Denise Lukins

"Having a consistent exercise program and a personal trainer to keep me on track has helped a lot. But in the end, it is up to all of us to care enough to treat our health and fitness as the precious gifts they are. My goal is to still be riding my horse up in the mountains when I am well into my 70s"

Dedicated to consistency!

I first started training with NWPT back in the old Princeton Athletic Club days! I did take a break for a few years until I happened to run into Rob at an event. The next week, he sent me an email more or less telling me I was coming back and he was going to be my trainer. He even provided me a schedule of how my workouts were going to go. Since he seemed to have made the decision for me, how could I say no? I had always been one of those people who say they can’t get up early in the morning and go work out. Turns out I was wrong, since I have no trouble getting to NWPT at 6:30 AM twice a week for my workouts. Well, maybe a little trouble and sometimes it is closer to 6:35, but still, I get here. I do know I feel better, brighter, and more energetic on the days I work out. I was very inactive for much of my life, but over my years at NWPT I have found out how much I enjoy exercising and moving my body. Still, about a year ago I realized I was carrying a lot of extra weight. My pattern had been that sometimes I would get really inspired and would eat very carefully and lose some lbs. Other times, I would be really inspired and would exercise consistently and hard, and I would feel very fit. I never could seem to do both at the same time, though, so I never seemed to get as fit and look as good as I wanted. I know Rob was frustrated by this pattern too, especially the year I was a member of his team for the Spring Weight Loss Challenge and I just couldn’t seem to lose more than a few pounds. Let’s just say you do NOT want to be the person who keeps Rob’s team from winning the NWPT Spring Challenge. About a year ago, though, everything came together for me and I became very motivated to be the fittest I could be. Part of it was that I was in a great relationship with the man I am now married to, and I wanted our life together to be as long as possible. Part of it was sibling rivalry – I wanted to be the athletic, fit sister. Part of it was seeing family members who had always struggled with their weight developing diabetes and other life style related diseases far too early in life. The other part of it was I simply love being active – bike riding, horseback riding, hiking, and gardening – and I wanted to be able to continue to do these things for as long as possible. I had stopped weighing myself after my Wii Fit kept telling me I was overweight every time I stepped on it so I am not exactly sure how much weight I have lost since last summer. I know it is has been at least 30 pounds (my husband has lost 40). Having a consistent exercise program and a personal trainer to keep me on track has helped a lot. But in the end, it is up to all of us to care enough to treat our health and fitness as the precious gifts they are. My goal is to still be riding my horse up in the mountains when I am well into my 70s. And that’s what gets me up in the morning.