-Fran-

Fran

soft—unstoppable—empowering

Have you ever wondered what unstoppable looks like? Tough, nothing and no one can stop me when I am on my mission unstoppable? We at times have, and then Fran walked in the door one month ago. By day Fran is a disaster Response Chaplain and trainer, an Assisting Pastor at a local church, a Critical Incident Stress Management instructor, a mother, a wife, a grandmother, and a cancer survivor. We are in awe that even with all her demands and busier than average life she still finds time for “self-care”.  Fran NEVER gives up.  No amount of pain is going to to stop this woman from living her dream of hiking, horseback riding, and running around like a kid when she is in her 70’s. Here is just a small glimpse of what Fran has to say about Vie- “To me, Vie means exactly what its name portrays. It means life! Since coming to Vie my body feels more alive than it has felt in a long time, certainly since before I had cancer. When I work out at Vie, I feel energized, capable, focused, and strong again. My mind is more clear and I feel as if I could conquer anything!”

Fran, you are a rare combination of soft and strong. You see more promise in us than we do our selves at times. She’s a leader among women and we are proud to be part of her life. Give her some Love. We love you, Fran.

—Interview—

♥ How long have you been a member at Vie?

One month

♥ What does Vie mean to you?

To me, Vie means exactly what its name portrays. It means life! Since coming to Vie my body feels more alive than it has felt in a long time, certainly since before I had cancer. When I work out at Vie, I feel energized, capable, focused, and strong again. My mind is more clear and I feel as if I could conquer anything!

♥How has Vie made an impact on your life?

Before cancer I was fairly fit and active. Chemotherapy damaged my body so much that 3 years later, I am still struggling with some of the side effects of the chemo. As soon as my cancer treatments finished in 2013, I joined a gym to try to strengthen my body and rebuild it, literally. I desperately needed help. My muscles had been so damaged that they seemed to have lost all of their strength, even though I had tried to stay active during treatment. I could barely walk for 1/4 of a mile and yet 6 months earlier I could easily to a 5 mile hike. I was shocked at how fast my body had begun to break down.
My bones hurt in places that didn’t make sense to me, my joints were very swollen and stiff and painful and my mind just wasn’t functioning as before. I felt as if I’d been hit by a train and my body just would not do what I wanted it to do. I was exhausted a lot of the time and no matter what I did, the gym I went to wasn’t giving me the results I wanted. I worked with a trainer when I could but wasn’t seeing any results. Soon I added Physical Therapy to my weekly routine to se if that would help. My Physical Therapist was helpful to a point but just didn’t seem to be able to help me through the pain very well, when I exercised. I kept trying different gyms and asking different people to help me to regain my strength and even though many were willing to help, I didn’t get the ‘right’ kind of help. My body was still as weak and painful as before and to be honest, my knees were so weak and sore that I could barely walk up steps, let alone run, jog, jump etc. Working out just wasn’t fun. It wasn’t helping. I wasn’t motivated any more. I began to almost give up and accept the fact that chemo had damaged me for life, BUT I had also always promised myself that I’d still be hiking, horseback riding and running around like a kid when I was in my 70’s, and so I didn’t want to give up on that goal. That motivation, that mental battle to keep trying was getting more difficult as the results I so desperately wanted kept hiding from me.
I’d almost given up when I was invited to a free workout session one Saturday morning at Vie. I went along, not expecting much because I”d tried other gyms and felt that nothing would work. Boy was I wrong! After the first free session I was hooked! I felt cared for, listened to, encouraged and challenged, all at the same time. I could tell from that first day that I was being given the right kind of help, with the right kinds of exercises that my body would respond to. It was just what I needed. No huge machines or difficult reps. Just basic, effective body work with a few weights here and there and some simple but very easy to use equipment.
I can feel myself getting stronger every week and I love it! Thank you VIE! You really have changed my life. I now feel encouraged, motivated and most of all, I BELIEVE I can be strong and fit again – I know I will still be running around like a kid when I am 70!

♥ What music gets you pumped for a workout?

Uplifting praise music with a good beat and any positive, upbeat music that builds hope and inspires me to keep going, especially when I am tired and want to stop.

♥ What thoughts run through your mind during a workout?

Hahaha! You HAD to ask….mostly that I hope I can get to the end of the workout without my bladder letting me down! Especially if we are using the jump ropes a lot! But also encouraging thoughts, such as telling myself I am getting stronger when I recognize that an exercise I couldn’t do one week is easier the next week!

♥What motivates you to get to Vie?

The wonderful Vie coaches are always there to greet me with a smile, a word of encouragement and great tips for adjusting the exercises to suit my abilities as needed. However, they also know when to push me on to the next step and I really appreciate that. I love the fact that when ever I have a question or concern, each of the coaches take the time to answer my questions or concerns with love and patience and encouragement. I feel accepted and ‘safe’ at Vie – not embarrassed or uncomfortable like I have felt at other gyms where I am working out with men in the room. I love the fact that we are all just women and even the women I work out with are encouraging each other. 

Vie always has a fun, loving and peaceful atmosphere, but also an upbeat one. I love how easy it is to exercise there. I don’t ever have to think of a workout routine, or how many reps to do, or when to switch to another exercise because that is always planned out for us every day. I love just being able to turn up and do as I am told! Haha. Seriously, that is so much easier for me than it was before, when I was at a different gym, and I had to try to figure out what to do, what my form should be, whether my posture was right and how long to exercise for. No matter how many people are in our class, I am always made to feel as if I am the only one, and each coach has a natural way of making you feel as if they are just there for you. It feels like one-on-one attention.

#VieGirl