By Robert Schwander, Owner, Fitness Counseling, Inc.
Well, another spectacular July 4th has come and gone, and once again, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to write another article on another one of my hard-working clients. This article is on a strong-willed, hard-working, and disciplined client that I have had the opportunity to guide and help her through a challenging time after completing therapy for open-heart surgery. That wonderful client is Cathie Trent.
Cathie Trent was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and raised in Zambia. At the age of 10, she was educated in England, at a boarding school known as Brereton Hall. After completing boarding school education, she was trained as a teacher at Froebel London University. In 1984, Cathie married Bill Trent and lived in Liberia until 1997, when Cathie and Bill moved to Peoria, Illinois.
For well over 25 years, Cathie has run Bridlewood Stables and has taught the youth, along with the adults, the fine art of competitive riding. Also, for the past 20 years, Cathie has run the backstage of the Nutcracker production. During her spare time, she raises ducks, quail, and chickens and also supports an animal rescue service. Cathie loves to participate in gardening and maintenance on her large acreage property and is also a partner in a furniture refinishing business called Furniture Reimagined with Joan Stanisic, in which they have created masterpieces out of used furniture. Cathie also finds time to partake in art and loves to paint. She also finds time to assist a well-known Peoria artist, Lonnie Stewart, with organizing.
Cathie Trent is as tough as they come. My first opportunity to train her, as I expressed above, was right after she completed therapy in 2021 for open-heart surgery that was due to a hereditary factor. Cathie was also experiencing an issue with her hip in which she planned to address well into the future. Strength training for post-surgery is an essential part of the rehabilitation process.
Together with her doctors’ and therapists’ advice, we developed a strength and conditioning regimen tailored specifically for Cathie’s needs. During Cathie’s training sessions, the need for pre-surgery strengthening of the muscles surrounding the hip joint, since it was bone-on-bone, was also addressed. Pre-strengthening of the surrounding area that is to be operated on will give the client a much quicker and better recovery rate than an unconditioned client who has no muscle control, muscle mass, or muscle strength.
So, getting back to Cathie’s regimen, I trained her pretty religiously twice a week throughout the year. Her exercise regimen consisted of a gentle step approach to strengthening and following a predetermined conditioning and balancing regimen tailored specifically for her needs. Although she was released from physical therapy for the heart surgery, the main concern for developing the strength surrounding the hip she intended to have surgery on in the future. Cathie’s strength improved very well; I was pleased with her development within a year. Strangely enough, Cathie was feeling a little bit off from being her normal self, and upon testing, she found out that she had a blood infection possibly associated with the previous surgery, and due to the condition, she spent three weeks in the hospital recovering. Upon recovering from that incident, Cathie resumed her fitness conditioning and strengthening regimen with me.
Cathie was back on track, and at the beginning of 2025, she had the hip replacement. Following recovery from surgery and graduating from rehab, Cathie and I are once again training together twice a week. All in all, she’s doing very well and continues to strive forward with her strength and development regimen. Hopefully, all of her issues are far behind her and she can spend it on maintaining and building a better body that keeps her moving forward with her furniture renewing business, her work on the farm and at the stable, and the hobbies she so much enjoys.
Cathie is a hard worker and a sound contributor to life, I enjoy training Cathie because she gets right to it and gets the job done.
Robert J. Schwander is the owner and a certified personal trainer at Fitness Counseling, Inc. located at 1020 W. Detweiller Dr., Peoria. Call 309-692-6533 for more information. Visit Fitness Counseling, Inc. on Facebook, and please click “like.”
