Success Coping with Stress by Julie

Four days after my youngest was born in June of 2008, he had open heart surgery. The doctors saved his life by repairing a condition with his heart known as Transposition of the Great Arteries, in addition to repairing two holes in his heart. While we were fortunate to learn of the diagnosis in utero, I was not fully prepared to cope with the stress that his recovery and every day newborn care would bring. I did, however, know that I was not comfortable putting him in the daycare at my gym that I had attended for so many years, just so I could get in a good workout. Month after month I kept extending the freeze on my membership, until finally I admitted there was no way I would EVER feel comfortable putting him in that environment. We had enough to worry about with our four other kids ranging in age from 2 to 10 bringing unwanted germs into our home.

So we invested in an elliptical machine and a few dumbbells, thinking it would be a good temporary substitute for the gym. While it felt great to get a little exercise in to relieve the daily stress, I didn’t feel like I was getting an adequate or quality workout each morning. That’s when I discovered Cathe, just over a year ago. I had viewed hundreds of videos online, and even tried a few in the beginning, but none of them compared to how I felt after only attempting Body Max 2 for the first time! I also bought Muscle Max and instantly knew I had hit the jackpot with my favorite home fitness instructor. I was amazed that I could get such an awesome workout at home!

My eight-year-old daughter commented one morning as she came down to see me working out, “Why aren’t you doing Cathe? This one is so boring!” Thinking, “She’s right!” I quickly popped one of Cathe’s DVDs in the DVD player and re-started my workout! From that point on I did not waste my time on anything but Cathe’s DVDs. I have since become addicted to them, and discovered hers are the only ones that provide satisfying results. My library of Cathe’s DVDs only continues to expand.

My family is also much happier with me working out in our basement. After my husband leaves for work, my three youngest will often come down and join me in the last few minutes. My six-year-old, who happens to have Down Syndrome, is one of Cathe’s biggest fans! He often will request to watch one of Cathe’s DVDs and loves to attempt the workouts himself, especially the stretching exercises! And I love it that all my kids know “Cathe” by name. I recently made a purchase from Cathe’s website and when the box arrived at the door my oldest said, “Cathe’s here!”

Thank you, Cathe, for producing such quality workouts and allowing me to workout from home. But most of all thank you for enabling me to take care of myself in some scary times, when I knew too well what the potential for stress had on my own body. My little one is doing great and has no idea how spoiled he is that I sacrificed going to the gym for him, THANKS TO YOU! And the best part is, I feel more toned after having five kids than I have ever felt, even after leading an active life and attending the gym for almost 15 years!