Being in great physical shape is never easy and it is not smooth sailing as many people think. It takes hard work, consistency and discipline to achieve great results and be able to stay there for a long time. And even when you do all of these things, sometimes life throws you a curve ball and really messes things up. I should know as I cannot tell you how many serious injuries I have suffered in recent times that have completely derailed my strength, my fitness, my ambitions and of course my health. To get myself back to good functioning capacity I needed to spend a lot of time with boring, tedious exercises and methods for the "fun stuff" I was used to was just not realistic. And it is at these times you can lose the plot, lose all motivation and feel your world caving in around you. I am lucky for I am around so many people with worse problems than me, and I get to work with them and help guide them through these problems and see just what it is possible if you stick to the plan. And it is in these people I get my motivation when things are getting tough. This article I am going to share with you some of these stories so you too can feel inspired.
Where I Find My INSPIRATION
Firstly I would like to state these are not all of the stories available, and they are not better than other stories either, as everyone has different journeys, different obstacles and demons they must face. These are just some of the stories that I have picked that really inspired me to keep pushing and stick to the plan. If you want to read ALL of our testimonials which would is well over 100 now go to our Client Success Story page on the website.
It have been doing this profession for 14 years now and have worked with over 1000 different people of all ages and abilities and seen so many things that completely changed my thoughts on exercise, it is hard to say which is the best, as they were all great. (These stories are in no particular order). But there is one person who just absolutely amazes me every week, and I still shake my head trying to work out what just happened it would be Laurie Ford.
Inspiring Story #1: Laurie Ford
I have known Laurie for about 13 years, and he started training with me back in 2007 when he was a youngster at 69 years of age! At the time Laurie was quite good at various exercises yet his balance and strength was not up to par with what he deemed he needed. You see Laurie was and still is a competitive sailor in demanding races like the Melbourne to Hobart race held on Boxing Day each year. He is also the skipper and needs to be in top shape to handle what can be extremely physically challenging conditions for anyone, yet alone someone in now in their 80's!
Laurie spoke to me about wanting to improve his balance and also his strength as he had noticed he had lost some of his edge and wanted to continue sailing as long as possible as this was his passion. And over the next 10 years I have seen Laurie continue to get stronger, more balanced and faster than before. He actually is beating his personal best results with both fitness tests and strength tests at 79 years of age! He even started running again in the past 2 years as he felt he had lost his zip. He had not run for 25 years before deciding it was time to pull his finger out and get started. The key here is he sees no reason why he cannot continue to try and improve. Like everyone he has had his setbacks, from a hip replacement 6 years ago, to a nagging shoulder injury that took over 2 years to get right. But he kept training, doing his exercises and drills needed to get himself right and never stop! I really think we all can learn something from this. Recently I filmed Laurie in some of our education videos on You Tube for older adults to show just what can be done when you learn how to move well and add strength.
And here is another video filmed back in 2013 where we quickly interview Laurie about his health and fitness obstacles and how he uses exercise to overcome them. We also get to see him do some of his workout.
Below are some of the videos with Laurie as our fitness model where you get to see him demonstrate exercises like deadlifts, multi directional lunges and even his sprinting drills he uses as warm ups!
Last thing to say about Laurie is that for his 80th birthday this year he competed in a non stop 2 man race from Sydney to Osaka Japan! He did this once before in 2013 and felt he could have done better if he had another chance. To give you an idea of how hard this race is, it requires 4 hour shifts of sailing, with 4 hour shift of sleeping for 30 days in a row! And all that at 80 years of age! Wow!
Inspiring Story #2: Frank Cannizzo
We first met Frank in 2016 when his wife asked me if we could help him to regain his lost mobility after he had an operation to remove a tumour in his spine that left him partially paralyzed on his left side. I could see his frustration as he battled to do some of the simplest of tasks, his mind was saying one thing, but his body was not responding. For Frank to get back to moving better he was going to face a long and frustrating journey that was going to challenge his mind as much as his body. He also had some personal issues to confront that could easily have derailed his training. But he stuck at it, and he never gave up, even when it looked like it was hopeless he still kept trying, as did the trainers in trying to find ways to wake up his nervous system.
You must remember how easy it would have been for Frank to give up, blame the world for the crappy hand he was dealt, maybe even believe what the doctors tell him, that he can never do this, or never do that. But instead he pushed on, and continues to push on against the odds, and continues to improve.
I suggest you read his story written in his own words to fully grasp his challenge.
"My journey started some 18 months ago. After a couple of years of trying to find a cause for my back pain, the doctors found that I had a 65mm long tumour growing inside my spinal cord between T4 – T7 vertebrae. I never would have expected anything like that! Doing nothing was not an option, so I was booked in and had the tumour surgically removed. Doctors did say there was a chance of paraplegia, but I thought that would never happen to me. “Lucky Frank” ! The tumour was benign, but it did leave me numb from the waist down and with no motor function in my left leg and impaired sensory function in both legs. I had never been in a wheelchair before but soon mastered it, as it was the only way I could get around. I spent hours just doing laps of my ward at Cabrini. Determined to regain some sort of mobility.
I then proceeded to endure a couple of months in Rehab at Caulfield Hospital. Great staff and facilities, but the accommodation and food are a good reason to get well as soon as possible and get the hell out of there. I was doing rehab at the Angliss when my wife asked me to consider coming down to No Regrets. Nella was doing the cancer patients program and was really loving her time with Elley and the crew. She told me about some of the different people that No Regrets had worked with, and how they had some amazing results. I came on down and had a chat with Nick and have never looked back. I have gone from barely being able to struggle from the street into the Gym, to now being able get around the garden, mow the lawn, wash the car and do all those things we take for granted when you are able bodied. Although still reliant on my faithful crutch, I am moving with some confidence and a lot more stability than months gone by. With the structured exercise programs developing core and targeted areas, we have been working towards getting up and down stairs, up and down off the ground, bending , stretching, and all movements which are part of every day life. Challenging the body to re learn and find new ways of getting these legs working again.
Elley and Dylan are always encouraging and supporting me, and with Nick Nathan and Mel all putting their two bobs worth in, how can you go wrong? There is a wealth of knowledge and experience there, and they always have the day’s workout prepared and ready for me. It was pretty sedate in the past, but as I improve, the buggers are starting to make me sweat!!
I have found it a great environment to be in at No Regrets, and find encouragement from fellow clients like Dave and Laurie a great help to make sure you never miss a session. No excuses , No Regrets!
I have heard about good personal trainers, but I think this place is pretty special.
Thanks No Regrets". - Frank Cannizzo.
Now that is pretty inspiring in itself but what if I told since Frank wrote that we have seen him do things that has blown our minds! Remember he has a spinal cord injury and this affects almost every movement. It is not a matter of trying harder or doing stretches to improve muscle imbalance, this is something happening in his nervous system.
In the past few months we have seen Frank complete push ups for the first time in 2 and a half years, walk up stairs unassisted, and even complete Trap Bar Deadlifts! (See picture below). Absolutely incredible stuff! It is like a switch went off and suddenly he was able to do exercises like this. You have to see it to believe it!
To explain what we do with Frank is difficult to describe as like I said earlier this is a brain and nervous system challenge and not a muscle problem. Using movements is key and giving him challenges that require both right and left brain activation is where the brain can rewire itself. It can put things back together in other ways, this is called "plasticity". The only way to improve this is by using exercises to challenge his brain.
Article you can read with more about this in our article 6 Ways To Improve Your Walking Ability
Inspiring Story #3: Steve Nikolovski
I am asked all the time, why do you specialize in working with injury and rehabilitation when you could be doing much easier stuff like working with athletes or doing crossfit style training?
And the answer is, it is so much more rewarding seeing someone improve their ability to move in life, than simply helping someone lose 5kg and look good at the beach. Over the years from spending time doing courses, reading hundreds of books and finding better ways to help people move, I realized I could help people with much greater needs than wanting to look good. Along with Melissa, we wanted to find a team that felt the same way, and was equally dedicated and inspired to help people with much bigger problems than just weight loss or fitness. We wanted to help people just like Frank Cannizzo and Steve Nikolovski and make a difference to their life.
Steve has Multiple Sclerosis that has left him with partial paralysis that forces him to use a wheelchair. He has worked mainly with Nathan, and the two of them have a strong bond ( has also trained with Dylan and Elley at times) and Nathan spends considerable time putting together programs and exercise ideas to help Steve try to regain his ability to walk. Just like Frank, this is not a simple thing to do, and cannot be changed with a standard approach of just making him stronger.
Here is Steve's story in his own words.
"When I was around 16 years old I was really into going to the gym. I'd go 6 days a week with my mates and always reach new heights in strength and muscle size. One day when I came home from gym I felt numbness in my face and I could barely walk. I didn't think it was anything serious, as my mates and I would joke about it after a heavy gym session. Then, a few months before my 18th birthday I was diagnosed with MS and the specialists said it was an unknown cause. From then on I was getting medicated for my condition as the neuro-specialists were saying it was the best thing for MS, however, I felt it was making things worse. I was losing mobility in my legs and losing some strength in my arms, then, about 7 years later I couldn't walk. From then on I have been doing some rehabilitation with occupational therapists and physio's who have helped me gain function with certain tasks and getting around places in everyday life, although, there were some stages where I felt like I wasn't getting pushed hard enough, having my typical gym mentality haha.
Now that I have found No Regrets I feel like I am getting pushed to my limits. Since I have been here I have had two operations on my toe that they had to take the toenail off from the ongoing MS symptoms, however, that isn't stopping me from trying to get back into things that I need my toes to help me walk and work my leg shard. Nathan has been getting me to walk with my walking frames, doing squats up and down the chair holding on sticks instead of using the frame, and now to the point of standing up without holding on! (see picture above)
I wish I would have found these guys earlier as I feel like I am getting closer to achieving my goal to being able to walk again. " - Steve Nikolovski.
Just like Frank we have seen Steve continue to do some amazing things, he still has his ups and downs, but he never gives up. He trains 3 times per week for an hour each time and he pushes himself so hard at times we have to lift him back into his chair as he has nothing left! Absolutely inspiring to see, and words cannot describe the power it can have on your own way of seeing the world watching him try so hard.
To read more about what type of training we do with MS read our article Why Strength Training For MS Is So Important
Inspiring Story #4: Christian Haider
The last story is one from this year and was of a younger guy suffering with chronic neck and shoulder pain. He did not have the problems to the degree of Frank or Steve but his condition had deteriorated to the point where it was derailing his life in more than just physical ways. Anyone who suffers with chronic pain, and cannot seem to find any remedy or solution will know exactly how debilitating this can be.
Read our article Chronic Pain What Is It & How It Can Ruin Your Life
When we first met Christian he could hardly complete the simplest of movements without having shooting pains into his neck. Even stretches were hurting. He had already tried several places before seeing us and was desperate to get to the bottom of the problem.
Here is his story.
"After years of coping with pain I had finally crashed hard in January 2017. I was lost in deep depression and pain that was hard to describe. I spent every waking moment focused on the pain and the disability it was inflicting in my life. Couldn't sit, couldn't run, couldn't lift, couldn't do anything without paralyzing fear. I had tried massage, chiropractor, osteo etc. I was all out of options and truly lost and hopeless. Finally I came across the No Regrets testimony page and after reading some of the stories I decided to drop in and have a chat to Nick. Straight away everything he was telling me made sense, I had put my trust in so many heath professionals however so i was naturally a little pessimistic that what he was talking about could actually fix me. The pain I was experiencing in my neck was so strange that I felt no one could possibly understand what it was or how to fix it, I had been convinced it was a herniated disc, or a bulging disc, or maybe even a dodgy spine that would inevitably cause tremendous pain for the rest of my life.
After 3 months of hard work and listening to the team at No Regrets, I was finally experiencing a reduction in pain and had regained hope.
Fast forward 2 more months and here I am now, doing Jiu Jitsu again, sitting for hours again, running again, doing whatever I want! The pain no longer rules my life. It's not until now, 5 months later that I realize that what really saved my life was the fact that the team at No Regrets were not entirely responsible for fixing me, they were teaching me how to regain my freedom myself. They simply showed me what I needed to do and the rest was up to me. I had to to lift the weights, I had to put in the hard work. Thank you Nick and Nathan for showing me there wasn't anything wrong with me that I couldn't fix with time and hard work. You have given me hope that has truly saved my life.
If you're reading this and you're in pain right now, you have come to the right place. The team at No Regrets will change your life." - Christian Haider.
At the same time I met Christian I was struggling with my own shoulder injury, and was actually experimenting with different strategies and methods to heal myself. I was pretty pissed off at the world at the time, for I still had a stuffed knee and now with my shoulder getting worse I was really struggling to do anything. Christian actually forced me to work harder at finding an answer for my shoulder, as his symptoms were worse than mine, but he was mentally stronger than me. I knew if I could work my own problem out it would lead me to finding answers for him too. And sure enough over the coming months he began to improve and I started to share with him many of the secrets that I found were working with my own injury. I can say that this year really forced me to learn more about shoulders and necks than I had ever seen before.
You can read more about some of these secrets I used with Christian and myself in the articles below.
Best Stability Exercises For Shoulders
3 Key Factors To Heal An Injured Shoulder
And I also documented all of the stuff that worked well to create our Shoulder Pain Special Report below. This includes all the exercises, drills and programs that we use today. Click here to get a copy.
Summary
I am sure you agree that these stories will inspire you to push your limits, keep trying to find a way, and never give up. From Laurie's constant search to improve even at 79 years of age to Frank & Steve's belief that they can overcome the odds, to Christian's battle to find the root cause of his problem, all these stories share a common thread. Belief that it can be achieved and never giving up. I hope these stories inspire you just like they have for me to find answers to your own goals and keep pushing through.
If you live in Melbourne and would like to know more about any of our programs please click the image below to request a free consultation and I will be in touch within 24 hours to schedule a time.
