“The obstacle is this Latina’s path”

 Glory’s transformation wasn’t easy, but with hard work and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle, she went from a size 16 to a size 4 and has lost 43 pounds since January 2010.

 

“Weight was always an issue even as a child I struggled and wasn’t healthy,” she said. “My body was literally falling apart and my stress levels were high.”

 

One night in August of 2009, she felt extremely ill and was taken to the ER where her blood pressure was found to be 209 over 110 and she was told that she was very close to having a stroke and had to begin to see a cardiologist at the young age of 39.

 

Glory was told that her size and weight put her in the obese category and without serious lifestyle changes she would have serious health issues that could be fatal. She weighed 178 pounds and was just 5 feet tall. She had high blood pressure and they found an issue within her heart.

A week later she saw a sign for a bootcamp next to where her son was playing basketball. She decided to try it and her life has never been the same.

 

“I walked through those glass doors with so much fear and anxiety realizing I couldn’t do over half of the exercises,” she said.  But she tried it anyway and after two months of working out as hard as she possibly could, she received a text from the owner that said he had watched her during class and saw her persistence and determination and was very proud of her.

 

“To this day I don’t know that he will ever know the impact that text had on my life,” Glory said.

 

After six months of working out at Amenzone, Glory happily said goodbye to her blood pressure medications.

  She also decided to run her first 5K in October 2010 and has since participated in and completed 15-5K’s runs.

 

She now works out  five times a week whether it rains or not she says and  she has also incorporated Zumba once a week. “Working out at Amenzone has transformed my life in every aspect.  I have found my inner strength, I am healthy and I now have my life back,” she added. 

 

Glory didn’t only transform her body, she worked on her mind and her soul. All three had to work together to get the results that she has accomplished. Glory’s story gives me and other Latinas hope that with hard work and determination, we too can transform our lives no matter what.

 

“This is my lifestyle now. I am a better version of my previous self and I will continue to transform from the inside out because I am training for my life now,” she said. And most importantly, “I am a Latina Still Standing.”