"Before starting with NELA, I’d say my fitness journey was a little all over the place. I had tried a bunch of different things and had my share of “taste-testing” to find what I liked. As a kid (honestly up until I was 18), I absolutely HATED exercise and so this fitness journey had only started about 2 years prior to NELA and was largely dictated by trends. I tried yoga, reformer pilates, Barry’s, running, and even boxing before I made it to personal training. I had always been really intimidated of weight lifting because one, I had no idea what I was doing in the gym and besides not knowing proper form, I was scared of judgment by others. Two, I felt like because I lacked knowledge in the gym, I wouldn’t have enough motivation to keep going by myself. And lastly, I felt like society didn’t want strong, muscular women and I was scared of becoming “bulky” or not conforming to the “skinny” model that was the social norm. As for health, I’ve always had a relatively healthy diet but I had no idea how to increase my gains in the gym or from my other work outs to maximize my training.
Honestly, since starting with Lily, I’d say the first word that comes to my mind is “surprising”. I have been consistently surprised at my own ability to lift heavy weights and the love I have for it. My form has improved, I’ve gained muscle mass and tone (without getting “bulky”, not that that’s necessarily a bad thing), and I feel more confident in myself. Besides learning about proper form and nutrition to help me see more progress, I’ve also learned how to structure my workouts for my personal goals, meaning that even outside of NELA, I could take what I learned and apply it at home or at another gym. I think physically, I’ve seen progress and from the start I had told Lily that my goal wasn’t necessarily weight loss, but to increase my strength and tone which I think I’ve achieved. Mentally, my confidence in the gym and with myself has sky rocketed! I feel so strong and motivated by the fact that I’m breaking my own personal records and doing things I never thought I could do. Even in the last few months that I’ve been training while pregnant, I didn’t think I’d be able to continue going to the gym all the way up until 39 weeks and still lift a decent amount! Lily has truly taught me that I should feel proud of all my achievements in and out of the gym and that as a woman, I am powerful and I should take that with me everywhere I go.
Lily is amazing. She is caring, passionate, knowledgeable, and SO strong! Though she started as my personal trainer 3 years ago, I feel as though our relationship has evolved into a friendship that I feel in and out of the gym. She’s incredibly supportive and thoughtful and I can tell she cares deeply about all of her clients and their successes. If I had to pick one favorite thing about working with Lily, I’d say it’s her dedication to her work and genuine wish to see her clients achieve their goals.
If you were like me and have absolutely no clue what you’re doing in the gym and want guidance from someone who could tailor your workouts to your personal goals, while only providing constructive criticism (not judgment), I’d say definitely give private training at NELA a thought. It’s an investment into yourself, not only for your physical growth, but also for your mental health as well. Since NELA is a small and local gym, I’d also say it has great components that big commercial gyms don’t have. For instance, at a big commercial gym, there’s a ton of equipment with no one to really help you figure it out, it’s almost always crowded and so specific workouts and weights may not be available, and since it’s crowded, you may feel more intimidated of being judged (at least that’s what I thought). Private training at a small gym gives you personalized training fit for your needs and offers that non-judgmental space so that if and when you decide to go to a big gym, you feel comfortable and confident in managing your way around."
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