Mike Hutchison’s Testimony – A Journey of Progression with a Personal Trainer
I started working with Teresa Roberts March of 2013. My goals when I started were to improve flexibility, increase strength, and increase endurance. I have played golf for many years. I could tell I was losing freedom in my swing. I also did some hiking and would have trouble going over 2 miles. That was pretty much it for physical activity. Teresa did an assessment, evaluated me, and came up with a specific plan for me to begin the journey of improving my overall physical fitness.
We started working doing cardio work as well as working with the various machines with weights at the Recreation Center in Galax. Teresa stressed the importance of stretching as I worked using my full range of motion with all the muscle groups. This really helped me as I struggled with very tight muscles when we started. Teresa had a lot of different stretches for me work on at the end of sessions as well. We continued to add more challenging movements as I improved my flexibility. Teresa is inspiring and keeps me motivated to work hard to improve. I started to see a radical change within weeks!
When I play golf I experience a huge difference! The stretching and weight work has increased my core strength and mobility allowing me swing the golf club more freely in movement, and I have a more powerful swing. The walking has increased my leg strength and allowed me to develop muscle in my legs I had never had before which has been very beneficial with my game as well.
When the warmer weather came we moved to the New River Trail to begin walking to improve cardio and endurance. I have been able to go from walking two miles at a 20 minute mile pace to 4 miles at under a 17 minute a mile pace. The hard work was compensated for while enjoying all the beauty of the trail that God has so richly blessed us with. I enjoyed the fresh air, sunshine, and even walks in the rain! I am now able to go on rather challenging 4 to 6 mile hikes, have fun, and not be exhausted. These hikes have included Stone Mountain, Fisher Peak, and Hanging Rock.
I am now working out at the Carroll Wellness Center after becoming a member there. Teresa has a plan for me on many new machines this facility offers. We have been able to increase the weight on most all the machines since we moved there in September. We also now have the therapy pool to do water sessions as well as the swimming pool for laps. We have done one session and plan to do more.
Teresa has helped me achieve all my goals. I feel more flexible, stronger, and my endurance has greatly increased. It has improved my quality of life, and it is amazing how much better I feel going about my normal day. How can you put a price on that?
Teresa, thank you for making fitness successful and fun!
Mike Hutchison, Engineer
Galax, Va