When I first approached Brady about fitness at Encompass, I was extremely nervous. I have always been intimidated by the gym. The very idea of going to the gym was enough to send me flying in the opposite direction.  I tried at-home fitness programs, but I never had the discipline to go more than a few days with a program.  I tried group fitness classes with other gyms and community organizations, but they just weren’t the right ones for me. I always felt behind, like I needed to catch up in order to be there.

In January 2018, I decided that I needed to make exercise a regular part of my life. I actually liked exercising (when I did it), but just needed consistency and support in a smaller setting than on my own or a large group class. I heard about different options for fitness at Encompass during my experience in the Kickstart and Life programs at Encompass.  I met with Brady and she explained all of my options for private training, semi-private training, and group fitness classes. I knew I wasn’t mentally ready to get in another group fitness setting but I wanted to meet some new people as well, so I signed up for semi-private training.

I can’t even begin to explain how much I gained from this experience! The first thing I gained from semi-private training was a best friend.

We didn’t know each other before we sat together in Brady’s office and filled out our paper work, but the connection was instant. As we got to know each other, we joked that we were basically the same person. We almost even had the same name: Breanne and Brianna. I think that was the fastest friendship ever formed. Over the 6 months that we trained together, we were inseparable! We constantly texted through the week, spent time together on the weekends, and even went on shopping trips to Regina.  

Brianna and I were each other’s cheerleaders during our training with Jessi. We never let the other one quit. To be honest, I am very competitive and never want to be the one who gave up first or who lifted the lighter weights. Brianna pushed me without even knowing it. Even when we told each other that we didn’t want to go to Encompass that day, we kept each other accountable to going.

But Brianna was not just there to support me while we were at Encompass. She was the person I would text when I really wanted to eat that cinnamon bun but knew I shouldn’t. She was the person I would text when I finished a walk/run on my treadmill on one of the days we weren’t at Encompass. She was the one I would complain to when I was too sore to climb the stairs to my condo after a workout. I’ve moved to Calgary, but she’s still the person I complain to and celebrate with. She keeps me on track and I do the same for her.

The second thing I gained was confidence.

Not only confidence in doing moves the right way and what equipment to use, but confidence that I am strong and capable. My body can do lots of things that I didn’t know it could – that I never tried to do before because I was convinced I was weak and so not fitness-oriented. I CAN do hard things if I decide to. I gained confidence in that I can do any workout I decide to do. I gained confidence in setting out time for myself to work out – and follow through with it.

I LOVED my experience in semi-private training!! I felt like I finally found a place that accepted where I was at with my fitness. Knowing that there was no judgement about my ability was life changing for me. Jessi was always there to push me when I needed it and didn’t put up with any of my sass. She didn’t hold my lack of experience against me and she didn’t care if I wasn’t the best (or worst). I loved the attention I got with the training and how I could ask as many questions I wanted without feeling like I was taking away from too many others. 

Since I’ve moved to Calgary, I still work out regularly. The confidence and accountability I’ve gained through semi-private training at Encompass has given me so much. I found my love for exercise and a friendship that has given me so much life!