TESTIMONIALS: Personal Training / Education

Personal Training/Education | Boot Camp | Pilates | Massage | Wellness Coaching

Dear Reader,

Patience is not my strong suit; unless it comes to waiting to put the right things in my body. I thought I knew a lot about how the body worked and figured I could skip the health education offered by Health and Wholeness and focus on pushing my body to do things I had never tried before with their personal training services.

I was wrong.

It took me a long time (I've been a client for 17 months) to realize I could only change this body of mine so much with exercise alone. Based on the way Nina and Christian live their life, I wondered whether knowing more about my body's internal systems or if putting different things into my mouth, could help push my body even further. This time I was right on the mark.

Team Elliot, (Christian and Nina), not only have a lot of patience for skeptical clients like me, they also know how to deliver quality, lively nutritional education. The classes, delivered via web-link powerpoint with live commentary from Christian, taught me things I did not know about our food delivery system and how it affects one's overall health. To this day there are images from that early training that inspire me to choose and eat foods that contribute to my overall well-being.

The classes gave me another valuable insight; no matter how good one's food choices, some supplements are necessary. I put off exploring their use for many months after that training. I should have been more impatient. I now take the full range of supplements suggested by Team Elliot and cannot adequately describe the dramatic difference in my life.

On the Personal Training end of things, there are those at the studio who tell me my physical achievements inspire them to push harder. Most of them are about half my age. Many of them are personal training clients. As good as Team Elliot is at personal training, I believe that other Health and Wholeness clients would more quickly reach their personal training goals, (and probably surpass mine), if they took advantage of all the services offered by Health and Wholeness.

 - Name withheld at my request for Internet privacy reasons.

Dear Reader,

I came to Christian just as I was ending my cancer therapy. I knew that I needed physical rehabilitation and I knew that I didn't have the self-discipline and accountability to maintain any sort of workout routine. Prior to my cancer, I had worked out on my own either at home or at gyms associated with my employment, but never with a personal trainer. Now, however, I felt I needed a personal trainer to keep me on a constant routine. I knew I would quit at the first excuse and the gym fee would be a waste of money.

I expected a personal trainer would go around with me set the pins in the machines and keep record of my progress. I was so surprised to learn what a personal trainer really does for a client. Christian knows and does so much more for a client than what I expected. Christian's knowledge of the body and exercises, and how the body and exercise interact, has completely blown me away. He immediately evaluated me from the most basic ability to balance (who would have thought?) and developed my "routine" from there.

I put "routine" in quotation marks because our workout sessions are far from routine. Christian knows more exercises to achieve a goal than I could ever imagine existed. I am constantly engaged during each session with him and am never, ever bored. But this isn't just from the varied exercises. Christian interviews me at the beginning of each session to see how I felt after the last session and how I feel on that day. I have come to understand that he uses this information to tailor that session's activities to how I felt and how I feel at the beginning of a session. Also, he has a great personality and is fun to work with.

In my time with Christian (two and a half months at the time of this writing), I have seen and felt such improvement from not being able to balance on one foot on the floor (yeah, I was pretty pathetic) to balance improvement that I feel in my stability in everyday activity, to muscular development that has restored my posture, relieved pain, and is rebuilding my strength.

I also engaged Christian to advise me and work with me on my nutrition. His instruction and advice on nutrition and improving my eating habits have been invaluable in complementing my workouts with good nutrition, the nutritional value of various foods, food preparation techniques, and how proper nutrition interacts to maintain a person's good health.

I am so glad I decided to work with Christian. I am astounded by what I have gotten from Christian for my money. I had no idea how much he could do for me. I got a professional whose knowledge and experience has made my workout time so much more valuable, effective, and beneficial than I ever imagined. He has been the best investment in achieving my goals and restoring my health. I am regaining my strength ...and getting back to a body that I can be proud of. I now wake up in the morning feeling good, alert, and ready for my day. I can handle the stress during my day so much better. And I feel happier all around. I highly recommend Christian as a personal trainer.

With my best wishes for a healthier you,

David Bouk, Alexandria VA

"Being an active and energetic woman, I have always loved to work out. Unfortunately my workouts only consisted of cardio, fearing the unknown of the weight lifting machines and dumb bells. I've always wanted a personal trainer so I could learn ways to better my workouts for maximum results. I decided that it would be a perfect time to get a personal trainer in the last few weeks leading up to my wedding. When I met with Heather for my consult, I knew that we'd hit it off immediately! In the five weeks we met, Heather helped me meet my goal of strengthening my core to improve my posture for that beautiful strapless gown! While helping me get bikini ready for my honeymoon, she helped me loose 3% body fat! Heather made my workouts fun and something I looked forward to each week. Without her encouraging words, creative workouts, and helpful hints I wouldn't have felt so confident on my wedding day!"

 - Kathleen

"Working with Heather was inspiring and motivating. She challenged me to work harder and realized I had to start slower and build strength. By the end of our sessions I was stronger than I imagined I would be and she left me with a bunch of new and innovative exercises I can do at home or at the gym. I can see and feel the difference in my body and the sessions were totally worth. I would sign up with her again."

- Colleen, mother of three

"She takes the time to listen and work with you on your goals. She is highly encouraging and makes training exciting. She is an expert when it comes to nutrition and the body. If you are looking to get healthier or looking to improve, Heather is highly recommended. She has vastly improved my strength and balance."

- Ellen

"I have ALWAYS been big and getting started is HARD, but the way I felt after the first session (and every session after that) is priceless. I always tell people that Nina looks nice and sweet, but she really kicks my butt. And it's true, she pushes me just past my comfort level, so that I feel great for the rest of the day, and the next day (and the day after that) I feel the burn. She always has fun and new exercises to do, so I never get bored and won't hit a plateau. When I first started working out with Nina (in May 07) I weighed 225 lbs, my body fat was 40%, and I was a size 18 pushing size 20. By just working out with her on Monday mornings, following whatever routine we did at the beginning of the week, and taking classes 3 or 4 days out of the week, I am now (Nov 07) at 188 lbs., 33% body fat, and a size 14! Just six months and I've lost 37 lbs! I feel so amazing! I am not done yet; my main goal is to be about 160 lbs, size 8, and 25% body fat. I know Nina will help me get there very quickly. Personal training is expensive, but the money I spend is worth it. I can't remember being less than 200 lbs. Every time I get on the scale and see a number less than 200, less than 190, it is so exciting for me. There is no way I would have been able to lose this weight without her guidance. Even after I reach my goal I still plan on working out with Nina once a week. I can't imagine Monday mornings without her."

 - Monique, Falls Church VA

"Having Christian as a trainer has been an eye opening experience.  Every training session is filled with incredibly effective routines and great information.  He's motivating, tough, and fountain of knowledge.  I've not only learned a lot about how to get the most out of my workout routines, but I've also gained a great deal of knowledge about nutrition and taking care of my total health and wellness."

- Boneza, Arlington VA

"My understanding of 'health' has totally done a hundred and eighty degree turn since starting the health coaching sessions.  I have learned that with the proper fuel and nutrients, the human body has the ability to regenerate itself, contrary to what powerful interests in society tell us.  So many of the lifestyle habits we develop are much more detrimental to our long-term health than we realize, and these sessions have been so helpful in teaching me how to replace the old habits with healthy ones.  Whether you have a severe health condition or suffer from just plain chronic tiredness, Health and Wholeness will give you a new outlook on life and the keys to abundant health!"

 - Robin, Washington DC