Client Testimonial from Valerie!

Meet Valerie, aka @seattlerungirl. She's been a client at Sassy Fit for over a year now, and has been working her tushy off to drop an impressive amount of weight so far! We're so excited to share her story with you and hope it will help inspire you in your fitness journeys! 

I've been training with Shannon for over three months now.  When I first met Shannon, I was on a weight-loss program that many people hear assume is extreme and unhealthy.  Shannon had her reservations about it, too, but instead of making a snap judgment, she asked me questions and observed me for a few training sessions to make sure I was okay.  She saw that I was learning to listen to my body; that I knew my limitations; and that I wasn't afraid to work hard.  She shared her own story with me and in the time I've been training with her, I've come to consider her my friend as well as my trainer.

My goals when I started working out with Shannon were to increase my physical fitness, lose weight, build muscle, and ultimately start training for my first 10K ever.  I started working out with Shannon weighing nearly 250 pounds.  Instead of making snap judgments regarding my physical condition (i.e., she's fat so she must be weak), Shannon took the time to assess my current level of physical fitness and tailored my workouts to help me achieve my goals.  She recognized that I had a decent base of cardiovascular fitness and strength, and helped me build on that aggressively and in a way that responded to how my body felt on any given day.

Since I started working out with Shannon, I've lost a significant amount of weight (I'm down to 215 pounds).  To be honest, I would have lost the weight with or without Shannon's help.  BUT, also since I started working out with her, I've also noticed SIGNIFICANT changes in my body composition.  I'm seeing muscles that I've never seen before!  I'm also stronger and more flexible than I have been since high school.  I share a lot of the credit for my stronger, fitter, smaller body with Shannon.

Shannon really wants to help me, not just physically but in a whole-person kind of way.  She asks me tough questions, wants to know how I’m feeling, and really understands when I’m having a tough time. For example, she goes out of her way to point out the changes she notices in my body.  If she thinks I’m looking smaller or notices a muscle that’s making its first appearance, she says so!  

For a long time, I used to wear a compression shirt underneath my workout clothes and it was kind of like a “safety net” for me; it smoothed out all the bumpies, at least as much as that’s possible, you know?!  I haven’t worn it in a while, and recently Shannon asked me how I was feeling about not wearing it.  My honest answer was, “Not great, but I’m just gonna get used to it!”  It feels awesome to get my butt kicked with a workout and to be working with a trainer who cares about my emotional, spiritual, and mental health along with my physical health.  Who really gets me as a person, you know?

As I mentioned already, I consider Shannon a friend.  She reads my blog, encourages me when I need it, shares her own story about getting healthy, and just generally motivates me to work hard and achieve my goals.  She helps me believe that I can succeed when I am having doubts.  She is my "whole-person trainer," not just my physical trainer.  She makes working out fun, and I know I would not be as far along in this journey as I am without her help!