Living stronger

Two years ago, Kim Haupt’s quality of life was bleak. Confined to a wheelchair and wracked with pain, the 69-year-old could no longer do the things she loved, like travelling the country to show dogs.

Today, thanks to MaxStrength Fitness, she can go up and down stairs without pain and is back to breeding and showing her beloved dachshunds and Tibetan spaniels.

“Confidence, knowing I can trust my body again, is a big thing,” she says.

Losing Weight—and Muscle

A retired educator, Kim underwent bariatric surgery two years ago as part of treatment for stage-three fatty liver disease. Though she lost 100 pounds in a year and her liver health has improved, unfortunately she lost a lot of muscle mass along the way, too.

“I had no stamina or strength and was extremely weak,” she says. “And because of the surgery, I couldn’t take the medications for my painful arthritis. Over the years, I’ve also had two knee replacements. I wasn’t in a good place.”

When she heard about the MaxStrength training protocol, she mentioned it to her physical therapist. He thought it would be a meaningful fit for her. 

“The concept was appealing—one-on-one guidance, carefully controlled movements and just two 20-minute strength-training sessions a week,” she says.

That was seven months ago. 

Now she has rebuilt muscle and is mobile and energized. She’s travelling to dog shows independently again and showing dogs. 

“MaxStrength has been a godsend,” says Kim. “I can comfortably handle the physical demands of caring for my dogs. The changes in my body have been significant. You can notice the muscle tone where before there was none. And I’m also experiencing less joint pain as the stronger muscles are providing greater support. It’s like a new lease on life.”

She says a positive of this protocol is the trainers guide you through everything and make sure you’re doing it properly, without stressing your joints.

Pretty NEAT, Huh?

Over the past 19 years, MSF Founder Jeff Tomaszewski has continually added value to his members’ experience by sharing content from the latest research in exercise science. He and his team care about the health of members, even when they aren’t in the studio. He recently touched on the concept of NEAT, or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. Simply put, it’s the energy your body burns through everyday movement that isn’t structured exercise.

“We’re believers in our 20-minute workouts, but we also care about the other 10,040 minutes of the week,” he says. “Seemingly small choices, like parking further away from a store, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, standing while talking on the phone, taking breaks to get up from your desk periodically and taking a quick walk after dinner, all add up to make a big difference in your energy level, mobility and overall health.”

He adds that at MaxStrength, the goal isn’t to spend lots of your precious life at the gym, but rather to build the strength that allows you to enjoy living it for longer.

MaxStrength Fitness

33705 Station Street, Solon

440-692-2345

MaxStrengthFitness.com