Just because your parents were world-champion athletes doesn’t mean you will be inclined to follow in their footsteps.
That was certainly true for Marina Kotchetova. The 51-year-old grew up in Russia, the daughter of champion cyclists who became coaches. Her parents didn’t want her to pursue competitive sport, and she didn’t want to, either. It’s an intense and demanding world, where athletes contend with risk of injury and psychological issues from the pressure to excel.
Marina’s parents did encourage her to be fit, but she ultimately developed an aversion to physical exercise in general. Through most of her life, she didn’t think she needed it.
“I never wanted to be in any kind of sport,” she said. “I was always slim, I was always in good shape, I never had any problem with my weight, I could eat anything.”
But in 1998, she moved to Canada and things changed. Not only was she getting older, but a Canadian diet rich in processed foods high in bad fats and sugars gradually took their toll.
“Over a few years I went from a size 4 to 14,” Marina said. “I didn’t like it and I didn’t want it. My daughter would laugh and tell me to go to the gym.”
Two life-changing events
But Marina just couldn’t get over what she called her “foreboding” when it game to regular exercise, even after two life-changing events.
First, she was struck by a car, which led to persistent knee problems that required physiotherapy.
Then, in December 2010, Marina was the target of a random hammer attack. She was struck once in the head, which left her with a severe concussion. To this day, she suffers from headaches and vertigo.
Both these incidents left Marina in need of some routine of regular fitness to restore balance to her life, but still, she didn’t go.
It wasn’t until her daughter, herself a competitive volleyball player, bought Marina a gift card for eight sessions at Free Form Fitness that she finally decided to give it a try. Marina had no expectations and doubted eight sessions would do much for her, but didn’t want to disappoint her daughter.
In January, Marina came in and talked with trainer Michael Farant at FFF’s Wellington location about her needs and goals.
That meeting changed everything. It’s fair to say the daughter of champion coaches wouldn’t be easy to impress, but Marina was impressed.
‘Coming here is like falling in love’
“From the first time I met Mike, I believed him,” Marina said. “And by the fifth or sixth session, I realized I just loved workouts so much I was looking forward to the next session.”
Thanks to FFF’s individualized approach, Michael has developed for Marina a program that’s always fresh and different. It’s helped to address problems with her knee and work around her vertigo.
“I feel more confident, I am in a better mood, I am in a better control of my thoughts and my body,” Marina said. “I am getting pleasure from doing this even when it’s difficult. I look at life in general from a different angle now. Coming here is like falling in love, you don’t want to lose it, you keep going and going.”
Never too late to start
And Michael’s always ready to help her with nutrition, providing the counsel for Marina to understand what she should eat, what she shouldn’t, and why.
“Sometimes I think he is a magician, he just looks at me and knows my mood,” Marina said. “He is putting a piece of his heart into what he is doing. He has good rapport with his clients.”
But it’s not just Michael – it’s the philosophy of the whole FFF team.
“The environment itself is very healthy,” Marina said. “All the staff work as a team, they support each other.”
And what’s the most important lesson she has learned?
“It’s never too late to try something new, no matter how old you are and what problems you may have,” Marina said.
