When your body is giving you warning signs, it’s best to pay attention.
Barbara and Bob are a retired couple who have taken this lesson to heart.
After executive careers characterized by high stress, too much caffeine and too little exercise, the pair had limped over the finish line into retirement. Bob, now 63, was overweight and found himself diagnosed with prostrate cancer. Barb, 57, had suffered from mini-strokes due to high blood pressure.
They had sold their house in Toronto and moved into the cottage near Kingston that they built over the past few years, with grand plans to explore other countries in the winter. Their health problems derailed that plan. Instead, they decided to spend this winter in the ByWard Market, close to their son who attends Carleton University.
Having already started making changes to their nutrition, Barb and Bob decided they would spend their time in Ottawa getting fit. They knew they needed professional help.
“We’ve got fitness equipment in our house that collects dust,” Barb said. “We needed to have that appointment with someone who would push us further than we would push ourselves.”
They intended to take stock of their options with the various gyms in the ByWard Market area, but never got further than their first stop – Free Form Fitness’s location on Dalhousie Street. They were sold on FFF’s holistic approach to health and fitness.
“There was an obvious alignment between the boutique approach of this place and what we had in the back of minds for what we wanted to accomplish,” Bob said.
Since November, they’ve been averaging three visits a week. The ByWard FFF team created customized programs for both, to accommodate Bob’s limitations following surgery for his cancer and for Barb’s blood pressure.
They have both lost pounds and inches. Barb’s blood pressure has come down, while Bob has cut another 18 pounds in addition to the 20 he had already lost prior to joining FFF.
“We’re both in better shape than when we met 20 years ago,” said Barb. “Our bodies feel younger. People say we look younger than we did – that’s always good to hear as a retiree. We’re stronger, too. When we went skiing, we didn’t run out of legs by the end of the day.”
Thanks to their own efforts and the counsel of the FFF team, they’ve also learned how to eat a more balanced and healthier diet with greater portion control, and to cut back on the starchy carbs.
The key thing is that they have been supporting each other and sharing the same motivation, said Barb. Being able to work out together has been a big boost for both of them.
“When our schedules don’t line up, it’s just not the same,” said Bob.
The next challenge will be to build on the progress they’ve made and be each other’s coach, once they’re back at the lake and no longer have the benefit of a personal trainer.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how we manage without getting mad at each other,” Bob joked.
Both of them are low-key about the changes they’ve made in their lives. They aren’t the sort to evangelize about fitness and nutrition to friends and family. Instead, they just try to lead by example.
“Make changes in your life based on your wake-up calls,” Barb said. “Respond to those signals before it’s too late.”
Bob agreed. “Don’t waste the time you’ve got. We all want to think our health and well-being is something that can be dealt with later.”
