Margah Lips
In early 2010, my husband and I arrived in San Miguel for our usual three-month sojourn in sunny Mexico. We own a house here and have been happy part-time residents of this beautiful city for several years. I mention the three-month time period because it is an important part of the story of my "Crystalization".
Unbeknownst to my family and friends, I had resolved to make my three months in San Miguel into a truly transformative experience. In the preceding ten years, I had gained weight and was seriously out of shape. Both my cholesterol and blood pressure numbers were too high. My dress size had gone from a 6 petite to a 12 petite. I wouldn't think of putting on a bathing suit and I avoided full length mirrors altogether. At five foot three inches with a light bone structure, I weighed in at an unacceptable 141 lbs. Walking the steep streets of San Miguel would leave me gasping and dizzy. Zumba in the Parque Juarez was next to impossible. My right shoulder rotator would keep me awake at night because the pain was so bad. And at age 63, I felt like the years were literally weighing me down. So I decided to take those three months and go into action.
Crystal Calderoni came into my life in her role as the daughter of friends, Ben and Merry Calderoni. I knew she was a trainer and an actress and had visited her website. I did not realize when I first met her in 2007 how influential she would be in my life. I knew she was affiliated with a gym, but that was all. So in January, 2010, I got her card from her mother, hemmed and hawed for a week or so, and then finally made the call to Crystal, a call that was the beginning of a healthier, lighter and happier me.
Crystal worked with me to create a program combining weight training, cardio, and diet which would help me achieve an eighteen pound weight loss goal within about twelve weeks. I trained with her in the gym two to three times a week, having walked the two miles there and back. I got online advice and calorie information from a website she recommended and followed its guidelines with the idea that a little cheating is allowable as long as I got back to business the next day. By March, I started to notice positive changes in my waistline and stamina. Muscle structure in my arms started to define itself. The pain in my shoulder was gone. An old pair of jeans fit for the first time in years. In photos, my face had lost that puffy look. I knew I was on track. By April, and time to go back the States, I had lost about fifteen pounds. My doctor eliminated blood pressure medication. Sticking with Crystal's plan and training, I lost another thirteen pounds during the next six months. And I have kept the weight off since then.
The carefully designed workouts, nutritional advice, and encouragement offered by Crystal helped me to understand the science behind weight loss. This knowledge has helped me define what it takes to maintain fitness and stay at a sensible weight. I couldn't be happier with the my "Crystalization"! Thank you, Crystal, for everything. I couldn't have done it without your help, support and your unique sensitivity to the individual needs.