Our Breakthrough Spotlight this month is Bob! In his interview, Bob shares about training for quality of life, and moving with less pain and greater freedom. Bob is a big inspiration and always a fun training partner. You won’t want to miss reading on to hear his “secret” to success!
BREAKTHROUGH: Thank you for chatting with me, Bob, and being our next Spotlight member! I am very excited to hear what you have to say. I know you have been a member for over a year and a half…
BOB: Yes, a little bit over a year and a half.
BREAKTHROUGH: And you have been sharing some really cool things with us; things that you have noticed now that you’ve been training that long. So first tell me how you were feeling before you got started. What was going on?
BOB: Really out of shape! Ha, ha! My back had gone out in March of 2023. It was really, really bad. And it was excruciating pain for about a year, which limited all of my mobility and everything. I had frequency ablation in April of 2024, so after a year of excruciating pain, it went away. A few months later, I came here. My wife Sue suggested I give it a shot. Everything here seemed to make a huge amount of sense in terms of getting back in shape and moving better. I immediately set a goal, which was to get up off the floor rather than crawling up off the floor.
BREAKTHROUGH: You had been crawling up off the floor?
BOB: I had been crawling up off the floor!
BREAKTHROUGH: Oh, my goodness!
BOB: Now I can actually get up off the floor with no hands.
BREAKTHROUGH: Hey!
BOB: I was able to show my daughter and son-in-law in Missouri that Grandpa was able to do that.
BREAKTHROUGH: That’s great!
BOB: Yeah, with my grandkids there. It was pretty neat.
BREAKTHROUGH: That’s awesome! Are there other things that you are noticing?
BOB: It’s so many things. But you coaches told me that if I did the proper exercises and got the strength back in the muscles around my joints that the pain would go away. Didn’t believe it, didn’t believe it. But I kept doing it and it has been amazing that it has gone away. And my knees feel a lot better.
BREAKTHROUGH: Yeah, the knees were another big concern.
BOB: I had a right knee replacement, but the knees are pretty good. I know how to manage them. My back has continued to strengthen with your instructions, like how to squat and hinge rather than bend over. And I was having a lot of problems with both my shoulders. I had surgery on my left shoulder, and I thought my right shoulder was going to have to have a procedure. But you have fixed them with the CARs and other stuff.
BREAKTHROUGH: Oh, my gosh, yay!
BOB: It’s amazing. It’s really amazing! So, I have full range of motion and I have strength and can do things that I couldn’t. So, thank you, thank you!
BREAKTHROUGH: No, thank you! I mean, that is the best news ever. The thing is that it only works if you are consistent, and that is something that you really are. You are in here at least twice a week. I can tell that, you know, maybe you aren’t perfect about doing CARS every single day but obviously…
BOB: WHAT!
BREAKTHROUGH: Ha, ha!
BOB: We are supposed to do CARS at home? WHAT!
BREAKTHROUGH: Ha, ha! No, but I can tell that you are thinking about it, and practicing when you are not here. Obviously, you are showing your family like hey, look at the things that I can do. So, if you are thinking about how you are moving even when you are not in the gym that is going to make a huge difference. These things, they do work but you have to do them, which you have been!
BOB: When I go up and down the stairs, I think about how I’m moving. I do other exercises and CARS at home. You do have to do the work and if you do the work, you can see the results. It takes a while. The last time I got in shape, 20 years ago, for my fifty-fifth birthday, I lost 40-45 pounds by going to the gym and working out. I got in pretty good shape and then age crept up, life crept up, things changed. Diet went by the wayside; exercise went by the wayside. So, I started this program at Breakthrough a little bit over a year and a half ago. This is my 75th birthday present to myself!
BREAKTHROUGH: Yay!
BOB: I lost weight again. Got back in shape. I still can’t run because of the knee, which is frustrating but other than that, this rocks. It’s pretty cool! It’s awesome!
BREAKTHROUGH: I love it! OK, tell me what is your why? What keeps you motivated to do this?
BOB: Well, I have to keep the machine up because I am going lived for another 30 years. I am going to go for the century mark!
BREAKTHROUGH: Oh good! That sounds perfect! You are going to be Breakthrough’s first 100-year-old member.
BOB: Yeah! That would be cool! That would be cool!
BREAKTHROUGH: Awesome! I think that when people talk about living longer, you don’t want to just sort of be in a chair. You want quality of life.
BOB: I have a very active life, and I want it to continue to be active. You know it really is all diet, exercise, mental state. It’s really all part of the same thing. If you don’t keep moving, it’s all going to just turn to jelly. It’s not just being in shape to be in shape. It’s just being able to live life comfortably. Being able to get up out of the chair is a lot better than getting to slip to the floor and then crawl.
BREAKTHROUGH: Absolutely! Absolutely! Any words of wisdom to close out on?
BOB: Keep coming back!
BREAKTHROUGH: Ha! Show up first!
BOB: Show up!
BREAKTHROUGH: Show up and then keep coming back!
BOB: You gotta show up first! Really, the words of wisdom are so simple. After the first time I lost weight 20 years ago, I was talking to one of the guys in the office, he said, “Wow, you look in really good shape. Do you have any secrets or anything?” I said diet and exercise!
BREAKTHROUGH: Ha, Ha! Right.
BOB: We both cracked up! We just laughed! It’s simple.
BREAKTHROUGH: It’s not a secret.
BOB: There is no secret. You guys have the right exercises and guidance. The programming is so good. But you have to keep showing up and doing it.
BREAKTHROUGH: Absolutely! That’s the message – show up and keep showing up. Thank you so much, Bob! I appreciate you!