Middle-aged woman embarks on journey to health
By Kaye Ross, Town Crier Staff Writer
 FIT trainer Analisa Naldi shows the writer the proper way to lift dumbbells. |
I am fat. I am not an in-the-eye-of-the-beholder kind of fat; I am an empirical fact kind of fat. I am in that place on the slim-to-corpulent continuum where I catch my reflection in a store window and say to myself, “Omigawd. Who is that fat person with my face?”
For most of my adult life, I was a slim person. I went up and down in weight, but a diet here or there could keep me a size 8 or, in really good times, a size 6. I never exercised more than walking, but even haphazardly, that seemed to do the trick.
Then I turned 50. For no reason having to do with age, that birthday ushered in a series of major life changes that shook my foundation. In rapid succession, I was transferred, I moved a household, lost a job, lost an arbitration, broke my foot, lost a parent and lost a cat. Of my two best friends, one moved to Japan for a year and the other moved to Chicago forever. I also lost my savings, and then some, looking for work for more than a year.
None of these things can make a person fat, but they can make for excellent excuses for moving in that direction. As the pounds piled on, whatever vestige of fitness good genes had maintained for me fell away. Things pinged, and I was tired all the time.
That’s where I was when Tracey and Thom Downing of FIT (Focused Individual Trainers) in Los Altos e-mailed me. I edit the special sections of the Town Crier, and the Downings wanted to write a column about fitness. I told them that I already have so many columnists in the Your Health section that I often cannot run them all each month. Would they like to take me on as a project?
I told them the trut 50 pounds overweight, I am so out of shape that my body doesn’t recall ever having been in shape. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. I used to be addicted to coffee, now I’m addicted to diet sodas. The phrase “fun run” is the definition of an oxymoron to me.
The Downings agreed to help me. For a reduced fee, they have provided me with a trainer and help getting fit and losing weight. I will be writing about the process monthly.
This is much more than a reclamation project; I see this as a chance to completely reorient my lifestyle to something healthy and sustainable. I have been surprised that aging, so far, has brought not only facial lines but also a little more wisdom and perspective that have made life more enjoyable. I want to be healthy and fit enough to get the benefit of that for a long time to come.
My agreement with the Downings doesn’t require me to write only positive things, but so far, that’s all I have found at the gym in Rancho Shopping Center. It is as nonthreatening as a gym could be. The range of ages and abilities is vast - the FIT Web site (www.focusedtrainers.com) says children as young as 7 and people as old as 93 work out there. Everyone is working hard, not showing off, and you’re not out of place if you arrive in a T-shirt and Target sweatpants. Rock plays at a level where you can easily have a conversation with your trainer. One TV is set to all-news, the other to all-sports; both play subtitles instead of sound.
Every new client undergoes tests so trainers can develop a personalized program. I edged into the “good” category on the VO2 max test, and my program has been a combination of walking outside and on a treadmill and strength training.
The first couple of sessions were eye-openers. Sitting at a desk for years had left me with the legs of an 80-year-old. My trainer, Analisa Naldi, started me out with lunges and modified squats, and I kept embarrassing myself by falling over. Naldi thought my balance was bad but later concluded that my legs had no strength. She added daily walking to my strength training to work the legs. For days, getting up out of a chair felt like someone was trying to tear the flesh off my thigh bones.
The toughest part of getting started for me was making a commitment. I missed appointments, and I was often late to those I did make. After a particularly bad couple of weeks, when I thought I had wasted so much of Naldi’s time that I should quit, she sent me an e-mail that helped set me on the right road.
“One of the most difficult things that I have found with people is getting them to find some time in their lives for themselves,” it said. “This could mean starting an exercise program that enables them to relieve stress, improve their health and try something new. …
“Once the process has started, sometimes it is a little rocky to start, but just like education, a positive, healthy lifestyle is always attainable, as long as you’re willing. It is never too late to start. Just as it is never too late to start over.
“I am more than willing to find some slots on my schedule to get you into the gym and help you to change part of your life.”
Naldi, who coaches girls’ basketball at St. Francis High School, apologized for being in her coach mode when she wrote that, but it was just what I needed to hear. We’ve started meeting three times a week instead of two, and I’ve promised her that my next step will be to sign up at Weight Watchers.
Naldi is in her 20s and is an inspiration. She has a bachelor’s degree in sports management and is writing her thesis to complete a master’s program at San Jose State University. In her spare time, she trains clients and coaches. Unflaggingly upbeat but firm, Naldi has already made a difference in my attitude and will doubtless have a great deal to do with my eventual success. She’s also a joy to know.
I’m naming this ongoing column Fat2Fit. I don’t think I’m being overly optimistic. I just hope I won’t be writing this three years from now, still aiming at the fit part.
For more information about FIT, call 947-9831. For comments or questions on this series, e-mail Kaye Ross at kayer@latc.com.
