“As we age, we lose our core strength and our balance. I noticed my golf game was going down hill and in general I felt clumsier than I used to be. These things were my motivation to begin The Q.”

Katie is a retired mother of two grown daughters who has started her own cleaning business, as she puts it, ‘for mad money’ in her post retirement.  She remains active golfing, camping, gardening, snowshoeing and playing with her grandchildren.  

“I’m up and down a lot when I’m cleaning and I noticed my balance wasn’t what it used to be.  Even my golf game was suffering because of this.  I wanted to be able to keep up with my children and grandchildren.  I knew I needed to build up more core strength in order to regain some balance.”

Considering herself somewhat of an overachiever, Katie has never experienced problems maintaining her weight, but was definitely losing muscle tone, which is natural as we age.  The Q program appealed to her because it is affordable and cardio inspired.

“I am the oldest one in my class and am always motivated to keep up with the others.  You go at your own pace and don’t feel pushed.  I love the class.”

Since she started the program 2 ½ months ago, Katie has experienced an increase in her energy level.  She’s seeing results – her clothes are baggier even though she hasn’t lost any weight.  As she puts it ‘the weight has been redistributed’.  

In the past she’d tried Zumba, a variety of machines, yoga, biking, walking and kayaking.  Free weights, used in The Q were new to Katie.  Of all of the classes she’s taken, her favorite is The Q.

Her routine consists of:

  • The Q on MWF
  • Yoga on Tuesdays
  • Increasing her protein intake

Katie admits it’s tough getting up for her 5:15 AM class, but that’s the one that works best with her schedule.  Her strategy to keep with the program is to just force herself.  It’s a constant battle but she admits to feeling great when she’s done.  Her mantra?  ‘Gotta move forward, not backward’.

“This class exposes you to all different age groups and all different types of people.  You’re not in it alone!  I look forward to my sessions all of the time.”

She’s offered these tips for others on their road to improving their general health:

  • If you don’t eat properly you’re going to be gaining fat not muscle mass.
  • Without preaching to you, the trainers are educating you about nutrition during the program (they stress a high protein diet for maximum results).
  • You can eat happily and deliciously and have much more energy to do the things you want when you eat properly.
  • Cooking Light magazine offers some great recipes!

“When you get older, you get what I like to call little ‘fat bags’.  I can actually see these fading the more I work out!  You’ll never look like you did when you were 20, but you could look at least as good or better than others your own age!”

Those are some great words of wisdom, Katie. Keep up the good work and thanks for the inspiration!