Empowered Personal Training Studio

Hey this is Jared from the Not So Better Half Show on 107.9 FM the Link and starting back in January of this year I heard that we had just got a new sponsor who was going to whip me into shape. I have to admit I was a jumble of emotions. On one hand I was excited about getting back into shape and beginning to peel off the pounds that college and two years of marriage had happily given me. On the other hand I was nervous about having the trainers, cohosts, and listeners to let down if I did not reach my goals. It was a new experience for me in more ways than one.
Jared Burton I had never had a trainer before and on our first meeting I was not sure what to expect, but I rolled up to the intimate empowered studio in Harrisburg. I had come straight from school where I teach science as my day job and I was a little tired and concerned about what I would find out. Emily walked me through the detailed process including: a mile run, three minute step test, push ups, sit ups, pinch tests, weight, bmi... basically everything. The assessment was a tough pill to swallow. I knew I was no where I wanted to be health-wise but I found that my blood pressure was high. I was 25 years old and my blood pressure was high. You would think that weight, bmi, or my overall feeling of fatigue would get my attention, but it was the blood pressure that grabbed me and let me know that even though I was an athlete in high school and college I had officially let myself go.
The fun had begun. Right after my first assessment Emily led me through a 90 minute work out that left me breathless. I was meeting with Aubrey on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school at the track and Emily on Saturday mornings for Boot Camp and Spinning Class. I was monitoring my nutrition and trying to work out three other days of the week on my own while working as a full time teacher and part-time radio personality. I was overwhelmed and feeling that I may have bitten off more than I could chew.
I quickly discovered that a drastic lifestyle change was easy when you have a supportive team behind you. When I was tired I got support. When my brain was not working all I had to do was follow the directions from Aubrey or Emily. When my schedule got crazy the team made changes to work with me. My lifestyle was getting an overhaul and it was possible as much as I tried to tell myself it wasn't.
We hit our six-week mark and all my assessment measurements dropped and I had lost 14 pounds. I was ecstatic. I felt great. I posted before and after pictures of myself on the internet that weren't doctored at all. And the next six weeks flew by with work outs already built into my schedule, nutrition already a priority in my life, and my wife seeming to be more excited about me being naked around the house.
The day finally came around for my 12 week assessment. I had gone from weighing 240 pounds with high blood pressure to having just completed a half-marathon in 2 hours and weighing 219 pounds with a superb resting heart rate and great blood pressure reading and I was just getting started. Emily and Aubrey had made it seem easy and had instilled in me a new love of physical fitness that I had not felt since my time playing sports back in college. I now understand what it means to get connected to a group of trainers and other team members enjoying their health and fitness and how important that is for someone entering into the career/family stage of their lives. I want my health to be important and no one is going to make it a priority but me.
In closing I am running my first full marathon in October this year, ten months after I started training with Empowered, and I doubt it will be my last.
- Jared M Burton