![\"how](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/ggus-dev\/image\/private\/s--8aSzAdZN--\/c_auto,g_auto,w_1024,h_768\/v1\/2405e908\/christine-w-trainer.webp?_a=BAAAV6Bs\")
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Building bonds<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About a year ago, Christine found a Gold\u2019s Gym in San Antonio and began training with Luke Van Delden twice a week. They did primarily resistance training with some cardio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a few months, Christine realized she needed to train harder and change the way she ate. She started coming in on days when she wasn\u2019t training with Luke, and she enrolled in GOLD\u2019S<\/b> FIT\u00ae classes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although she enthusiastically took on the challenge of the classes \u2014 Luke says she was smiling from the first week she came to the gym \u2014 Christine says that at first she felt like she was struggling to keep up. But seeing her classmates push one another inspired her. \u201cI had never worked out like that in my life,\u201d she says. \u201cTo see other people do it made me feel like I<\/em> could do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over time, she began to feel more assured in in her ability to perform at that high level and formed bonds with her classmates. She also began training three times a week with Luke. Together, they continued focusing on getting her toned through resistance training with both weights and machines. They also worked together to establish eating habits that would stick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After about nine months, things really started to click. \u201cI found an old photo of me from the very beginning, and I finally saw the results of all the work that I did,\u201d she says. \u201cI was going to the gym three times a week, and my diet overall was very good. I finally started gaining the confidence I had lost years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lighter outlook<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christine still deals with anxiety and depression, but she\u2019s getting better at coping with them. \u201cI believe the gym has definitely helped,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen I go, I feel like all my problems are left at the door, because when I\u2019m there, the only thing I\u2019m focused on is me. I\u2019m there to help myself be better and do better, and none of those problems are going to get in my way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do believe the gym can help a lot of people dealing with the same things,\u201d she continues. \u201cWhen you go to the gym, you are putting yourself first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christine has dropped nearly 50 pounds and is below her high school weight. Her BMI and body fat percentage are also down significantly. \u201cShe\u2019s lost a third of her body weight,\u201d Luke says. \u201cIt\u2019s inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luke sees Christine as more self-assured now and more likely to advocate for herself outside the gym. \u201cI think she has a lot more confidence in herself,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s something to be said about investing in yourself. Whether it\u2019s time or money, putting resources into your own personal well-being makes you feel like you are worth more \u2014 more deserving of love, respect and happiness in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot only does exercise help you build muscle, lose fat and increase your energy, it also helps you feel better by releasing endorphins,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, Christine is better about recognizing her self-worth, and she\u2019s grateful for the support she\u2019s getting from her parents. \u201cIt feels really good to do all this work and have them say they\u2019re proud of me,\u201d she says. She\u2019s convinced them to let her follow her own path. Now, she just wants to get them to the gym, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Get more tips about exercise and stress from our experts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 5 quick tips to reduce stress<\/b><\/a> <p>There was a time when Christine Anderson wouldn\u2019t go near a gym. She lost control of her eating, struggled to climb a flight of stairs and hated the way she looked. That\u2019s what anxiety can do to a person. Christine, 24, has battled it for almost a decade, and the fight continues. But after willing […]<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":6273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_post_subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[168],"tags":[169,160,170,92,171,93,155],"class_list":["post-3171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-success-stories","tag-classes","tag-coaching","tag-diet","tag-overall-health","tag-golds-personal-training","tag-stress-relief","tag-weight-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3171"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8663,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3171\/revisions\/8663"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n5-minute stress reliever bodyweight workout<\/b><\/a>
\nWhat to expect in a group exercise class<\/b><\/a>
\nWhen the journey gets tough, follow these tips<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"