Mark R.

If someone had told me two years ago that I would consider my exercise regimen to be a highlight of my week, I would have laughed. If they had gone on to say that I would write a testimonial to my personal trainer, I would have fallen out of my chair. But here I am, doing exactly that, and it is a tribute to Jennifer Salter and the way she has of making me feel that she is focused exclusively on me and completely attuned to my physical needs and abilities.

I was a typical middle-aged guy when I found Jennifer online five years ago: 55 years old, reasonably healthy but out of shape, with a great job where I sit way too much. Over the years I have tried exercising but it never lasts; dieting but I end up back where I started; and working out with trainers, but I found that each had his or her own “thing” and tried to make me fit into that plan, regardless of who I was or what I could do.

Having moved to Toronto from the States and started walking more by virtue of living in the city, I decided to take the next step and formalize my exercise routine. I searched online for a trainer who held him- or herself out to specialize in people who look like me, and Jennifer’s website promised exactly that. When I reached out, Jennifer was responsive and very considerate in her reply (and always is). The first time we met, Jennifer assessed my physical condition completely and really listened to what I said in terms of what I was aiming to do, what concerned me, and what I felt I was capable of.

Working together, Jennifer has designed a weight training plan that works for me and has gently but firmly pushed me to levels of fitness I have never experienced before. She also designed a cardio program that I do weekly to strengthen my heart. I still can’t believe that I look forward to these sessions, challenging as they may be, and that is totally because of Jennifer. Somehow I feel like I am getting together with a friend, where we discuss books, TV shows, our children, current events … only I am lifting weights instead of an Aroma latte.

What impresses me most about Jennifer, however, is that she is always watching me, correcting my form and educating me about how my muscles are being used and why I am feeling what I am feeling at that moment. She is attentive to my needs on that particular day (for example, if it is a gray day so I am more low energy than usual) and compensates. She also teaches me about how my body works (and yes, how it changes as I age) and is unfailingly happy to answer any question I may have, no matter how tangentially related. I could go on but you get the point.

Thank you, Jennifer, for putting me on the path to a long, healthy life!

 

Date: 
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 - 04:15
Client Name: 

Mark R., Managing Director