In April 2009 I hit what I thought was rock bottom.
While at Sherwin –Williams to choose paint for our new house, I bent down to pick up a paint chip and threw out my back.
Yes, bending down to pick up a little piece of paper incapacitated me so much that I passed out in pain. They took me to the hospital in an ambulance and I spent a week in bed.
For the next several years, I rotated through physical therapy and pain management doctors who just wanted to prescribe pills without looking at the causes.
Though never overweight as a child, I was not what you would call active.
I played lacrosse in school, but never really enjoyed exercise.
When I turned 21, things changed. Suddenly there were 20 extra pounds and I spent my twenties pretending they weren’t really there.
I saw how my mother’s obesity impacted her life and did NOT want to wind up like her. She can’t go places because her knees are shot from her weight, she’s on heart medication, and the list goes on.
So, I’d exercise and eat well for a few weeks and then completely undo all my hard work for months. It was a cycle many of us know all too well. Even throwing my back out didn’t wake me up.
Rather, I used every excuse in the book to convince myself that there was nothing I could do to make it better.
When I found out I was 
going to have a baby, I was thrilled, but also scared.
What scared me more than even giving birth was the question of how was I going to carry this baby and, once it was born, pick him up and hold him with my back as it was.
With my “dream team” of chiropractor, massage therapist, and physical therapist, pregnancy wasn’t too difficult.
However, once I had to pick, hold, and carry my little Will all day and night, it was a different story.
Two months into motherhood, my back pain was so bad I agreed to spinal shots and contemplated stopping nursing so I could take pills in order to deal with the pain.
I remembered how my mother never played with me or took me places because she couldn’t handle the strain. It was horrible. I did not want my child to remember me that way.
Not being able to hold your child or play with them without crying in pain…now that w
as my real rock bottom.
About this time, a friend on Facebook (of course) mentioned Breakthrough and the 24 Day Challenge.
My husband, Brandon, decided to look into it.
He had amazing success and encouraged me to give it a try as well.
That first meeting with Chris was rough. As he likes to point out, I couldn’t even do a squat. He suggested I start off with getting my nutrition in shape with Crystal for a few months.
She was a wonderful motivator and was with me every step of the way. Thanks to her help, I lost about 15 pounds in three months and passed my intro workout with Chris so I could start taking classes.
Almost immediately, my back pain disappeared.
Since then, I have continued to lose weight and feel better about myself more than I can ever remember.
I am so grateful to my husband, Brandon, who encouraged me to take that first step and call Chris.
Brandon is an amazing person and I am so proud of all that he has accomplished since beginning at Breakthrough almost a year ago.
We are now healthy role models for Will and look forward to an active and fun life with him.
Truly, the help, encouragement, and pushing from Chris, Karen, and all the Breakthrough staff and trainers has given me my life back. Thank you!
Carrie Hart
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