I’d like to introduce you to Judy. She’s been a Bdefined client for 10 years, and she amazes us each and every time she walks through our doors. Although she is often in pain, she rarely misses a workout, never complains, and is always upbeat and positive. Her story is one of resilience, and I hope it inspires you as much as Judy inspires us. 
❤️
Judy’s Story
“I started coming to Bdefined in 2008 just after I’d turned 65. I’d had a bout of back pain, which a chiropractor had taken care of, but I realized I needed to do something regularly to stay flexible and pain free. I’m very sedentary and had stopped some of my more active sports like tennis or running. I tend to think that chiropractors, physical therapists, and personal trainers are all in the same category, with trainers being perhaps the most general—and the most fun! I enjoyed the sessions, and I liked (needed?) the discipline of having an appointment to show up for. The other exercise I enjoyed was walking, and I tried to walk 3 miles 3-4 times a week.
In 2002 I’d been treated for stage 3 metastatic breast cancer: mastectomy, chemo, radiation. From then until 2015, I’d gotten along well with various hormone therapies. Then the cancer began to spread, and it was a game of trying to contain it. For most of 2017, I had weekly chemo sessions. Happily I didn’t have major side effects, but did have frequent fatigue, occasional nausea, and neuropathy in my feet. From November 2017 I’ve had problems with my hips stiffening up, either from arthritis or from the cancer, and my feet and ankles have been swelling a bit. Walking was an effort, and I didn’t do it as much. Also had hip pain, which turned out to be a tumor on the hip, which radiation in March took care of. Now I have 2 tumors on my lumbar sacral spine, and I’m scheduled for radiation in June to zap them. The radiologist says he’s amazed I don’t have back pain from them. And I’m on a new cancer med which eventually is supposed to check the cancer symptoms.
I’ve kept coming to training because I almost always feel better after the session and I hope it can help keep me stable at least. If I’m feeling funky, I might not walk, but the discipline of the training appointment keeps me coming back. Stephanie is great. She always asks how I feel, and if there’s fatigue, nausea, pain, whatever, she adapts our program for that. She does research to be informed on the different conditions and often suggests stretches or exercises I might do at home. She’s also been very careful to avoid stressing my back lately so that the tumors don’t get aggravated and painful.
So, I know when I come in I won’t leave feeling worse and will probably feel better, and the training is contributing to my general well-being.”
-Judy
