Disclaimer: There are people I care deeply about who are naturally thin. This post is in no way meant to demean you or anyone else who is slender. Enjoy the gift, I say!
Personal
The story of how I came across PÜR (Personal, Unique and Rewarding) Fitness is quite serendipitous. I was mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook Newsfeed in early December, when I read the local gym would be giving away various packages for the month. Knowing that I needed to take charge of my health and make changes, I filled out a quick, online survey that included my name, basic information, and why I was interested in winning.
It was the third week in December that I found out I had won a significant combo: 12 FREE workout sessions for the month of January, a package normally worth $150. I was ecstatic! I knew this was the new beginning I longed for.
I’m not athletic. In elementary school, I was that child that preferred having free time over structured physical activities. I loathed whenever we were assessed for grades. The sun was hot; the South Texas blacktop, even hotter.
When I was living in Iowa in my early twenties, I had a friend introduce me to jogging. We started off slowly, with interval training (ex: 2 minutes of walking, 1 minute of jogging, alternating for 30 minutes). After a couple of months she challenged me to sign up for a 5K. I did, and the rest is history. I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2008, and the San Antonio Rock n’ Roll Marathon in 2010. I fell in love with the endorphins and everything about running.
Flash-forward to almost ten years later, and people still associate me with marathoning. While I do not mind this, my marathoning days are well behind me. Because I ran much then, peers sometimes assume I still do, or that at the very least, I am athletic.
With comments some have shared over the years, I get the impression that I’m someone who’s viewed as having an easier time than others managing my weight. Having three children in the span of the last five years (all delivered via c-section), has left me feeling like a stranger in my own body. Examples of these shared remarks:
When doing Zumba with friends and speaking to an instructor, one of them, referring to me, said, “Ella no lo necesita. Ella ya esta flaca.” Meaning, “She doesn’t need this class. She’s already skinny.”
When traveling with a dear friend abroad: “I wish I had your body.”
Well-meaning acquaintances during my pregnancy: “You’re one of those pregnant ladies that’s all belly!”
Meanwhile, I have had an incredibly difficult time shedding the baby weight after carrying three children back-to-back. My social media feed bursts with moms who have lost all the weight—and then some—nursing. I am still nursing my 7-month-old daughter regularly and exercising more than I have in a long time. But, I have only managed to drop half of the baby weight. I have learned recently, though, that it’s not always about the number on the scale.
Unique
When I first stepped into PÜR Fitness, there were many qualities that made it stand out as a nontraditional gym. Smaller than most commercialized gyms, there were about 4-5 people working out that particular hour. As I tried different classes (TRX, HIIT and Body Sculpting) throughout the month, I found that these smaller crowds are the norm, and I LOVE it. Every time I attended a session, I received individual attention from one of the trainers. Every time.
As a former gym hater, I never liked huge complexes sprawling with people. Frankly, when I was working with a personal trainer at another local gym in my mid-twenties, I felt like such places were meat markets. You could feel the tension as different gym-goers competed to hook-up with one another. I was not interested.
I have felt a positive difference in my energy levels and can tell that I have lost inches. Friendships are being developed with people I would not normally get to interact with and I am so thankful.
Rewarding
Owner and trainer Omar Garza decided to leave the corporate gym world in order to fulfill his vision of working with and helping people. Established in 2009, Garza has a long-term dream of building a 5,000 sq. ft. facility that will be utilized as a private, membership-based facility, with an emphasis on personal training. A lover of people, he cherishes the relationships he builds with his clients.
Garza inspires the community to lead healthier and more active lifestyles, recognizing that such a feat is especially challenging in Brownsville, where taco stands and panaderías (or bakeries) dominate food choices. “Having a sick father figure at home that struggled with diabetes and heart issues made me want to give back and help,” he sincerely shared.
Family members Mary Valdez, and Rene and Maria Elena Corbeil have been PÜR Fitness clients for four years. Valdez, a 70-year old former pre-diabetic, shared the sources of her faithfulness, “I’m able to move around [more]. I’m able to get off the floor.”
Rene Corbeil originally joined because his cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels were out of control. His doctor encouraged him to change his habits in order to get off of medication. He is currently medication-free.
Maria Elena added, “For me, I feel really energetic on one hand, and it’s helped me get rid of my nervous energy on the other hand. So for me it really helps manage stress. I’m much calmer. I sleep better at night.”
The more I spoke with gym members and experienced sessions firsthand, I realized PÜR Fitness is exactly what it sets out to be: Personalized, Unique and Rewarding. None of this was more evident than when I spoke with long-term member and new friend, Ana Bodden Gault.
Under Garza’s tutelage for six years, Gault is nearly brought to tears when speaking of her coach. “He likes to say that exercise is medicine,” she confided, “and that has really been the case for me.”
Diagnosed with a chronic illness (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS, for short) eight years ago, she had to move around with the help of a walker, and was put on constant bed rest when she initially started working with Garza. She lacked basic balance and muscle strength, and would pass out most of the time during her workouts. “It’s a disconnection between my brain and the rest of my autonomic system,” she elaborated, “so anything we take for granted, my breathing, my heart rate, my digestion, [etc.] is out of whack.”
After a number of trial medications, Gault saw that being active was the one constant that helped her condition. “[Garza] basically has me for life! It has not only been a benefit to me, but a benefit to the rest of my family,” she said.
When listening to Gault speak about how far she has come, I felt a divine connection; she is a literal walking miracle. And she inspires me.
I do not know how long I will be a member of PÜR Fitness, but I hope to be for as long as I possibly can. And as long as I am, I will claim it as my gym. For more information, please visit their website here, or their Facebook page.