cardiovascular and strength wise but was looking to tighten up her nutrition a bit . She was the driving force during the contest and pushed everyone to do their best not only for themselves but for the group as a whole . Nancy has fought and beaten cancer , she has nursed her husband through his illnesses , and has faced adversities that would bring most people to their knees . Nancy strongly believes , and I tend to agree , that staying active through these difficult times helped her get through them . I have learned more from Nancy than I could ever teach her .
Charles ( Carlitos ) Torres was part of the Fantastic Four Team . He was suffering from a not so rare disease called “ I ' m going to be fifty-itis .” Needless to say , Charles rose to the challenge , lost weight , gained muscle and became as lean as a 25-year-old athlete . He liked the results , loved the group , and continued to train with them until
“ Fitness Incentive Feels
genetics reared its ugly head and sidelined Charles with severely arthritic hips . The pain was debilitating and frustrating , but life throws us curve balls and Charles was unable to continue strength training due to a job relocation . The pain worsened , and Charles was told that he would need double hip replacement surgery . Our charming friend was worried and sad about what the future held in store . One day while the group , which at this point had recruited Pam ( who definitely did not know what she was getting into ), was training , we saw Charles working out on his own . We coaxed him into joining us , and we worked on getting him strong for the surgery . Charles had the double hip replacement and has gone on to have a remarkable recovery . He is back to strength training and spinning and continues to get stronger every day . As a bonus , Charles has leaned out and is in the 90th percentile for body fat in his age group . Not bad for a fifty-something charming man .
Soon Spring will be upon us , and our annual contest will be rolling out . Take this as an opportunity to join a team , get strong , and make friends . Your friend in Fitness Iris Greco
Gracie ' s Story continued from page 6
GYM BUDS
I joined Fitness Incentive in 2009 with my friend Gail , we would walk on the treadmill for 30mins a day , and this really didn ' t get me to where I wanted to be . I initially got to know Iris Greco because she was always so friendly to us . I mentioned to her that I really wanted to lose weight . My fiancé at the time had recently passed away from a heart attack at 44 , and I found myself alone with a 5-year old . I needed to get healthy . After a few months , I started training with Iris , and she helped me lose 50 lbs . Then came the first contest . After I had done that , I was hooked getting healthy and fit under Iris ' s care .
I continued to train with Iris , and she became a good friend . Iris is so devoted to her profession she goes above and beyond for her clients , taking care to give us nutritional guidance and emotional support along the way .
I wanted to do another challenge as they seem to get me the best results . Iris found me a dream team – Tom and Nancy DiCicco and Charles Torres , we became fast friends and had a great time working out together . We worked really hard together , and I think we did it more for each other than ourselves . Our results were great !
We all still train with Iris , and she is a saint for putting up with our crazy crew . We also train together when we aren ' t with Iris , and when we do , it ' s like we are doing an exercise for the first time every time . We are laughing the whole time ! We have been together for five years , and we still forget how to do a deadlift .
After our second contest together we still continued to work out together , I had started to travel much more for my company , and that is where Pam joined this crazy train . I am not sure if she knew what she was getting into in the beginning , but she fits in so well with us . We challenge each other every day . We have a strong bond and devotion to one another that cannot be broken .
Every now and then someone will ask , “ Why do we do this ?” One reason is that we remind each other that fitness is a marathon , not a sprint and that the work we do will benefit us in the long run . We want to be able to wipe our own butts – LOL . Together we have been through births , deaths , high school and college graduations and anything else life throws at us .
I am so grateful for Fitness Incentive and the type of gym it is - one big family ! It really is a home away from home- a place you miss if you miss a day . I always say the 5 am hour is the best-kept secret in the gym ( not anymore !). The love I have for this group is unconditional , and we all have Iris to thank for this . If it were not for her , we would not be together . Iris has a way about her that just brings people together . Because of her belief and commitment to us , we are now living healthier lives , and for that we are thankful .
Pam ' s POV
For the past six plus years , I have been training with Iris and have seen remarkable results in my overall health , physically as well as mentally . Four and one-half of those years were one-on-one . Then I changed to a group effort 1 ½ years ago , as I found team support immeasurable in motivating me to continue on this journey toward a healthier lifestyle . The group includes , by the way , Nancy , Grace , Tom and Charles , who are all serious about the gym but make working out more fun than it ever was .
With Iris ( and the ever updating equipment at Fitness Incentive ) guiding us through this journey we have all overcome many injuries . Over the past ten years , I have had two knee surgeries and was told that at some point , I would be a candidate for a total knee replacement . Iris did not believe that , and through her guidance , encouragement and our hard work that doesn ' t seem likely now . Several years ago , when scuba diving , I was unable to exit the water and remove the equipment without help . Now I climb a ladder with ease wearing 60 lbs of gear . Training with Iris is not an easy feat for the gang or her . We can be a handful at times . However , she never loses her patience or that great smile . If you took away Iris we ’ d still have FI , but don ' t you dare !
Tommy ' s Two Cents
After years of rehab from a stroke and a heart attack , and after using another
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Spring 2017 FIT to Print