When Anytime Fitness in Naperville opened a year ago, Michele Albert signed up before it even opened. The gym was within walking distance of her home. "I was out of shape and I wanted something small, not a meat-market kind of environment," said Michele.
Michele convinced her friend, Jenn Brown to sign up with her. The two have been friends since their boys went to kindergarten together (the boys are now 16 and 17). The two of them began to work out together. The process was a slow one at first. The first six months, they just dabbled in the gym and didn't see much progress in their weight loss quest.
"It was hard at first," Michele recalls. "I would do ten minutes on the bike. I was scared of the elliptical, it looked like too much work, but Jenn forced me to do five minutes on it." Michele found that she could do five minutes. Then ten. Then she added more and more time, until she could continue for 45 minutes.
"I was working out regularly, but I didn't see a lot of change at first," said Jenn. In May of 2011, they decided to get serious about getting fit and losing weight. They began working out six days a week and holding each other accountable each day. They joined Weight Watchers and the pounds began to come off.
Michele lost 53 pounds and Jenn lost 25 and half pounds. "I count that half pound because I worked hard for it," she laughed.
"It's amazing how much more energy I have now. I feel younger!" said Michele.
"One thing you have to overcome are the excuses you set," said Jenn. "You can always find excuses–but it’s only an excuse. If you have a half hour to work out then take the half hour. It becomes a lifestyle, and not a chore."
To the girls, the gym feels like a home. Mike Starck, the owner, greets them by name and dishes out encouragement as they share their progress with him. "Remember the TV program, Cheers, where everybody knows your name? That's how we feel when we go into the gym," said Jenn.
More weight loss is still ahead for the two friends(25 pounds for Jennifer and 10 for Michele), but it's more than just a number on the scale.
"We feel great!" they said.
