I had spinal fusion surgery due to chronic pain in my lower back and down my right leg. After surgery I was unable to work for 8 months and I gained a little over 30 pounds. Before surgery I was slightly overweight and weighed about 170 Lbs. I am 5’11” and my ideal weight is around 150 – 155 pounds for my body type. So once I was able to return to work I was up to 200 Lbs. I was able to lose weight by watching my diet and walking on the treadmill 6 days a week each evening. I reduced my weight to 165 Lb. but I couldn’t get any lower, I had hit a plateau. I started doing the stretches and exercises that I had learned while attending physical therapy 3 times a week and continued doing my treadmill sessions 6 days a week. I was only able to walk on the treadmill at 2.5 MPH because any higher speed caused pain. The stretches and exercises helped but my flexibility was limited and I was still experiencing pain in my lower back.
I was talking with a friend and telling them about my situation and they told me about their exercise routine. I started exercising with them a few
times a week and that’s when I first saw Cathe’s workout programs. I watched them doing the programs and at first I thought it wasn’t for me. After watching them do the programs while I was still doing my routine of the stretches and exercises from my physical therapy I saw that weight training, stretching and cardio exercises were included in the programs. I got interested in the programs and borrowed a few to try on my own at home and started easy with light weights at a slow pace. I was surprised that the programs were interesting and actually fun to do so I borrowed some additional programs and got hooked, the warm ups, exercises and stretches are set up so well. I then purchased a few programs and started a regular routine of upper, lower, cardio and mixed sessions. I continued to try new Cathe programs and now I have a over a dozen Cathe DVD’s.
After doing the Cathe programs for about 6 months I was able to get to my desired weight, my strength increased and I felt reduced pain in my lower back. I now have been doing the programs for 9 months and my body definition is improving. At first I started using lighter weights than what Cathe uses during the program then I was able to match what she was using and now I am exceeding her! I have increased my strength, my flexibility has increased past what I expected after my surgery and now I have set new goals. I am 49 years old and thought that if I could just get my weight down and sustain it, then I would feel better and be healthier. By doing the programs on a regular basis, I have exceeded just reducing my weight to improving my flexibility and increasing my strength.
I just completed my yearly routine physical and my cholesterol level is 141, I’m at 150 Lbs., I have visible abs and muscle definition in my chest and back that is better than when I was 29 years old. I can’t thank my friend enough for introducing me to the Cathe program series as they have truly changed my life.