Weekly News – Breakthrough Spotlight!

August 29th 2015 – Breakthrough Spotlight – Katherine Geeslin

Breakthrough Spotlight:

                   Katherine Geeslin

Weekly News: Breakthrough Spotlight!

September is just around the corner and our Breakthrough Spotlight for the coming month is Katherine Geeslin!

Katherine is a long time client and dear friend who is an inspiration to us all on so many levels. She was one of our first transformation clients, and has been a great role model for showing what can be done when you put your mind to consistent exercise and nutrition. And now having been diagnosed with breast cancer early this year, she continues to inspire with her strength and grace in handling this diagnosis.

To support Katherine walking in the Avon Walk, we will be having a Community Yoga & Meditation Evening on Friday September 4th from 7:15pm-9:15pm at Breakthrough Strength & Fitness. This class is open to everyone, so feel free to bring a friend. All donations will go to the Avon Walk. Suggested donation is $20, but any amount is welcome.

Breakthrough: Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us today! You’ve been training with us for a while, what was it that led you to your decision to start training with Kati and Caleb?

Katherine: Pure fascination with those little things that look like cannonballs and look like they could kill me with one punch.

Breakthrough: Yes – the kettlebells! That’s a fantastic reason!

Katherine: It was unlike anything I had heard of before, and since everything I had ever tried had not worked, I thought why not just be bold and do something completely different, what did I have to lose?

Breakthrough: I love that. You took a chance that ended up being something that worked for you! How long ago was that?

Katherine: You have to help me here since we started together, I feel like it was 2009?

Breakthrough: Yeah that makes sense, 6 years ago! That’s a really long time!

Katherine: I know right? I think that the picture of me in my dress for my testimonial was in the Fall of 2009, and I think that was when I had done a couple of the bootcamps that Kati taught and I was feeling really amazing.

Breakthrough: Looking good and feeling good is awesome! So your last chemo treatment was this week, which is so great, and we are all so excited for you that it’s over! Throughout this time you’ve been on chemo, you’ve had to switch your focus from strength training to yoga. How do you feel that yoga has helped your recovery?

Katherine: It has been a huge part of my recovery because I got really depressed when I couldn’t train anymore because of the surgeries and treatment. But when I realized I could do yoga, you know what, I’m gonna interrupt myself here, it’s like when I was training with kettlebells I was totally focused in my mind and in my body, but yoga brought in the spiritual component. So if I was anxious because of treatment, I could do my breathing that I learned in yoga, connecting breath to movement, and the exercises were gentle enough that I could do them during my chemo weeks and it kept me feeling like I wasn’t completely losing touch with my body, so it was huge.

Breakthrough: That’s so great to hear! Like you said, if you were anxious, you could tap into the spiritual side of yoga and get into a good headspace.

Katherine: I can’t even tell you, literally two days ago I was so anxious because, I mean chemo brain is for real, my breathing was so bad and my pulse was up and I couldn’t calm down, and I remembered a breathing technique that Kati taught us, and I started doing it and within a minute I was completely calm and thought ‘oh my gosh this totally works!’

Breakthrough: Isn’t that crazy too since breathing isn’t something we generally have to think about, it just happens, but once we do put focus on it, it can completely change your physiological response to stress and anxiety.

Katherine: Right! Mindful breathing!

Breakthrough: Exactly! Being mindful is key. So you are going to do the Avon Walk to End Breast Cancer, which is awesome and inspirational, because a lot of people who are in tip top shape don’t even do things like that because it’s how many miles?

Katherine: It is 39.3 miles over two days.

Breakthrough: That is a lot of miles to walk! You’ve walked in the Avon Walk before right?

Katherine: I did it for the first time last year and walked every mile and was so super proud of myself, and I’m feeling like even if I can only walk a couple miles this time, even though you know my goal is to walk every single mile, because I’m a freak, but just the fact that I’m there as a survivor will be awesome.

Breakthrough: Heck yeah it will! You were saying you have been doing some extracurricular walking practice, along with your yoga, to prepare right?

Katherine: Yes! I walked last weekend, before my last chemo, for 9 miles!

Breakthrough: Katherine, you’ve got this Avon Walk in the bag! We are so excited!

Katherine: Thank you!

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