My client Sherry made this testimonial post over on her Facebook page and it brought me to tears.  I am so proud of this woman. The beautiful thing about life is you can decide who you want to be and how you want to live. And she did. She chose health and fitness and hired me to help her. This is why I coach.

"I'm going into 10 months of a weekly training session with my personal trainer… And today I was just really proud of myself, and wanted to share. One year ago I was really struggling with my health. I was depressed, battling fibromyalgia, losing feeling in one or both legs at a time regularly, migraines that would last days if not weeks, and I was unable to do the most basic exercises and activities because of pain. There were many days where I was having to walk with a cane and in my early 30s I even had a handicap placard that I was so embarrassed to use because I never wanted anyone to know how bad things really were. I would literally go grocery shopping, or to a Walmart not in my area just to make sure no one I knew would see me in a motorized shopping cart or parking in a handicap space! I would spend two days a week working, and five days recovering. But with the help of an amazing personal trainer, my bad days now are what used to be my amazing days. I can move, I don't even know where that cane is anymore because I haven't used it since this past spring. Wahoo!! I initially searched out for a personal trainer because I desperately wanted to make sure that I could make it through my wedding day without having or needing assistance to walk down the aisle. I did that, and I've done so much more. I still struggle daily with some health issues… But I no longer see myself as a victim of a diagnosis, but rather an advocate of how much choice we have and feeling better. I get to go to my weekly sessions now and do all the exercises she asks me too, and I leave feeling like I am successful, not defeated… I leave feeling fit, not like I need to mend a broken body. I didn't need stronger medication, massage, acupuncture, or physiotherapy. I just needed to learn how to take care of my body and have someone to support me no matter how bad I wanted to give up. I have an extremely long way to go, but I can't say there is ever going to be a finish line… This is much more than getting in and exercise, or learning how to eat better… It's 100% about learning to love myself enough to take care of myself. Big thanks to my coach for investing in me and always knowing what I needed even if it meant spending an hour on a foam roller, or just speaking truth to motivate me for the next week. I am super thankful that I am a client at Custom Fit, and even more thankful that I am a client of Deanna Harder. Pretty much the most bad ass bitch I know. 😊" Sherry Oleksyn