This is the journey of Sharyn Bortle: 50 year old first time bride (and soon to be step-mom), athlete at Training for Warriors Athens, and survivor.
Cancer, a complete hysterectomy, and feeling sorry for herself caused Sharyn to have a hate-affair with her inability to lose weight.
Although this isn’t a story about Sharyn’s Ovarian Cancer, it is a story about how steroids, a complete hysterectomy, and feeling sorry for herself caused her to gain a lot of weight and lose a lot of self esteem. “I don’t know if anyone can relate, but it is hard out there for an overweight, pale, bald woman!” she exclaims. For 47 years she had always been thin, even if not in her head.
Sharyn had a gym membership elsewhere and two, thirty minute sessions per week wasn’t getting her where she wanted to be. Her fiancé has been a member of SBG Athens for many years. She noticed the profound change in him when he isn’t able to attend classes regularly. Sessions with her admittedly, amazing personal trainer, didn’t make her nearly as happy and she was close to her breaking point.
She began to explore the SBG website to see if there was something for her. She knew she didn’t want to “roll around with strangers and swap sweat.” She researched the Training For Warriors (TFW) program and saw a mix of activities she thought she would love. “I could feel my 16 year old athlete coming out” she said.
Sharyn joined TFW Athens the middle of May this year and hasn’t missed a class since July 1. In full disclosure though, she hasn’t seen any weight loss or loss of inches to talk about. “BUT, and this is very important, I am NOT discouraged. Why? Because I feel great, I look healthy, I am making friendships, I am keeping up with life,” she says enthusiastically. Some days she even feels like she is out in the lead. She thinks that is a real testament to the atmosphere at SBG/TFW.
She knows that physical results will come eventually. In the meantime, Sharyn is forming meaningful relationships, learning about her potential, and concerning herself with her attributes instead of her flaws or short comings. Most importantly, she understands that she is worth it, worth budgeting financially, and allowing herself the “luxurious necessity” of daily trips to the gym. “Perhaps this understanding just comes with age, as I just turned 50, or with the understanding that your good health can evaporate in a single doctor’s visit – but either way, one deserves to take good care of oneself,” she concludes.
I leave you with the top three tips that helped Sharyn transform:
“These come to mind because they are so apropos for life in and out of the gym”
- ‘Chest up’; ‘Elbows in.’ Back straight’ – TFW Coaches
- ‘Don’t Apologize.’ – Coach Steve
- ‘You Got This.’ – TFW Teammates
Do you struggle with some of the same things with which Sharyn struggled? You CAN make that change and TRANSFORM your life also!
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