Q: What was your first goal before starting? What are some of the goals you still want to work on?

Alison: When I first started I just wanted to get stronger! I was having a lot of trouble with my back, and so I’ve been working on that ever since, but my goal has changed somewhat. I really feel that everything you do here leads towards better health and your future life. It's really a powerful, inspirational kind of journey we’re on, IF we allow ourselves to be on it!

Sally: It had been a stressful year, as I just finished a year of going through a divorce and I found myself repeatedly being sick. Just dealing with this lengthy illness which was unusual for me. I had been very healthy and have been exercising for years, but I wasn't getting my exercise in. I came to thinking “Well I'm going to get healthier and get back on my exercise routine!” I think what happened is that I realized there was a lot of other health factors that were going on in my life, and start to address those. A lot of change! 

Alison: Well, I think life is a journey and you have to go through it step by step! Everything is a teaching moment, and so the whole of life is getting towards living the ultimate, the best you possibly can. So, any advantage or anything that’s offered to you as you grow up and go through life of immense importance to you, and you should pay attention to those things when they appear to you. That’s been the inspiration for my being here and doing other things, and that’s promoted my life, at this age, to being a happy human being. That’s a wonderful thing at my age, really!

Sally: I think, staying consistent with health and exercise is really important! When I find myself slipping into not doing that then I need to ‘re-look’ at what I am doing. So that was my goal, was to ‘re-look’ at how I was maintaining, how was I growing, and how was I getting healthier. That’s going to continue to be the goal!

Alison: Part of it is not only just coming in and working out yourself, but interaction with you Melissa, and with Sally and Greg. That is really the important thing! Think of all the things we talk about.

Sally: Greg doesn't talk. (laughter) He is all about focus! But that’s teaching me (what I think he is teaching me) is to focus on that moment… to be in that moment and that exercise, and to stay in that. That’s really hard for me to do. That’s a very powerful thing for me!

Q: Any other goals you would like to share?

Alison: Well, I think nutrition is a very big thing, and you've helped me a lot on nutrition! Also, allowing ourselves to go back to all the foods we used to enjoy so much (like butter, ice cream, etc.)

Sally: Coffee! Live life! Have an egg with butter!

Alison: It really doesn't matter so much if your five pounds overweight! Really, just let off!

Sally: I think that the hardest thing for me is to really take time to appreciate my body and not beat up on myself all the time. I really do that! I realized at my age I'm pain free and I'm strong. I can do all this work and I barely ever tell my body “THANK YOU! You’re great! Awesome! You’re doing such a great job!” So, I noticed that a lot! I noticed how much I really talk nasty myself. So, one of my goals is to be a little bit kinder, and be prouder of my accomplishments!

Alison: Energized! Like I sort of come home, and this was a place that I really wanted to be. Like, this was the person that I really wanted to train with and I felt extremely comfortable with!

Sally: I felt much more accountable! The accountability that I showed up, was keeping track of things, and also, just cared for! Especially when I added in a massage. (laughter). Then I really felt cared for. But that was a big and really important!

Q: How do you feel now, at this present moment?

Alison: I feel very good about the program! Really, because my limitations have become more obvious and the way you train me, you give me permission to go a little more slowly, to be a little bit more exhausted, and to take breaks. It takes more effort than it did in the past, and you run along with that too.

Sally: I'm starting to feel changes! For the last two nights, I've slept 7 hours both nights and that’s a pretty amazing thing. S so looking more holistically at everything changed. I think it's really starting to pay off. I'm starting to feel good!

Alison: The other day you said to me, "I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life!" and that is a Huge thing to say Sally! Even happier than your childhood, mind you.

Sally: I said I’m back to myself! I've return to my best self. My best child self!

Alison: Well, this is an old soul! I feel, at the moment, that you go on growing until the moment you die! And you better do that, because what’ the alternative?

Sally: It's really helpful if you’re physically able to take advantage of it because my grandmother, her mother, was the same. I think had the same mindset. Physically was so debilitated that, by the time she was your age, she could not really take full advantage of the wonderful things that she could have done. I mean, she tried her best! She was stoic about it, but imagine how much more joy she would have gotten if she had been able to really move around.

Sally: I feel I have such a good role model about “what you’re supposed to do!” Both my mother and my grandmother. I think that you plan to take care of yourself as much as you can, so you can keep physically active and then mentally active… mentally interested. So it's really important!

Alison: Well I love it! What I've really enjoyed is watching you grow Melissa! You have really made your business because you look at every possibility and you have changed. It’s more holistic and just a whole new experience now from when we started. That is enormous!

Sally: What I like the most is that it's right here, this idea of this punitive model of fitness has been what I've been involved in a long time. It’s really hard to break that mold “how will I punish myself today for eating? How will I suffer to be better?” It's this whole idea of care-taking and gratefulness. It’s not about eating everything in sight, but this idea of balance and trying to treat yourself, treat your body, like you really do appreciate it instead of punishing it for when it's trying to do its best for you. That's what I've learned! I really think that that has been a big insight. You know why won't let myself sleep? Why am I eating the things I am? It's a lot! I think has been eye opening!

Q: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting or contemplating starting?

Alison: I would say GO FOR IT as fast as you can! This is an opportunity for you, and just grab it and do it. No question! Don't question it! Just go ahead and DO IT!

Sally: I can more clearly remember, because you never stopped working out and exercising, but there was a time when I was very out of shape and I came to you. I had told my mother “I don't even know where to start.” She said, “Start with Melissa!” I think the idea of putting yourself in somebody’s hands is important because you just don't know where to start. You have to start slow, but you grow fast! That’s what I think the trainer understands! Just keep doing it! It's not how much you’re doing each time. Just be consistent, and that’s the biggest message! If you're not going to get through the whole workout, that’s alright! Just keep trying… keep going!

Alison: I would like to sort of just get through to people that everything in your life is a journey! There are good things that are going to happen, and lousy things that are going to happen! The lousy things are so often a teaching moment that you learn from! Grow from it, and you’ll become more understanding of others! It's so important to go through this journey and appreciate that this is your life and that this is going to be, you hope, a very long time! You had better take advantage of everything that comes along!