The experience I’ve had with Kari is one I will forever be grateful for and is the best investment in MYSELF.
How does Empower Fitness & Wellness live up to their name?
Empower Fitness does exactly that! Kari is not your typical trainer, she actually cares and took the time to get to know me. This is such a critical step that most trainers I have worked with never got into. Everyone I have ever worked with says that they will customize this, that and the other for you, but what I found was that they just put you in a category and give you the same old plan they give everyone else! If you don’t really understand how the person you are training ticks, it will be difficult to lead them and inspire them to do better. There are certain truths that hit home and Kari was a breath of fresh air. Her honesty and kindness was just the right mix to make me realize that I was being too hard on myself when it came to results, but not holding myself accountable with food. Her coaching made me realize that there was an imbalance that I had the power to change and she showed me how to do it in a way that was customized to my lifestyle. I learned that the path to wellness is not just about working out or dieting, it’s the sum of all the small things we have the power to do everyday. It honestly felt like the wool was lifted from my eyes when I started to lose weight with Kari’s plan.
What is your rationale for spending money on a personal trainer?
The experience I’ve had with Kari is one I will forever be grateful for and is the best investment in MYSELF that I ever made. When I first considered personal training the first thing I thought about was the cost COMPARED to a gym or just going for a run for free outside. It honestly kept me from moving forward with it for far too long. After discussing it with my husband for the thousandth time, he finally said something that was so obvious. He pointed out that if I needed to be admitted to the hospital, I wouldn’t feel bad about spending money to get healthy and feel better. It would be a no brainer and also isn’t avoiding the hospital kind of the point here?! So off I went to meet with Kari and after just one year I lost close to 50 pounds putting me back at high school weight!!! Please don’t get me wrong. The road was not without its setbacks including when I had to take a break financially. Kari was amazing! She supported me and didn’t try to convince me to stay on. She completely understood and didn’t make me feel bad. She even said she didn’t care where or how I worked out as long as I kept up with it AND she continued to check in!!! I was able to get back on track and work out with Kari to finish off my year and I would do it all over again in a second. How much would you pay to get back into your high school jeans or your wedding dress?!?!?!
What were some lessons learned from Kari’s training?
One of the most important things Kari taught me was consistency!!! It’s incredible how much we as humans need consistency and yet we screw ourselves over by not giving ourselves that consistency in the most critical way…our HEALTH!!! Lots of us have mastered a morning routine or a way to get through the mid-afternoon fog, but we can’t seem to squeeze in a consistent workout schedule and good eating habits. I, of course, am 100% guilty of this, but Kari said it’s okay, you’re here now so let’s work on it…WOW! She didn’t make me feel bad about the several months that it took me to become consistent. Whenever I admitted that I hadn’t worked out or ate cake all week, she would focus on the future. She treated me with respect and as an adult (who is not perfect). Her support and encouragement was so consistent that she didn’t allow me to give up on myself even when I wanted to. She often shared her challenges with me and how much it takes to power through. She told me this to make the point that I was putting in the work to power through and that just made me want to keep going. Kari is just so relatable, she worked hard to build her business from the ground up, but unlike most business owners I know, she doesn’t have an ego about her success.