A trainer’s vote of confidence

When Joshua Steckler looks back on his first workouts with the Daily Herald’s Melynda Findlay he recalls a timid woman who was unsure of how hard she would be able to work.

“Both of us have learned how much her body can take vs. what she used to think her body could take,” Steckler says.

According to the personal trainer and owner of Push Fitness in Schaumburg, it’s that false perception that will hold a person back and not allow them to reach their potential.

What Steckler now knows is that Findlay needs to be pushed and as the Fittest Loser Challenge moves into the final phase, he plans to keep her body in a constant state of change. And he’s quick to remind the once sedentary woman how much stronger she is.

“We joke about how she once injured her shoulder because her purse was too heavy,” Steckler says. “Now she’s doing planks, pushups and kettlebell swings. She just keeps going strong!”

— Gerry Alger