"I have been impressed with BodyBusiness since the day I walked in. From the friendly and caring staff, to the extreme cleanliness of the locker rooms, every detail has been given great thought. Every person that works there gives you a genuine smile and is willing to talk to you for as long as you would like, whether it's about your experience there or your work or what you're experiencing in life, whether good or bad. My experience with other gyms I had belonged to in the past were not positive. I always felt uncomfortable, out of place, intimidated, and not heard. It is the complete opposite at BodyBusiness. As a business owner myself, I have studied in depth what makes a company successful. My respect for Susan, the owner, is sky high, as she knows it's sincerely caring about the client that creates success. Her leadership is apparent by the way the rest of management as well as everyone there treats each client." Cindy Barron "I have been very pleasantly surprised by the friendlessness of the entire staff (everyone always says "hello") and the general atmosphere. The atmosphere is very friendly, helpful, warm and inviting. It is really a feeling of family which really appeals to me and makes it easy to come (before we joined, I was concerned that I would not have the self-discipline to come, but because of the friendly atmosphere, I really look forward to coming and seeing everyone." Jo Thornton "I want to share with you what my first month at BodyBusiness has done for me. Every morning I wake without an alarm, ready to go and challenge myself. I sleep better at night and I feel better during the day. Part of that is due to my efforts at the gym. Part of that is due to the professional and courteous staff. Everyone smiles, asks how I am doing, and offers words of encouragement to keep going. I appreciate that more than words can say." Autum Kirk "BodyBusiness has turned exercise from a 'chore' into something that I love." Liz Stewart "The facility is beautiful, the staff treats me like I am a part of their family, I get a consistent quality workout in every class that I attend, and I leave with a smile on my face. You just can't beat the customer service! I tell anyone who will listen how happy I am with my new fitness club!" Diana Vandel (who loves BB so much she teaches Yoga for us now!) "I would recommend BodyBusiness to anyone who truly wants to change their life for the better and who wants to become healthier and stronger. You will not find a more dedicated staff committed to helping you achieve your fitness goals." Suzanna Albright "BodyBusiness has been my refuge from reality for 8 years now. Plus, I'm in better shape than I was 8 years ago!" Elizabeth Sullivan "My goal was to increase my stamina and strengthen my legs so that I could out-ski my ski club buddies and leave them gasping for breath in the snow as they had so often left me?..today at 63, I can live up to the ski club motto: Ski all Day, Dance all Night, Make Love till Dawn! Get Revenge; join BodyBusiness!" Jerry Tapley "I joined BodyBusiness on the referral of a friend. She told me 'You're gonna love it. The classes are great and they are very laid back?so I took a class and signed up!" Tonya Dezso "I am a polio survivor and the atmosphere at BodyBusiness makes me feel that, even with the limitations I do have, I can continue to gain strength and stamina. Here you are only competing against yourself and that philosophy frees one to work harder even in a limited range." Ann Cunningham "We are certainly healthier than we have ever been, and look forward to many more years as members of the BodyBusiness community. We cannot think of a better way to start our day." Joe & Elisa Fritz "BodyBusiness is not only very convenient to my residence, it also offers numerous exercise classes during the day, excellent equipment, and outstanding instructors. Although some of my more disciplined friends will exercise on their own, I have found that a class environment (with peer pressure provided by the other attendees and constant encouragement from the instructor) works best for me." Gene Hill "I don't have a miracle story - no major weight loss or physical obstacle overcome. However, at the age of 53, I am the same weight and clothing size as 20 years ago. Is that a miracle story? Anyway, I trust my body to BodyBusiness and I have never considered another gym. Why would I? This one is home." Alice Craven "BodyBusiness has changed my life by showing me the importance of taking care of my body - forever. Not just to get into a dress or for that 'big event' but this is a journey that will last a lifetime." Suzy Strother "At that time I belonged to one of the chain gyms in the area. Nothing about the gym excited me-the management and staff were rude, the equipment dirty and always packed and the classes were uninspiring. A friend of mine belonged to BodyBusiness and told me to check it out. The second I walked in, I knew this was the place for me. The no-competition environment and clean atmosphere sold me immediately." Christine Freeman "Let me tell you some of the reasons I love going to the gym. Although my gym is a very nice facility, clean, beautifully maintained and equipped, it's not the facility that makes me love to go to BodyBusiness. It is the encouragement I receive from the wonderful, well-trained instructors that keep me coming back every day. They greet me with a big smile every time I arrive and they know my name! When people ask me 'How can you stand to go to the gym after work every day?' I say, 'I can't stand not to.' I meet up with people I like and we get a great workout and we have fun doing it! What can be better than that." Gayle Carraway "Now at the age of 40, I look and feel better than I ever have in my life. Also, with the support and encouragement of BodyBusiness' personal trainers, staff and childcare workers, I now consider myself a budding triathlete. That's amazing! Since I couldn't even run three miles when I joined BodyBusiness much less swim and bike too." Rebecca Moran "BodyBusiness is a bright, clean and non-threatening place to work out. Special events, new classes, something is going on all of the time. You never know what the creative minds at BodyBusiness will come up with next! I actually look forward to getting up and getting going. The rest of my life starts each day only after my workout." Tommie Pinkard "My experiences at BodyBusiness have had a major impact on my life. I was never a very physical person?you know, the kid picked last in gym. But now I feel that I am in pretty good shape, and enjoying an improved quality of life. You know, BodyBusiness is a lot like the bar in Cheers, where everybody knows your name! So I say to Susan Cooper and all of the BodyBusiness staff: Thanks for helping to improve my quality of life. And to anyone who is interested in BodyBusiness, I would say: Give this wonderful staff a chance, and they can make positive changes in your life." Doyal Pinkard Robin's Story "'Wow! You look Great!' 'Hey skinny!' 'The pounds are just melting off of you!' 'Wow! You look like you've lost a lot of weight.' 'You look Fabulous!' These are the comments I hear almost daily at work and from the staff and other members at BodyBusiness. Often these comments are followed by the questions: "How much have you lost?" and the inevitable: "How did you do it?" At this point I've lost a bit over 100 pounds and am still counting. But these days I'm more interested in marking my progress by what I can now do - the life I have gained - than the number of pounds I have lost. The easy and true answer to how I've done it is to say: By eating healthy and exercising & making both a part of my daily life. But no one wants to hear that! Everyone wants that magic pill or formula that will transform them without effort. So I'll give you my magic formula by breaking it down to a 1, 2, 3. 1. Find a place where you feel comfortable exercising. BodyBusiness has been that place for me. It is the "Cheers!" of Austin gyms. The staff really does know your name, the members are friendly & everyone is supportive. 2. Support. If you can, I highly recommend hiring a Personal Trainer. Having someone knowledgeable in your corner to guide you, push you, teach you, keep you focused, keep you on track, and who will tell you the truth is invaluable. 3. Persistence. Being healthy is an every day thing. Everyone has their own starting point and goals & everyone can only take one step at a time to get from that point to that goal. The most important thing is to keep moving forward. When I was about to hit the age of 50 I weighed about 275, smoked one to two packs of cigarettes a day, woke up every day wondering which part of me was going to hurt, found it increasingly difficult to do things, and knew that at the rate I was going I would not reach 60 years of age. Indeed I was amazed I was about to turn 50. I had never imagined reaching 50 and since it seemed like I was going to do that and more I realized that I needed to change my life if I was going to enjoy life. But my life was just not set up to be healthy. I had once (a million life times before) been strong and healthy and hated now feeling weaker by the day. But beyond knowing that exercise would be a good thing I didn't have a clue. I had a vague idea about how to eat "right" but I hated going to the grocery store and getting out of my car to get dinner was more effort than I wanted to expend. I knew that I needed help getting started on my journey & opening the door of BB (the first time I'd ever been in a gym) was the best first step I could have taken. But it was hard for me to adjust to this new way of thinking. I ate better some of the time but I still knew who was behind about a half dozen drive thru windows. I came to the gym about an hour a week to work out with a trainer and took the stairs in the parking garage but beyond that I wasn't moving much. I had the desire and was making small changes here and there, had lost some weight & did feel better from my efforts but I wasn't making dramatic changes in my life or becoming that much healthier. This went on for over a year before I took a four month break from the gym and trying to be healthy. That break was in the short term a bad thing because I shot up to my highest weight ever of 284 but in the long term it was the best thing for me because from it I gathered a resolve and determination I had not known before. So, in January of 2006 I and my new found determination met with my new Personal Trainer Tina Dilley. I was 284, still smoking, not exercising, and not eating much of anything that was healthy. Within six months all of these things changed. The first major turning point for me was when, somehow, Tina got me on a treadmill. The thing scared me to death and if I got the speed up to 1.8 or 2.0 and actually stayed on it for more than 15 minutes I felt like I was doing great. And for where I was I was doing great. With persistence over the last two years I have progressed so that now the treadmill is an integral part of my week. For a while my standard was five 5ks under 50 minutes per week. My current goal is to run at 5.0 for 5 minutes at a time and to also spend time on the bike and other cardio machines. Where ever I am in regards to speed, distance, time or method I try to get a cardio workout most days and with each workout try to improve. All the while hearing in my head the words: "every little bit counts." The second major turning point for me was becoming a non-smoker. This topic alone I could write volumes about, but I'll spare you except to say that thinking of myself as a non-smoker instead of an ex-smoker and already having the treadmill in my life were the keys to my success. The third and to me the most major turning point in my journey thus far is what I refer to as "Tina's fry daddy equals death lecture." I had eaten fast and fried food way too many times that week and Tina was understandably frustrated and dismayed by my eating habits. She gave me a quick - and the best - lesson in eating healthy I have ever received. In that one conversation she, of course, could not correct all of my bad eating habits but did strike a chord and convinced me not to eat fried foods and to stay away from fast food. That was really my first step (should I say push?) away from being a junk food junkie and towards eating (mostly) healthy & best of all enjoying food more than I ever have in my life. By October of 2006 I had almost got the rhythm of living a healthy life down. I had stopped smoking, I ate better than I ever had in my life, and I exercised almost every day. I was feeling healthier, stronger, more confident & was loosing weight. When I went for my annual exam my doctor was thrilled with my progress but my mammogram proved to be another major turning point of 2006. By January 2007 I had had a lumpectomy, lost Beau - a stubborn Border Collie mix who had been my companion for 17 years, gone through radiation treatment, started Tamoxifen (which sent me immediately into menopause), and gained most of my weight back. I had had set backs and lost some ground but I had not lost my determination. In January of 2007 my determination to be as healthy as I could possibly be was stronger than ever. Tina was still supporting me, guiding me & helping me to get stronger every week and stay focused and on track. My weight had gone back up to around 270 but I did not smoke, was exercising as much as I could (despite the "radiation fog" that lingered for months), and I was eating as well as I could. I now had the basic tools, knowledge & confidence to successfully live a healthy life. All I had to do was apply what I had learned and stay persistent. During 2007 I lost about 90 pounds, for an overall total of just over 100 pounds from my highest weight. But what is more exciting to me is how I feel & what I can do. Working out with Tina has helped me to loose weight but also has made me stronger. Every day I do something - climb stairs, lift a box, carry groceries - that makes me realize how much stronger, healthier and able I am now. Every day tasks are so much easier for me now. And even more exciting is feeling confident enough to try new things such as 5ks, the 5 mile Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, or going on a ski trip. All things I could not have previously imagined doing in my wildest dreams that I did do in 2007." Robin Milner