Susan Nyman

What inspired you to begin your lifestyle transformation?

I first walked through Inspirational Life’s door in October of 2013, through the encouragement of my friend Kristine to join her team in a 6 week weight lost challenge.  Originally, I committed to the 6 weeks, but had no intentions of continuing my relationship with Inspire after the 6 weeks since it is a good 35-40 minutes ride from my house, I have 3 young kids and work full-time with a daily 2 hour commute (I was full of excuses…).  However, from the very first boot camp I was HOOKED!  My life became transformed in so many ways.   I realized I was ready to make changes in my life that would not only benefit myself, but also my husband and 3 young children.

How did Inspirational Life help you achieve your goal and how have the results affected your life?

Inspirational Life is FAR more than a gym.  Brian and Cathie take the time to meet the needs of each person in the room.  However, their care and attention go far beyond the 45 minuets you are in class with them.  Through their daily emails, encouragement and advice I have made many life-changes.  With Brian and Cathie’s help I have begun a LIFE LONG journey that will not be complete when I reach a “magic number” on the scale.  I now aspire to be better and stronger in all the aspects of life, not just fitness.  In one of his emails, Brian challenged us to write 5 goals and to list how we were going to achieve them.  He keeps you focused on the process not just the end result.  I wrote the goals and how I intended to achieve them, and now only 5 months later I have accomplished 4 of the 5 goals and am really close to the 5th way ahead of schedule.  I’ve set new goals, goals that 5 months ago I would have thought impossible; but what I’ve learned from Brian and Cathie is that with the right focus and dedication nothing is impossible.

I have lost almost 30 pounds so far, but that number is not what I am most proud of, I’m proud that my focus has changed.  My goal is no longer to be “skinny,” my goal is to be healthy.  My kids know that I have made the changes in my physical activities in order to make myself stronger and healthier.  They know that I take more effort and thought into what goes into the grocery cart and the dinner table.  I’m excited that my kids are learning from a young age that how we treat our bodies matter.  Inspire really is a family, through the help of Kristine and Stacey, two other Inspire members, I have committed to running my first half marathon in April.  Back in October, when this journey began, I could barely complete a 3 mile run without some walking and hurting.  Now I am running 25-30 miles a week and ENJOYING it.   My adorable 7 year old gave me a Christmas gift of him running and training for a 5K with me in the spring. The year before he gave me a giant bag of various chocolates.  That just goes to show you how at a young age kids know what is important to their parents and they learn from your habits; good or bad.  I am far from done, but as Brian continually reminds us if we can be 1% better each day, we are succeeding.  My nutrition is about 90% process free, and I am working to get closer to 100%.  My hydration is essential to my success; something I completely underrated prior to Inspire.  As Cathie reminds us, “You can’t out train poor nutrition”, I love that quote- exercise is the easy and fun part; staying committed to healthy eating habits within my caloric budget is where the real work comes into play.  I am so thankful to Brian for his continual encouragement and Cathie for consistently pushing me to a new level on the gym floor whether it is with heavier weights or a deeper squat.  They make an amazing team; they truly are INSPIRING!

Describe Inspirational Life in one word.

REWARDING!