I began with water exercise because that’s what my joints could handle. When I finally lost 135 pounds, I went on land to continue my fitness journey – and to share it with other women in my situation, I became a personal trainer in 1992. My father recommended that, as a Jewish woman, I advertise to the large orthodox Jewish community in Chicago. I became THE trainer for that community. Back then it was all about exercising to reduce weight. And so many women, myself included, were trying every weight reduction program that came out – none of which have ever proven successful long term. Some of the list of programs I tried are: Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, The Cabbage Soup Diet, Phen-Fen, Optifast, etc…)

By 2010, I started focusing on nutrition in a more enlightened way, which led to exploring my limiting beliefs in myself. Though my weight has fluctuated over the past 25 years, I am now healthier, happier and in the best shape of my life – having lost a total of 177 pounds and still reducing. My boutique fitness studio catering primarily to mature and some senior women who have faced life challenges similar to mine is thriving. My professional journey has focused on gaining the skills and knowledge to best serve them in the areas of exercise physiology, body mechanics, the latest in nutrition science, and perhaps most important – addressing and dealing with the emotions around body image, fat shaming, and reliance on food as comfort.

My journey mirrors my clients’ journey: The difficulty of carrying around so much weight and thinking “If I just exercise more and eat less I could beat this obesity thing!”; undergoing six knee surgeries due to teaching up to three-step classes/day and having back pain due to poor functional fitness.

The Grey Institutes 360 program changed my life and how I train clients. We no longer do squats; we do hip hinges. We no longer do sit-ups; we work the abs and back like they were meant to be worked – standing and for stability.