A blog entry by Capital Area Food Bank Consultant Grant Thompson.
During a bout with pneumonia in 2007, I came very close to dying. My recovery was exquisitely slow and humiliating: When I came home from two months in the hospital ICU, I had to use a walker for support and crawled up stairs on my hands and knees. It was easy to decide that this was no way to live; I had to get my life back, to be strong and healthy.
As soon as I was able, I researched places and people who might help me – and found that the Internet offered dozens of possibilities, each one promising the moon and the stars. Packaged diets, pills, oddly shaped toning devices, flashy gyms and spas – what a menu! Friends and a dose of common sense told me that I needed a personal trainer who would tailor a workout program to meet my very specific needs. Again, I looked at sites, read reviews, and read the books and blogs of trainers I considered.
My search led me to the very best personal trainer for me. For nearly three years, I’ve been working out for an hour twice a week with my trainer and following his program at home. I’m not only back to where I was before my illness, I’m in the best shape I’ve been in my life. This 70-year-old man can do things that many 30 year olds would struggle to handle.
In addition to my exercise, with my trainer’s help, I’ve become more mindful of the importance of proper nutrition and have shed almost 70 pounds. This should be no surprise, since my work with the Capital Area Food Bank is a daily reminder of the importance of eating right.
I’m proud of myself and grateful to the man who guided my physical recovery – my personal trainer, Josef Brandenburg. Josef is a native Washingtonian who has devoted his career to an intense study of how our bodies function as we live and work and how diet and exercise influence our health and well-being. Josef is the author of The Body You Want and has been nominated as 2010 Personal Trainer of the Year by both Personal Fitness Professional Magazine and The Washington DC Fitness Association. He was selected to be the fitness expert for the PCOS Challenge TV series, so I know he is attentive to a variety of client needs. (PCOS is polycystic ovarian syndrome, a hormonal condition that affects approximately 10% of women of child bearing age and is usually accompanied by weight gain.)
Josef is incredibly generous in sharing his knowledge with his clients. And Josef is a generous human being! He has offered to host a food drive benefitting the Capital Area Food Bank.
Here is Josef’s offer:
Who: YOU!
What: FREE Sunday Group Interval Class and Food Drive for the Capital Area Food Bank: In exchange for a minimum of 1 pound of nonperishable protein (e.g., canned salmon, canned chicken, canned tuna, or no-sugar-added peanut butter) OR a monetary donation (minimum $10), you will receive a free Sunday Group Interval Class!
Where: The Body You Want
1070 Thomas Jefferson St., NW (Basement)
Washington, DC 20007
When: All of the Sundays in February (6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th) at 10am
Why: So you can work on that New Year’s Resolution while providing your gift of food or money.
How: Register with Natalie (info@thebodyyouwant.com) or call 202-316-1457.