Cory’s “Before & After” pictures may have caught your eye, but her story goes far beyond that. Over the past few years, she has taken on major physical as well as mental changes in the pursuit of bettering her health…and these changes were, at least partially, motivated by a major health scare.
At the age of 45, Cory was 423lbs and required a heart valve replacement. That event had such a powerful impact that it became her catalyst for MASSIVE change. You can read about her journey in her own words below.
These days, Cory is a regular face here at our club! She has lost weight, gained strength, improved her coordination & speed, and she’s also gained valuable skills in our Private Boxing/Kickboxing program.
We’re so proud of Cory and her dedication to her health! We want to inspire others with her story, and she was kind enough to share details about her journey. Please read her words and use them to stoke the flames of your own motivation!
“I have always had a weight issue since I was a child. After having 3 children I was not very active. I was always driving them to practices, games, swimming lessons, dance lessons, tournaments etc. I was always embarrassed to sweat in front of people.
After having heart valve replacement when I was 45 I decided I needed to make a permanent change before it was too late. I was up to 423 lbs. I went for bariatric surgery when I was 46. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get the boost I needed on my own. I changed my way of thinking about food as well. Within the first 2 ½ months I lost 75 lbs. I was able to then start walking trails and eventually took on the treadmill and a bike. It took me 5 years to get to 235 lbs. I didn’t want this to be a temporary solution so I did slowly and besides a few little hiccups, I was happy with my progress.
However, my progress stalled for almost a year. I knew I had to jumpstart again somehow. A few coworkers had done the 21-Day Challenge and were very successful with it. They convinced me to try it. I did and I saw a difference in the way my clothes fit. I then decided to throw away my scale and chose not to care what I way but enjoy the changes I saw and felt. 2 years later I went from a size 16 to a size 12. I got a personal trainer and started kickboxing.
I enjoy the gym 4 times a week for 30 mins a day. When they added “Hot Punch” and Johnny (Sabertooth) as a personal kickboxing coach I was hooked. Johnny is amazing. I had some health issues and instead of letting me give up on the gym he tailored my worked out to what I needed or could do safely. Thank you, everyone, at John Savidis’ Lean and Fit. I looked forward to spending another year staying healthy.”
Here are some words from Cory’s coach, Coach Saber:
“Cory and I have been working together for going on 2 years. She fell in love when I introduced her to boxing and hitting focus pads as a workout. She picked up what I was putting down well and progressed through the first chapters very well.
Our boxing work did have a brief pause when Cory developed vertigo. That knocked us completely off the great track she was on because her balance was jeopardized big time, but still no quitting.
As soon as her doctors gave her a green light to exercise, we were back to the rebuilding process. Coming from the ground up. Countless ladder drills and balance work has brought Cory past the previous point she was at before vertigo!
It has been incredible to help aid Cory in this recovery. She is now back on the pads and looking incredible! All thanks to her will and determination to stay focused on her nutrition and exercise.
Keep up the great work, Cory – Coach Saber 
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