All I can say is, "I should've done this years ago," and knowing what I do now, I would have. But I always had that common misconception about how it would be: the image of personal trainers and weight training that was more than a little intimidating. I pictured having to work out in a huge room of totally athletic guys lifting scary amounts of weight and critiquing my every move (actually, there's some truth to this
image, based on several gyms I've had memberships to before). I avoided the weight room, afraid I wouldn't know how to work a piece of equipment or how much weight I could safely lift, but too afraid to ask for help. So of course I made the typical mistake of focusing on just cardiovascular fitness and then got frustrated when I wasn't seeing the changes in my body that I wanted to be seeing.

So, I can truthfully say that starting working out at Cory Everson's, and beginning a training regimen with my personal trainer Caroline) has changed my life, as over the top as that sounds. Why do I say that my life has changed from something this simple? I mean, other people start fitness programs every day. Because I look forward to working out every day instead of dreading it, because I know that finally I'm doing things the right way, and I don't have to "accept" the fact that I'm getting older and am not as fit as I used to be. Caroline is my own personal cheerleader; her enthusiasm is contagious! She changes the exercises at almost every meeting, so even someone with the lowest boredom threshold in the world (like myself) never gets the feeling that I'm on auto-pilot. I knew I couldn't stick to a meal plan that would include meat of any kind, but Caroline has worked around my vegetarian diet (even going to local grocery stores to look up the caloric content of lots of "veggie- friendly" meals)to create a meal plan that I can live with. She also found ways to refocus my program when I sustained an injury that prevented me from most of the leg work I was doing.

OK, it's only been about six weeks, I'm only on my way to better fitness and a better body (definitely a work in progress)but I walk into the weight room now with confidence, whether it's on a day I work with Caroline or not, because she's shown me how the machines work, and how hard I should be pushing myself. I really never knew I had it in myself, but I'm constantly amazed by her ability to sense when I can do something that I'm convinced I can't- and then persuades me that I can do it. Yes, I was still a little unsure initially, worried that the personal trainer assigned to me would be imposing and unapproachable, but I needn't have worried. I've been converted, convinced, whatever you want to say, I'm a believer. Caroline rules!

Tricia Salazar