Mark Newlin

I have started going to EverBody's since beginning Humana's Silver Sneaker program. It is the first time I have done resistance work in twenty years due to my spinal disease. The 1990s are what I call my surgical decade as every three years I was in severe pain suffering neurological impairment, having surgery, and then going through recovery all while working. This went on every three years starting in 1990; after the third surgery my surgeon told me I would be disabled with any further spinal problems. Spinal problems/pain finally knocked me out of the work force in 2004. I hated giving up my lifting when the spinal problems hit but I had to give it up along with numerous athletic activities I participated in.
With Silver Sneakers I didn't risk starting on a program and wasting money because my pain shot back to its highest levels keeping me from going to the gym. When I started, Breanne [if you don't know her fitness background you should find out] helped me focus on lifting machines that would correct my posture. Over the years, as my spine lost its natural curvature, my poster deteriorated which made it more difficult for me to get around. Since I couldn't walk without a cane and even then it was painful, my conditioning deteriorated far past what I liked. Breanne set me up with four simple exercises to work on the spinal muscles that keep us erect. It was important to me to have Breanne's help early on because as football coach I knew lifting for strength and size but really didn't understand lifting for rehabilitation. One simple example explains the difference; when lifting for size and strength it is important to go through the full range of the lift. In strengthening my spinal muscles, she explained I wanted to limit the lift to focus on those muscles without go so far other muscles ere engaged. I started with a very limited workout that I finished in ten minutes. It was discouraging but I knew and Breanne emphasize to me, I needed to be careful not to set off my pain levels back to higher levels. I have now increased my number of exercises and the sets I do for each exercise. The unexpected thing is how much change I and my wife have seen in my physique; it has been a very encouraging surprise. I am now holding back some of the aging that we all go through and my goal is to stay mobile/flexible for twenty or more years.
I thought when I returned to the gym I would make small improvements that would help me feel better. I have seen those improvements with bigger gains than I expected. More importantly, I went from being virtually housebound most days to getting out and seeing people at the gym each day. Just being able to go to the gym has brought a major change in my daily life. Everything isn't okay now, as I still have weeks with pain levels where I cannot leave the house. Even on most days I go to the gym it is the only thing I am able to do on that day. I still deal with severe pain each day but the intensity and duration has improved some by going to EverBody's. I will continue going to the gym every day I am physically able to get out of the house even days I can only be gone for 45 minutes.
I would encourage anyone, no matter their fitness level, to attend EverBody's as they have something for everyone wanting to stay healthy for as long as they can.
Mark Newlin