Train With Me

My fitness and training life journey started when I was 19 years old. My journey is still continuing today.

I am a very active person and enjoy many physical activities. However, my “core” person belongs in the gym. The gym has been my "fun zone" for a long time. It also has been my refuge from a world that isn’t always kind.

My story focuses on how my dedication to fitness, training and lifting weights saved me.

I am not trying to be overly dramatic, however, when I sat down to write this, I realized that I have been blessed to have this in my life. This is just a little part of how fitness, training and dedication to keeping my body healthy impacted and saved my life.

As a 19-year-old college student, I was fascinated with aerobics and running. Back then all those aerobic workout videos had my generation jumping around and wearing leg warmers.

I also loved to run. I ran everywhere.
I ran to school, around the track during men’s track practice (yes, I ran by to see the guys), up in the hills above the track, then back to my apartment. Running did not come natural to me. But I loved the endorphin high I got from it and I felt great after a run. Sometimes I solved all my problems during a run 😊.

After college I made the rounds to all the local gyms and taking group classes. I was never a great “student” in group classes. I always wanted to do more.

I kept eyeing the weight racks and machines. I was too shy to go over there and ask for help. Everyone seemed to know what they were doing and I didn’t.

I kept going to aerobic classes, running and I even played racquetball but I started to outgrow those workouts. I felt they weren’t the best fit for me anymore. Then I went to Nedham’s Gym in Anaheim. (Note - not sure about the name spelling)

Nedham’s was a small warehouse type gym in an industrial area with big rollup garage doors for ventilation. It was full of weight guys and bodybuilders. Very old school compared to today’s gyms.

I absolutely loved it!
I went with 2 big guys from work who decided they were going to train me! Finally, I was going to lift weights! My life changed after that.

Lifting was the missing piece for me. I loved it! I loved how it made me feel and the benefits of how it made me look.

I know that people can get in shape running, biking, yoga and various other cardio routines. Cardio can help people lose weight. But lifting changes your physique and shape like no other!

I started lifting in my late 20’s and I was hooked. It’s been a passion of mine throughout my adult life.

Since that time I always tried to fit in training into my life. There were periods in my life when I couldn’t work out I as much as I wanted – mostly when my kids were young and I became the “softball mom”, and at other times of stress and demands of life. But the fire for it was always there in my heart and body.

About 12 years ago, I got transferred from California to Seattle for my job. With kids grown and family staying behind in California, I was on my own. I took this time to fully return to my passion of weight lifting and training. Since that time, I have been able to go back to some of my old workouts, but, I also had to mix it up a lot due to injuries and well, my age. I actually like the challenge!

the Beginning - How I started With Trainers

In the beginning of my gym life, I took cardio classes and some other “I can’t remember the name” classes. Then I got my weight trainers…

My friend from work was a bodybuilder and he was my first weight lifting trainer at Nedham’s. I learned all the basics and weight lifting came so natural to me. I was not a bodybuilder at the time but I hit those weights with dedication and with a goal of getting strong.

I moved on to other gyms – Corner Club, Gold’s, World Gym, Powerhouse, and some other weight gyms in the area. It was like a club. We all knew each other or there was someone who knew someone who knew you! Those were the days. I do miss that atmosphere and those relationships.

Then I was fortunate to get a great trainer, John. I trained with him for almost a year until he got drafted to play on “some professional” football team. (I can’t remember the team! I was just sad to see him go.)

My next trainer was Serge Nubret, former Mr. Universe from the Golden Era of bodybuilders. I was so fortunate to have him as my trainer for a while. Boy was he tough, tough on me! I learned a lot from him but there were times I was so mad at him for making me work so hard.

One day after one of my training sessions Serge asked me if I would be interested in doing a Women’s Natural Bodybuilding Show. He would train me.

Silly young me: “How much time will it take?”
Serge: “6 days a week, twice a day and a new diet plan.”
Silly young me: “No, when would I have time to party?”

This is one thing in my life I wish I had done just for the experience and discipline.

For more on Serge Nubret's Training Routine -> click here

I went on to workout at World Gym (the name changed a few times) for many years. I had a few training sessions over the years but I never had the opportunity again to have the real bodybuilding training that I got in the early years.

More on how I train today on my Blog Page

The Real Challenge – Cancer

I have always been an advocate of exercise for everyone. Working out benefits people in so many ways – physically, mentally, aesthetically and even spiritually if you let it.

To say that working out and fitness training has saved my life would be an understatement.

Right when you don’t expect something bad to happen to you, sometimes it happens. When you are young and invincible, running on all cylinders most of the time, you never expect to be told you are going to die.

That is what happened to me when I was in my mid-thirties. I was diagnosed with an advance stage of metastasized breast cancer. This was extremely rare for someone my age and I had no idea I even had it. At first it seemed simple but things quickly snow balled over a period of a few years.

I was given an expiration date. No cure and no hope.

But I kept working out. I kept going to the gym like nothing happened. But the treatments and surgeries eventually caught up with me. Despite all the medical things happening to me, I kept trying to go to the gym.

My gym friends were amazing and supportive. I made some lifelong friends and connections that I will never forget. At the gym they were constantly trying to make me laugh and made fun of me a in "good" way. When I was in the hospital some gym friends donated blood and platelets for me that were a life saver. I will never forget what they did for me.

I also had some amazing doctors at Cedars Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center and one doctor, Dr Ong, found me a CURE using an experimental treatment.

During all this, I kept on working out. Even after getting new boobs, chemo, and eventually a BMT, I kept going to the gym. Sometimes I didn’t do much but I tried.

The night before I was going into the hospital for an extended period of time for the BMT high dose chemo, I recall going to the gym to do my last workout. My doctor made the comment to me – “The fact that you are in such good shape will help save you because these treatments alone are a risk to kill the patient”.

  I just kept going.
  Me at the gym the night before I went into the hospital for several weeks.
  Man, I could have used a few pounds and some better hair!

6 Months after my final treatment –
Gained some weight, finally grew some hair
 and went back to the gym.

“What if trials of this life are mercies in disguise.”
- Blessings

 2021 After a gym workout