I have been a recreational runner/jogger since high school and started doing marathons and running local races just after college.

I also started weight lifting during my freshman year in college to supplement my cardio.

Ever since I lost my “freshman 15” from college, I have maintained a healthy weight of about 140lbs for the last 10-15 years.

I never thought of myself as heavy but just like any girl, I always wanted to lose 5-10 pounds, or wished my legs or butt were just a little smaller.

I have belonged to a gym in one form or another for almost 20 years and I can truly say that they are all about the same…some have fancier equipment than others but they all depend on the motivation of the members to use the fancy equipment.

The reality is that some days you’re motivated, some days you’re not.

But, if you chose to stay on the couch, I guarantee that the guy working the front desk won’t call and ask you where you are.

I heard about Breakthrough from a friend. He said that they do crazy things like flip tires, lift stones and use ropes during their workouts.

Being the competitive person that I am, naturally I was intrigued. So I called the number and left a message.

I remember playing a bit of phone tag with Chris initially but he was very persistent (Chris? No way!!) and never gave up trying to make contact with me.

A few days later, I had a consultation appointment with him.

During the interview I remember telling him how I was generally self conscious about my body and how my main goals were not necessarily to lose weight but to convert fat to muscle and see if I could push myself to the next level of fitness.

I was skeptical that this could ever happen based on a long track record of running and working out with the same results.

But I decided to sign up anyway and give it a try…why not?

I didn’t realize at that time that my decision to join the Breakthrough family would change my life.

During my initial measurements in early March 2010, my weight was 143lbs and body fat at 18.5%.

I committed to working out at Breakthrough 4 days per week…3 of those days being at 5:00am…while maintaining 6 days/week of cardio (running or cross training).

I already had a relatively good diet but I cleaned it up even further by eliminating all refined sugars, choosing mostly low GI foods paired with high quality/lean protein sources and only eating small amounts of healthy fats.

By January 2011, I had dropped 9 pounds and 7% body fat and lost inches from every spot on my body.

Fast forward to September 2011… by continuing to maintain my workout schedule of 4 (sometimes 5) days per week at Breakthrough plus 6 days per week of cardio and having a very clean, healthy diet, I have dropped another 7 pounds (16 total since March 2010) and 3% body fat (10% total since March 2010).

All of these changes have resulted in more energy, motivation and even faster running times!

I frequently race in small local 5K and 10K charity runs, and win in my age group (sometimes come in first place for all females!).

And the last marathon I ran in December was my fastest time in over 5 years!

I am almost 36 years old and feel stronger, leaner and healthier than I have ever felt before in my life.

I am 100% certain that Breakthrough and its wonderful staff have EVERYTHING to do with it!

Teresa Hutsell-McKinney