I’m Marcia Beaudry & I live in Dayton. I was an Office Manager for a McDonald’s food chain franchise for over 30 years & retired the end of 2021. My husband & I have 2 grown sons, along with their lovely wives & 7 grandchildren.
I have been active all my life; we did a lot of biking & hiking as a family. My husband & I loved playing tennis & golf. All that changed in 2020, when my husband had a major health crisis. Following a month of hospitalization and time in a care center, he needed round-the clock care. It was stressful finding care for him while working, getting him to his appointments, putting our house on the market, finding a new home, and navigating all the unknowns of our new life.
The dreams and plans we envisioned were gone; the next two years were about survival. Not only were we surviving physically but mentally and emotionally as we adjusted to a different life than we planned. As his primary caregiver, I was on autopilot most days. I felt uncertain often and it was difficult to be hopeful. Even with the support of family and friends, I felt a great loss of who I once was and who we were as a couple.
Slowly, with the help of the right physical therapist, my husband was finally able to walk unassisted after 2 years. Timing is everything and a close family friend graciously shared his story with us. He also had a similar health crisis as my husband. Once he recovered, he started working out with a personal trainer at Snap Fitness in Rogers. The improvement he had made was tremendous and gave us both hope. That’s when my husband started working out with his personal trainer at Snap Fitness Rogers in April of 2022. I could go on and on about my husband’s amazing recovery, but that’s his story to tell.
When my husband started working with the personal trainer it was April of 2022. I was so out of shape that I would get out of breath just walking. I felt like I didn’t have energy and my entire body ached all the time. All I wanted to do was sleep. My blood pressure had been critically high, but I didn’t want to start relying on medication.
My disposition was bleak back then, having nothing better to do during my husband’s training sessions, I’d walk the treadmill. I noticed that there were these group classes happening at the same time. There was laughter and a real camaraderie going on. I wanted to be a part of that. I knew that I needed to be part of it. When my husband was strong enough to be left on his own, I decided to join the Fall Breakthrough Challenge.
Starting class wasn’t easy. To be honest, it was hard for me, and I hurt all over; but it felt so good to be part of something again. It felt amazing to be doing something for myself. There were many days when I wanted to quit and didn’t think I could give anything anymore, but the trainers & classmates encouraged me and FitClub’s “don’t give up” attitude started to rub off. I started to believe that I could do this. My confidence grew. I was determined to see things through to the end of the 10-week challenge. I did it; I finished all 10-weeks and never quit.
Then the Winter Incinerator Challenge came around, I talked myself in & out of joining so many times. I ended up asking my sister to join me so there was no backing out. About five weeks into the 10-week challenge I started feeling stronger and fitter. The nutrition part of what my coach was teaching me was finally starting to take hold. I started to put into practice what I had been hearing on the weekly videos the FitClub coaches made. My body fat started to decrease, and my muscles were increasing! People started complimenting me on the change they saw and said how good I looked. I had more energy and didn’t feel like I wanted to sleep all the time.
Breaking through that barrier at 5-weeks made things easier. It took me six months to even get to where I am now but I’m here. I didn’t quit on myself, and I easily could have. Now, I’m committed to a healthier, stronger me. After months of uncertainty, I finally feel like I can achieve any goal. I feel like finally, I have hope again.
I have been active all my life; we did a lot of biking & hiking as a family. My husband & I loved playing tennis & golf. All that changed in 2020, when my husband had a major health crisis. Following a month of hospitalization and time in a care center, he needed round-the clock care. It was stressful finding care for him while working, getting him to his appointments, putting our house on the market, finding a new home, and navigating all the unknowns of our new life.
The dreams and plans we envisioned were gone; the next two years were about survival. Not only were we surviving physically but mentally and emotionally as we adjusted to a different life than we planned. As his primary caregiver, I was on autopilot most days. I felt uncertain often and it was difficult to be hopeful. Even with the support of family and friends, I felt a great loss of who I once was and who we were as a couple.
Slowly, with the help of the right physical therapist, my husband was finally able to walk unassisted after 2 years. Timing is everything and a close family friend graciously shared his story with us. He also had a similar health crisis as my husband. Once he recovered, he started working out with a personal trainer at Snap Fitness in Rogers. The improvement he had made was tremendous and gave us both hope. That’s when my husband started working out with his personal trainer at Snap Fitness Rogers in April of 2022. I could go on and on about my husband’s amazing recovery, but that’s his story to tell.
When my husband started working with the personal trainer it was April of 2022. I was so out of shape that I would get out of breath just walking. I felt like I didn’t have energy and my entire body ached all the time. All I wanted to do was sleep. My blood pressure had been critically high, but I didn’t want to start relying on medication.
My disposition was bleak back then, having nothing better to do during my husband’s training sessions, I’d walk the treadmill. I noticed that there were these group classes happening at the same time. There was laughter and a real camaraderie going on. I wanted to be a part of that. I knew that I needed to be part of it. When my husband was strong enough to be left on his own, I decided to join the Fall Breakthrough Challenge.
Starting class wasn’t easy. To be honest, it was hard for me, and I hurt all over; but it felt so good to be part of something again. It felt amazing to be doing something for myself. There were many days when I wanted to quit and didn’t think I could give anything anymore, but the trainers & classmates encouraged me and FitClub’s “don’t give up” attitude started to rub off. I started to believe that I could do this. My confidence grew. I was determined to see things through to the end of the 10-week challenge. I did it; I finished all 10-weeks and never quit.
Then the Winter Incinerator Challenge came around, I talked myself in & out of joining so many times. I ended up asking my sister to join me so there was no backing out. About five weeks into the 10-week challenge I started feeling stronger and fitter. The nutrition part of what my coach was teaching me was finally starting to take hold. I started to put into practice what I had been hearing on the weekly videos the FitClub coaches made. My body fat started to decrease, and my muscles were increasing! People started complimenting me on the change they saw and said how good I looked. I had more energy and didn’t feel like I wanted to sleep all the time.
Breaking through that barrier at 5-weeks made things easier. It took me six months to even get to where I am now but I’m here. I didn’t quit on myself, and I easily could have. Now, I’m committed to a healthier, stronger me. After months of uncertainty, I finally feel like I can achieve any goal. I feel like finally, I have hope again.
Photo by Daphne Christenson