by Coach Beth

I first met Mary the way I meet a lot of people.   She walked onto the floor for a class I was coaching.  I want to say that Jordan introduced us and let me know that Mary was a friend of Robyn, our best “fitness pusher”.  Since I had this information, I knew she’d be fun.  But like most new members, Mary seemed a little bit overwhelmed, did not want the spotlight shown on her too much and just really wanted to survive her first regular class.    

Fast forward a few weeks to when I learned why Mary (and her husband, Nick) really joined Progression and you’ll see why I admire her so much.   Mary and Nick joined because they knew that they had not been taking care of themselves.  Their health had not been their top priority for several years.   This is because their number one priority was the health and care of their son, Otto who was born with Cystic Fibrosis.  

Their son is old enough now that he sees his parents as role models. So, Nick and Mary decided they needed to model healthy behaviors. Don’t get me wrong.  These two still spend most of their time on maintaining the health of and caring for their son, but they make it a priority to exercise regularly now and are working on their nutrition. They have accomplished so much in the past year, it’s almost unbelievable. Just ask Mary how many burpees she could do then, versus how many she can do now!  Because that’s how we measure a healthy happy life, right? In burpees 😉 

During this stay at home order, Mary has inspired me every time I talk to her.   She’s figuring out how to balance the emotions and changes that we have all faced during this time.  She’s figuring out how to help her son and step-daughter feel secure and loved each day without letting go of her determination to stay fit and while managing her career. I won’t go into it all, but her little family has been through more than most during this pandemic, yet every day Mary has something positive to say even if it is what she learned from a failure.  Failures and setbacks don’t seem to hurt this woman.  They only make her better and stronger.   

I am so proud of all that Mary has and will continue to accomplish.  I’m lucky to get to call myself her coach.