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Congratulations to Nathan Mikeska on being voted Savannah's Best Personal Trainer by the readers of Connect Savannah!
Personal Training Programs
My Journey - Joy Henson
For as long as I can remember I have been overweight. I have lost weight in the past but not more than
10 pounds at a time. Before, I never did it for myself, I did it to fit into something or for someone.
I almost immediately gained it back plus some until finally I hit my max weight of 241 pounds.
In February I made a phone call that has changed my life. I had recently moved to Savannah, GA from
Nashua, NH and was homesick and unhappy with my life. As a nurse every day I encourage patients to
adopt healthy lifestyles and I started to feel like a hypocrite because I was not living a healthy
life myself. One day I decided to Google personal trainers/weight management help in the area. Spine
and Sport in Rincon, which is right down the road from me popped up so I made the phone call. I heard
back that day from one of their trainers, Nathan. He asked me why I was interested in coming to see him,
I told him that I had just turned 25 and something snapped in me and I was ready to make a change in my
life, we scheduled an appointment from there.
First we went over my goals which were to lose 25 pounds, get rid of my headaches, increase my energy,
and lessen my stress. We then rated how "in shape" I thought I was currently before starting our
first workout. After a 5 minute warm up on the treadmill and 15 minutes into the workout I started
seeing stars and Nathan said "You need to sit down you just lost all of your color." I was beyond mortified,
I had just told this guy that I was in pretty good shape and I couldn't even make it 20 minutes into a
workout without almost passing out. We ended up talking the rest of the time and I realized that I had my
work cut out for me. We met twice a week, one day of training and one day discussing ways to make
smart choices to manage my weight. He helped to show me what foods to eat, tricks to remember when
eating out, and most importantly he helped me initiate an exercise routine to include weight training
and cardiovascular workouts.
After the first 10 days on Nathan's eating plan and working out with him I had lost 7 pounds! I
remember already having a boost in my energy level after losing those first pounds and it motivated me to
keep going. I try to work out at least 5 days a week.
I have continued to see Nathan twice a week for almost a year. Staying on track has not always been an
easy task but it helps to know that I have someone to check in with who truly cares about his clients.
Nathan has always made me feel comfortable, is an excellent motivator and is extremely knowledgeable in
what he does. I feel like I lucked out getting him as my personal trainer. I know that he is a phone
call, e-mail, or text message away if I am having a weak moment or if I have a question. I cannot tell
you how much it has helped to keep me on track to know that I have to check in with Nathan. One of the
most important things that he has taught me is that if I make a bad choice I have to get back on track
right then and there, not tomorrow.
My main motivation for losing the weight remains, I want to do this for myself but in May I decided to try
to join the military so my concentration shifted. I had to get to the weight standards that are required
by the Air Force in order to join. I am happy to say that I am booked for my physical tomorrow
1/8/10. Hopefully by the end of January I will know if I will be attending Officer Training School to
serve my country as a Nurse Officer in the United States Air Force.
Since making that phone call in February I now weigh 174, I have lost 67 pounds and 28 inches, went from
a size 20 to a 12, have run in two 5k races, improved my energy level, cured my headaches, and am loving
my life and my newfound health.
Changing my life has not been an easy task but I could not be happier with the change that I have
made. Nathan has taken little credit in my journey and always says that it has all been up to me but I
know that I could not have done it without his support and help.
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Starting the Journey
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