Baby Boot Camp helps lawyer mandate change
Leah J. has been coming to Baby Boot Camp in Oregon since January 2007. Since then she's lost 40 pounds, a feat she attributes to her regular attendance. This attorney and mother of three hasn't done any regular exercise since high school, so what clicked?
Friend to the rescue
Leah’s has a friend, Erin, whom she met in law school. They’ve been good friends for nearly 12 years, so when she encouraged Leah to start going to Baby Boot Camp with her, Leah wasn’t offended. “She knew I had health problems that were related to my weight, such as a bad disc in my neck, painful knee, high cholesterol and preeclampsia with my pregnancies,” says Leah. “She wasn’t judgmental about it; she just suggested it in a wonderful, caring friend way.”
Support has been key
Leah also credits her husband, Rankin, with helping her stick with the program. “His encouragement has been never-ending. About two years ago he lost 120 pounds the old fashioned way. He wanted me to do it too. Not because he doesn't love me just how I am, but because he wants me to feel better and to be with him for as long as possible.”
“When Leah first starting coming to Baby Boot Camp she was very quiet,” says Erin Shirey, regional manager and Portland metro franchise owner. “I thought that was strange for a lawyer. However, that quiet demeanor didn’t last long as she gained more confidence.”
Shirey says Leah is an outstanding mom on many fronts. As a wife and mother of three small children, Quinn, Gabriel (pictured with her here) and Lily, Leah has managed to juggle career and family. Her husband is a regular attendee to Saturday classes and she continually tries to go out of her comfort zone and reach new fitness levels. “She’s a working mom who has made such an effort to incorporate health and fitness into her life that I just have to applaud her. Even on days when she was in trial and thought it wasn't possible to come to class, she did,” says Shirey.
Goal becomes reality
“I really do have tons more energy, my knee pain has gone away completely and best of all, I'm setting a good example for my kids,” exclaims Leah. “I'll be healthy enough to see them grow up.”
She says she nowhere near finished with her goals. “I want to lose another 50-60 pounds, a goal that now seems almost easy! It has meant a lot to me that everyone at Baby Boot Camp has been so supportive. Nobody ever made me feel like the slow fat girl. Everyone just treated me like I could do it. And while I'm not setting any speed records, I can run the whole class now,” she laughs.