Meredith's Fitness Journey: "Exercise is truly a form of therapy for me..."

This month at Fitness on the Run we’re focusing on injuries and how you can manage your fitness routine while you’re injured. As a coach, you’d expect me to encourage you to work out while you’re injured. And if you did so with some skepticism I wouldn’t be offended. I bet you’ve either had an experience, or know someone, where a trainer tried to "fix" an injury -- or ignored it -- and programmed exercises that only made things worse.If you’ve been to FOR, you know this is counter to how we approach fitness and our relationship with our clients. We respect you, your fitness level, your abilities, and your limitations. We will never prescribe workouts that hurt. We just want you to move – and move better. That said, we also don’t believe an injury should be used as an excuse not to maintain a fitness program.Each week we’ll highlight a client who has continued -- or is continuing -- their journey toward fitness with us, even through injury. This week, meet Meredith Gamble.Meredith started training at FOR in April 2016. In the two years since, FOR has been a catalyst in helping her make lifestyle changes that have resulted in tremendous physical and mental benefits. Jump back a few years, Meredith struggled with maintaining a consistent fitness regimen, jumping between different types of workouts or trends, trying to find something that, as she says, “could stick.”She tried running and other popular fitness methods, yet wasn’t motivated to stick with any for more than a few months.Without a fitness routine she “could stick with,” it became easy to make excuses for not working out – especially when "life" happens. She and her husband had demanding jobs, she had a child, and lost her brother. Further complicating her relationship with exercise was the fact that in her early 20s she started experiencing a loss of mobility in her right hand as a result of an obscure nerve issue. Ultimately she had surgery, which returned a lot of the lost function but left her with significant muscle atrophy and limited range of motion.Joining FOR was the point at which everything started to change for Meredith. In the months prior to joining, she worked with a doctor to ween herself off her medications (causing a 30-pound weight gain), and started exploring other ways to manage her anxiety. And she knew that exercise was going to be key to staying healthy.A Facebook post by Alexandria Stylebook caught Meredith’s eye: “I knew that I needed the accountability of a personal trainer,” she said.So she signed up and remembers wondering “… what on earth had I gotten myself into. But after that first session, I was hooked.”For a long time she just focused on being consistent with her workout. But this past January she felt ready to make some real changes to her eating habits after seeing the results of her 6am workouts. She started and completed the Whole30:“I credit the physical changes I’ve seen from my workouts at FOR with motivating me to do the Whole30. The support of my FOR trainers was a huge part of my success. Dominika was able to share so much helpful nutrition information, and Jason was monitoring his diet more strictly in preparation for his StrongFirst Level 1 Kettlebell Certification. I learned from both of them as I worked through some pretty major changes to my eating habits,” said Meredith.Meredith used to shy away from certain exercises due to the mobility issues in her hand and wrist, but, she says, “the trainers have not only been able to work around those issues, they’ve incorporated exercises that have improved my strength and given me better range of motion in my hand and wrist. I’ve never felt like that injury has hindered my workouts at FOR. Last summer I broke my toe, and when I told my trainer, Erica, she assured me it would be no problem to continue my workouts. She tailored our sessions to avoid putting weight on the injured foot and accommodate the boot I wore. The trainers at FOR made simple modifications allowing me to continue with my normal training with no glitch.”Two years after joining FOR, Meredith has lost 20 pounds, has stayed off the anxiety medications, and says “exercise is truly a form of therapy for me, and it’s the number one factor in managing my anxiety. I’m so grateful I found FOR and the trainers who keep me motivated and accountable. FOR will be part of my life for many years to come.”