Following major weight loss, GreatLIFE member to take on Inspiration Run

April 18, 2018

This piece is presented by GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness.

Life had delivered its share of challenges to Kim Wahl when she first walked into a GreatLIFE gym almost three years ago.

Diagnosed with diabetes, she’d lost some weight on her own. But a friend who had worked out with her became sick. Then, Wahl lost both her parents.

“I started eating more and gained everything back,” she said. “I knew I had to get the weight off because I wasn’t feeling well.”

Her father had been a GreatLIFE member and enjoyed working out and golfing, so Wahl decided to try.

“I met Brendan my first day there and decided to sign up for personal training,” she said.

Trainer Brendan Harberts has worked with Wahl multiple times a week at GreatLIFE’s East 10th Street location.

“To say that Kim has done a ‘good job’ would be a massive understatement. She’s done amazing,” Harberts said. “She has never once complained and always comes in with a great attitude. She’s always got a smile on her face, even during stairs, and the progress she’s made is incredible.”

The impact has started to add up. Wahl had plantar fasciitis, high blood pressure and back, hip and knee pain. They’re all gone or significantly improved.

“I actually enjoy working out now,” she said. “I don’t have to take diabetes medicine anymore. I couldn’t go up a flight of stairs, and now I can do lots of stairs, so it just made me feel better.”

For Wahl, the difference has been nothing short of life-changing. She has lost more than 150 pounds. But that’s only one way to measure what has changed.

“I have a lot more confidence in knowing I can do things that before limited me, if I was interested in something but felt I couldn’t physically do it, and now I feel like I can enjoy that part of life.”

Her newfound ability will be on full display in an appropriate way later this month. Wahl plans to participate in a 5K as part of the GreatLIFE Inspiration Run on April 28 at Inspiration Hills near Inwood, Iowa.

“I’m working with Brendan, and I’m able to run now. He’s had me running in training sessions, and even if I don’t run the whole thing, I’ll walk part of it,” she said. “And I wouldn’t have been able to do that before my weight loss. And it’s for a good cause, and I want to continue to challenge myself. And I’m feeling so much better, I think I can do it.”

Harberts knows she can.

“Kim’s absolutely an inspiration. To go from hardly being able to get onto a treadmill to now doing high-speed sprints is a testament to her hard work,” he said. “She makes me want to work harder, and I know that she motivates everyone else in the gym too. I have zero doubt that she’ll reach every goal that she sets for herself in here.

“She was very nervous and timid when she first started coming in here, and now she says hello to everyone that comes in our gym, says goodbye to members walking out, and she is always happy to help volunteer at our events. Everyone in our gym is rooting for her. Kim is a blessing to us all.”

Wahl isn’t done. She plans to continue regular workouts and aims to improve her fitness even more.

“I definitely encourage people to join,” she said. “Everyone is so friendly, and I feel comfortable there. I’ve made a lot of friends, and it’s my home away from home.”

To participate in the Great Inspiration Run, click here.

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Following major weight loss, GreatLIFE member to take on Inspiration Run

Joining GreatLIFE has been nothing short of life-changing for this woman, who lost 150 pounds and counting and will take on her first 5K later this month.

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