Bodynetix Professional Fitness Training has given three Comox Valley residents who have struggled with weight and health issues a one-year free ride to fitness.
Jasmin Badrin, Terry McLennan and Miguel Such, recently began a 12-month Bodynetix fitness program that includes unlimited group “FitCamps,” one-on-one coaching and even meal plans under the guidance of registered dietician and diabetes counsellor Shona McDonald.
While they turn their lives around over the next 365 days, they will be sharing their results on Facebook and, in the process, helping to encourage others to get on the path to better health.
“We all know how important fitness is to our health, happiness and self-esteem,” says Bodynetix owner Chris Ketch. “Going to the gym for the first time can be intimidating for some people, but we want to show them that it doesn’t have to be.
“We received 83 applications,” he adds. “There were a lot of heart-wrenching stories and it was really hard to choose, but the three winners are all very deserving.”
Thirty-year-old Jasmin Badrin, who’s five-foot-three and weighs 230 pounds, has tried going to the gym but quit after injuring herself and feeling embarrassed. Engaged to be married next year, she now has a much stronger motivation to improve her health.
“We really want to start a family, but my doctor told us that it wouldn’t be a good idea considering my current physique,” she wrote in her application. “I feel like such a disappointment to my partner for not being healthy enough to have a child.”
For nurse and single mother Terry McLennan, weight has also been a constant issue. Bariatric surgery took her from 282 pounds to 187 in 2012, but she’s since plateaued. More important to her than even her own fitness, though, is that of her son – 12-year-old Miguel, who will be participating in the sponsorship program alongside his mom.
“He’s been asking me for months now to join a gym,” wrote McLennan. “He wants to lose weight … I just want to see him healthy.”
“If they can start making positive changes and adopt a fit, healthy lifestyle then anyone can,” says Ketch. “There are lots of Jasmins, Terries and Miguels out there. I just hope some of them are inspired to follow their example.”
Badrin, McLellan and Such began their year-long journeys toward better health in June and are reporting on their progress on two different Facebook pages. Badrin has created a page under her own name, Jasmin Badrin, while McLellan and Such can be followed via a page called “The Journey to Wellness.” Both can be accessed via the Bodynetix page at www.facebook.com/bodynetix.
To learn more about Bodynetix Professional Fitness Training, visit www.bodynetix.ca or call 250-871-2400.
– Bodynetix Professional Fitness Training