Work With Me

“I was privileged to have the opportunity to have Arlene as a personal trainer for about a year while I lived in the Chicagoland area. I’ve worked with several different trainers in cities in which I’ve lived and my experience with Arlene was, by far, the best. Arlene was skilled in working with me on goals that I had (rather than goals the personal trainer had, which I’ve experienced in the past) and focusing on activities in which she knew I would be engaged. She also approaches her clients with a perfect mix of encouragement and discipline, which was critical to my continued active participation in the training process. I felt I had one of the best personal training experiences thus far while working with Arlene!” – Jennifer

“After a childhood of injuries, immobilizers & surgeries I was a hesitant participant in any activity that could cause further potential injuries. I did not enjoy exercising & frequently injured myself if I tried. As a result, I began to gain weight. Obviously, this had a negative impact on my already poor joints. Knowing I was facing replacement surgery in the near future, I decided I needed help.

I found the listing for Arlene’s Chair Yoga class on our park district’s website. I was hesitant & embarrassed to go knowing I would likely be the youngest participant. I attended my first class in June of 2018. During that class, Arlene asked everyone to share why they chose the class, any injuries to be mindful of & our goals for the class. While I knew I wanted to lose weight, my ultimate goal, was strength. I enjoyed my time in the class & felt more flexible. I also felt proud. Even though I wasn’t ready to buy a gym membership, I felt more confident that I could exercise without injury…with the proper guidance. Arlene modifies all activities to suit each person & their ability. I knew I found the right person for me!

After the sessions were complete, I asked Arlene about personal training. I’ve been working one on one with Arlene for 14 months. I exercise with her twice a week. Every month she takes my measurements & figures my BMI/fat percentage. That is a huge motivator! I’m so glad she asked everyone in that first class to identify their goal. Having a specific goal helps you to not be constantly disappointed. When the scale wasn’t dropping, I just needed to remind myself that I WAS reaching my goal. I was able to do so much more; I was using bigger weights & able to endure more reps.

Over time, I found myself losing weight, inches, fat. All positives. But what I gained is so much important. I gained strength. Not only in my body, but in myself. I am so proud of myself for putting myself on my to do list. I exercise 5-6 days a week. Mind you, I’m no gym rat & I’m still doing modified exercises. I was a healthy eater before I began working with Arlene, but she helped me to create the right combination of protein/fat/carbs to help my body be the most efficient.

I would not be where I am today without Arlene’s guidance. I had surgery #1 in June of 2019, I have 3 more to go. I went into surgery at my goal weight & I was strong. It was a rough surgery & long recovery, but I had no doubts that I could do it. Arlene has been a constant cheerleader for me. We’re working together now to prepare me for surgery #2 next spring. I know I will be ready for whatever comes my way.”

“When I would workout, I wouldn’t lose much weight, or felt like I was gaining too much muscle. I was tired on a daily basis, and wasn’t motivated to get to the gym because I would do the same thing each time. Arlene shows me how to workout best for MY body. She pushes me farther than my comfort level. Each work out was different and works different muscle groups. I now have more energy and I feel more confident. I haven’t been this fit in a long time. I love working with Arlene. I look forward to the “hurt so good” feeling. She pushes me and made working out fun. She kept me accountable. She shows me that you don’t need much equipment to get in a good work out. Just body weight. She saw where my weakness’ were and focuses on those. And when we use equipment, she shows me how to use it properly and different ways to do so." – Kim

“After graduating college with not only my diploma but still carrying that "freshman fifteen," I hated cardio and couldn't imagine wanting to workout instead of watching Netflix. Arlene has helped me continuously set goals and reach them. Whether it's PiYo or interval workouts, I am never bored and now look forward to my daily workouts. After two years of training with Arlene, I'm running 10k races, partaking in Tough Mudders, and actually enjoy training.” - Megan

"Before I started my training, I was a freshman in high school and had stop playing sports at that level, so I was never really active. I did enjoy playing sports for fun or just going to the gym occasionally, but not habitually. My struggle was eating because I would eat whatever was in sight and at any given moment in the day. I ate so unhealthy and also did not exercise to burn any of it off. My biggest frustrations had to be how I looked, what I thought others thought of me, and how I wasn’t able to wear certain clothes just because I looked “too fat.” I also dealt with confidence issues."

All of these things just made me very upset and unhealthy. At the doctor’s, some of my measurements and percentages would be off the charts and it worried me. I feared that I would be like this, and maybe even get worse, for the rest of my life. I started to shut down a little and not go out as much. I would always tell myself “it’s okay you’re not the only one” or “just put off the new start until the next month.” Well, I decided enough was enough and that a change had to start NOW, so that’s when my mom got me to see Arlene.”

"Right from the start, I really liked Arlene. She helped me set goals and pushed me to accomplish them. Her workouts are perfect, never too easy nor nothing she knew I couldn’t handle. She is the type of trainer to push you to work hard during workouts, but just the right amount of motivation. I feel her workouts are beneficial and you do a lot for the short period of time with her (my sessions were 1 hour once a week). Arlene also provided me with food tips and many recipe links and examples of what to eat. With that, I was able to transform my eating habits and what I ate. Immediately once training with Arlene started, I noticed a change. The weight was dropping, along with the body fat. I had so much more energy and was so much happier. I was also starting to gain muscle which was a plus. I didn’t eat “just because the food was in front of me.” I learned to love eating healthy and eating when I needed to."

"My life has been completely changed for the better. I am on a path that only goes up from here. Clothes fit better, I am stronger, much more healthier and happier. My self-confidence is so much better, I feel great about myself. It’s great to wear certain clothes that I didn’t or couldn’t wear before. I love working out, it’s a lifestyle for me. My friends say I’m the healthiest eater they know. I get so many compliments and people noticing my change. They say that my body for sure has changed, but along with my personality and how much happier I look. Although I still have ways to go, I am so much farther into it then I could ever have imagine. I started training in May, and if you told me back then that I would look and feel like I do now I would slap you silly. Arlene gave me the push to turn around my life and for that I can be forever grateful."

"What I liked about working with Arlene is that she was easy to talk to. She did not judge me for my past but gave me helpful advice on how to start a change. She understood that I’m a busy teenager with a life, so we were able to schedule sessions accordingly around school and activities. She is so inspiring to me and is someone I look up to and thank her for her unending support of my transformation." – Emma

"Arlene is highly motivational and a great partner in your fitness goals. Her enthusiasm and energy are contagious. I learned a number of ways to optimize my workouts and she was extremely educational in nutrition which assisted me in my daily life. I highly recommend Arlene.” - Mike