By Robert Schwander, Owner, Fitness Counseling, Inc.
This article is on a very special client—Lisa Applegate. Lisa was born in Peoria, Illinois, and lived here for six years until she and her family moved to Switzerland for her father’s job at Caterpillar. Lisa and her family lived in Switzerland for 10 years, and then they found their way back to Peoria.
Lisa, in her early 20s, decided to join the Army and served for the Army Signal Corps for three years. Upon her return, she studied and graduated from ICC and also graduated from Bradley University with a bachelor of science in computer science. Lisa worked for IBM for five years, then accepted another position at Pekin District 108 as a network administrator and held the position for 30 years. Lisa’s job required a lot of sitting, and she was not active and did not partake in any fitness activities.
Over the years, Lisa realized she had not maintained her fitness and had also gained weight. In 2018, Lisa decided to do something about her fitness level and purchased her first road bike to combat her health concerns. Lisa decided to seek the assistance of a bicycling coach. Her coach recommended that Lisa should do a strength and conditioning program. A close friend of Lisa’s and a client of mine recommended she contact me to see if I could assist her with her strength and conditioning needs.
Lisa contacted me and we set up a consultation. During the consultation, Lisa expressed her conditioning needs and goals. Together, we developed a realistic and smart plan to help her meet her fitness needs. Lisa’s first few months on her new strength and conditioning journey required much stabilizer muscle development and bilateral muscle balancing. Lisa did very well for quite some time and was well on her way with her newfound fitness journey. Lisa’s progress was very good and her newfound strength helped her with her long-distance bike riding, enabling her to complete many century bike rides.
In late 2020, Lisa had to put her conditioning on hold for a while to help her mother, Lisa assisted her mother with her healthcare needs until her mother’s passing in 2021. Thereafter, Lisa took some time for herself to regroup and organize. The next couple of years, as we all know, are somewhat chaotic and many of us have to put a hold on our lives. Once the coast seemed clear, Lisa decided to start back up with her fitness regimen, and I have to say Lisa has been striving forward ever since. Lisa is gearing up for her fourth century bike ride; her training regimen has been disciplined and precise. Now, at another level, Lisa is performing more advanced conditioning exercises that are tailored to not only help her achieve her bicycling goals but also reshape her strength and her body.
Lisa is a wonderful example of success—she puts in the work and she puts in the effort. Together, Lisa and I continue to work on developing her strength. Lisa is also dedicated to finding time to complete her fitness assignments and spend countless miles on her cycling. I’m very proud of Lisa’s achievements and I admire and respect her commitment to her family. I am truly grateful to have such a wonderful opportunity to address the strength needs of such a wonderful person.
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.”
