the time to get to the gym & stay dedicated to maintaining a healthy lifestyle!

Mother’s Day Club Hours will remain the same.

See Moms

Member Spotlight | It’s Never Too Late

Member Spotlight | It’s Never Too Late

by | Apr 24, 2017 | All, Community, Fitness, Health, Home, Member Stories, Motivation, Motivational Tips, Wellness

On November 8th, 2014, Max L. of Maplewood, MN made a decision that would alter the state of his life forever.

Having struggled the previous three years with a series of health-related challenges, including emergency surgery for a kidney stone too large to pass, Max knew something had to be done, and soon. At the encouragement of his wife, Max decided to join LA Fitness with the hope of becoming physically active again. This was the first step back to reclaiming his quickly deteriorating health.

While Max had been very active in sports as a boy and young man, time seemed to have taken its toll. A worsening knee problem had deprived him of even the most basic of physical activities – walking. In June of 2014, Max was approved for arthroscopic surgery (a minimally invasive surgical procedure to help treat joint problems). At the same time, he found himself suffering from migraine headaches, a weight of over 200 lbs., and a waist that had expanded to 43 inches.

Max’s original goal was to lose excess belly fat. He hoped that by increasing muscle tone, combined with mild cardio, it would help shed the weight. He also knew from the start that he wanted a trainer to help guide and encourage him along the way to achieving his desired fitness goal. And even though Max had done some weight training in his youth, he had never been properly trained on technique, or, on how to build a properly balanced exercise regime. This is where the training came in; it offered both encouragement and accountability.

In April 2015, Max was partnered with personal trainer, Alex B. He originally started training once a week before increasing his sessions to double that. With the help of Alex, Max was able to achieve incredible results. In roughly a six-month period, Max went from benching around 140 lbs. to a maximum bench press of 265 lbs.! Not only did he start feeling better, but his waist had begun to shrink too. However, like so many others, Max had a hard time making the commitment to a total life change and found himself not noticing a difference in his overall weight.

“Get off of sugar. After a few weeks, your palate comes alive; the veggies you didn’t like become very tasty.”

Max L.

LA Fitness Pro Results® Client

January 2016

August 2016

Over the years, Max tried countless diets that failed to produce any long-lasting results. But in January 2016, Max found himself so disgusted with the way his clothes fit, that he made the commitment to radically change his nutrition. It was with that determination and focus that he noticed the weight and fat start falling off. Between January and August of 2016 Max lost roughly 30 lbs., his waist went from 41” to 36” and his total body fat fell from 29% to 20%! He also began developing noticeable muscle definition in his arms and shoulders. But what he found best of all was the fact that he could fit back into size 32 pants for the first time since his 20’s!

Max shared that his transformation has done wonders for his self-image. His dramatic change has also influenced members at his club who feel inspired to make positive changes themselves after seeing what he’s accomplished. Because of Max’s perseverance and drive, he is now off two of his blood pressure medications, his good cholesterol is up, and the bad cholesterol is down!

Where Is He Now?

Max continues to train twice weekly with Alex.  His current fitness goal is to get his waist down to 34” and his body fat to 15%. Max thanks his trainer Alex for the progress he’s made and says, “I know I could not have done this transformation on my own.”

A Word From His Trainer

“I have trained Max for nearly three years. He’s had to overcome some obstacles along the way. At the start he was battling migraine headaches and vertigo and still hobbling from arthroscopic knee surgery. He could barely do pull-ups and only managed 140lbs on the bench press. But in time he started getting great results. In addition to losing nearly 30lbs his strength has increased, reaching 260lbs in the bench press and 25 pull-ups. I don’t recall ever seeing a 67 year old do that. He’s a great example that age is not a barrier or an excuse. Of all of Max’s successes I think the biggest is that he enjoys coming to the gym, and I believe he’ll stay at it for the rest of his life. As trainers our job isn’t just to take people through workouts but also to create a positive experience for the member in the gym so they will continue to train and develop. Max has been that guy and he is a great inspiration to other members who’ve watched his transformation.” – Alex B.

 

If you have any questions on how you can get started in Pro Results® Personal Training please click here.

Do you have an inspirational story you’d like to share with us? Email us at blog@lafitness.com for a chance to be featured in an upcoming post!

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