I first called Charlie for two reasons. One, I had chronic neck and shoulder pain that would often plague me for months at a time, putting an end to my workouts and any progress I had been making at the time. And secondly, because I had, in the last year or two, been carrying around that “mid-life middle” that torments so many women of a “certain age.” I had started to believe there was nothing I could do about that, as all the books and magazines told me, it was the hormones and a slowing metabolism. Skeptically, I decided to give it a shot.
After only a few months I have to say that I am down 12 pounds and my mushy middle is gone. I’ve gone down a pants size, although I’m thinking of returning my new size 6’s because they are too big. What’s more, I’ve been working out pain free, I’m not worried about throwing out my shoulder doing simple tasks and my posture is better.
Charlie is the most focused personal trainer I’ve ever worked with. He asks you to set a goal and then does everything in his power to get you to it. But he will not kill you. His workouts are tough, getting gradually harder as you get stronger, but his interest is in getting you to your goal in a healthy way. Always mindful of preventing injuries, he creates a plan that works with your life. We talk about nutrition, a subject I originally fought him on while he patiently waited for me to see the light. And we talk about the biggest obstacle most people have to achieving health and fitness: our own heads.
Charlie knows a million exercises, but to him that’s not enough. He spends countless hours researching exercise physiology and philosophies, nutrition and health. If your elbow hurts one week, he’ll come back next week sighting five studies on elbow injuries.
Having surpassed my goals, I now need to decide on a new one. Oh, I’m not done. As Charlie says, we are all a work in progress. But I’m turning fifty in a few months and planning to hike the Grand Tetons on my birthday. Thanks to Charlie, I think I’ll make it to the top. Now all I need is a new pair of size four hiking shorts.