Below is a letter a PBP client wrote to her mother, I asked if I could share it on the website...                                                                                                              

attached is a note to my mother from 2006 that I recently found on my computer . . . I sent it right after I bought her a gym membership and this was my advice --

Well – hopefully by the time you get this note, you will be well on your way to developing improved muscle strength, balance, agility and overall wellness.   Exercise is not really fun, but it does have amazing benefits if you stick with it.  Whether you want to accept it or not, you are at risk of losing muscle mass, having more brittle bones and having decreased mobility.  It is a fact of life that these problems increase with age, but exercise CAN reverse those trends – so I hope you are continuing to go.   

Here are some of the things I have learned about exercise – I hope that my list helps you keep going:

Be patient – it takes time to build up your strength, lose weight or whatever.  You have been not exercising for YEARS so take your time – what’s the rush?  My favorite exercise motto is “slow and steady wins the race” – the turtle always prevails.

The most important ingredient in a successful exercise program is not how heavy the weights that you use are or how fast you walk or even how long you exercise – it is CONSISTENCY.  If you go at LEAST three times a week and get in the habit of going every week, it will pay much bigger dividends than working out really hard less frequently. 

The goal of an exercise program is not to look like a supermodel – it is to help create the best YOU.  The fitness instructor at Canyon Ranch taught me that.   Your goal should be to feel and look the best that YOU can possibly feel and look – not to compare yourself to other people.  What is the point? 

The most valuable possession anyone has is their HEALTH – yet so many people take it for granted – or act like they have no control over their health.  While there are a lot of things that can adversely impact our health – in fact, we have a lot of control over things we can do to help stay healthy.  The #1 thing that anyone can do for their health is QUIT SMOKING.  The #2 thing is to do REGULAR EXERCISE – this pays much more dividends than even diet or supplements or whatever.

One of the things that helps keep one motivated (once you get the hang of your program) is to set specific goals for yourself  (for example, “I want to be able to lift 15 pounds by March 2, 2006” or “I want to be able to walk 2 miles in 35 minutes by December” or whatever.)   It makes things more interesting if you have something that you are working towards.  CJ can help you set some realistic goals.

Don’t be SHY – ask questions if you have them.  CJ is there to assist and will be happy to do so.  There are no dumb questions.  You have as much right to be there working out as anyone else so if you don’t understand something – ASK.

There is nothing wrong in pushing yourself a little but no one knows our own bodies better than we do.  So, if you are not comfortable doing a particular exercise – TELL THEM and DON’T DO IT.  The worse thing that can happen is an injury because it is a great excuse not to exercise.  I rarely try new exercises because I cannot afford to get injured (I would quickly weigh 200+ pounds if I did not exercise.)   That being said, don’t be LAZY.  Try hard to push yourself to do as many repetitions or walk as far as you can.  It will increase your stamina – not decrease it.

If you really don’t feel like exercising some day when you are supposed to, give yourself the day off.  Exercise is supposed to be an opportunity for you to improve your health – not a punishment from God.  It is your choice – not something that has been imposed upon you.  So take a day off here and there – as long as you are CONSISTENT (for example, don’t take a whole week off).  I have been fully dressed in exercise clothes and on my machine and have just decided I did not feel like exercising.  So I didn’t.  Remember – it is your choice.

Think about the BENEFITS and picture yourself as stronger, in better shape, etc.  The better the physical shape you are in, the longer you can be independent and young.  Inactivity leads to aging so take advantage of CJ’s expertise.  She can help you design a realistic program.  If parts of your program are not working, go tell her that.  She will work with you to make sure you get the results you want.

 Good luck with your program – I hope it helps you live a long and healthy life.  Exercise is one of the few things on Earth that no one can really do for you – even billionaires have to do the work themselves – no one can exercise for you.  That is both the “good news” and the “bad news.”  You have the power to make your life better and improve your health, but you have to do it yourself.  I hope you do.  I think you will be very happy with the results.