Pain and fear. Those feelings are what led me to making the decision to change. I had been searching for relief from debilitating back pain for 2 years and I was extremely out of shape and actually afraid to work out for fear I’d hurt my back even more. I finally found a proper back treatment, but I was still afraid to workout and possibly injure what was fixed. One day, I was browsing Facebook when I came across Mike Stack’s bio and the AFS philosophy–it made sense that, at that moment, I had to get myself help because I literally couldn’t get off the floor. That’s what made me take my first step into the doors of Applied Fitness Solutions.
I made an appointment and began what has truly been the single most important and helpful thing I’ve ever done for myself. I started at ground zero–no strength, all of my major muscle groups weren’t firing, and a few orthopedic issues had held me back too much. I was paired up with one of Plymouth’s practitioners, Chris Eskin, who welcomed me with a great amount of warmth and a fierce determination to support my efforts to gain some strength.
After just my first strength solutions class, I felt an improvement, so I just kept showing up. And each time I did, I got stronger and healthier. I’ve never been one to stick to a “gym” routine, but this was different… Each movement and exercise was tailored to my specific needs and it was definitely working!
I’ve been a client now for over a year, I’m proud to say I’ve gone up 4-5 fitness levels! I started in Ann Arbor, which I referred to as my time of being “anatomically asinine” and being unable to get off the floor… to the point where I am now, which is the fittest I’ve been in over thirty years. I’ve gained an amazing amount of muscle and strength that allows me to live a full, active life free of constant pain. On top of that, I’ve lost 35 lbs!
Those are the physical benefits of working out with AFS; but there’s something else that keeps me motivated every day to continue to come back and improve: the AFS community. Devin Tarrant has assembled the greatest group of employees and I really can’t say enough about how welcoming, wonderful, knowledgeable, and genuine the people and employees at AFS are. The spirit in that building is contagious and I’m so happy to have them in my corner encouraging me to rise up, because I know I couldn’t do it without them!
