Dennis Wickham

"I am stronger, leaner, have greater flexibility, have better balance and form, and generally feel better. I also fit into clothes that I could not get into years ago. The key to fitness success is having a measurable goal, being determined and consistent, and great professional help!"

Clark County Medical Examiner, Husband and Dad

In the fall of 2005, I made a nearly four year commitment to take on a leadership role in Rotary where my volunteer commitment gradually increased. In the last year and a half the time commitment to my real job and my volunteer commitment was equivalent of having more than two full time jobs. There was no time for exercise, my weight went up, and I was not all that comfortable. I knew that I wanted to get back in shape and get back to normal weight. I had a number of concerns being as I was now in my mid-fifties; the major one being the potential for injury jumping into exercising on my own. I had always worked out on my own, had never joined a gym, and had never even considered working with a personal trainer. At the time, a friend was working out at Northwest Personal Training and was very pleased with the result. I decided to give it a shot. I was introduced to trainer Kristin Healey who did an assessment and informed me that I was more overweight than I thought based on percentage of body fat and my posture was less than desirable. The good news was that she thought that there was still hope!! I set up a regular time each week with Kristin and periodically added an additional session with one of the other trainers. On the days that I was not working with a trainer at the studio, I would do some of the exercises at home and also take advantage of my treadmill. Overall, I was making progress, but I was not very efficient with the time that I exercised at home, so in March 2010; I decided to try out the group classes. The first benefit that I saw was that exercise time was much more efficient as a trainer had the session mostly planned. Workouts kept my interest as there was a rotation of classes during each time slot. So now the results!! From October 2009 to November of 2010 I lost 15 pound. At face value, that does not sound like a lot until one dissects the number just a bit. During those thirteen months, I lost 25 pounds of fat, decreasing my total body fat by nearly 40 percent, and gained 10 pounds of muscle. I participated in and completed my first sprint triathlon in September 2010 with a time in the middle of the pack and I was the oldest male participant. You will find me at the studio most days from 5:30 to 7:30 AM in one of the various classes or with Kristin, most Saturday mornings, and occasional other times depending on my schedule. I enjoy all of the classes, but my favorite workout is definitely rowing as it is by are the most aerobic activity and the machine’s computer provides great feedback. Compared to September 2009, I am stronger, leaner, have greater flexibility, have better balance and form, and generally feel better. I also fit in to cloth that I could not get into at the beginning of 2009. The key to fitness success is having a measurable goal, being determined and consistent, and great professional help to guide one’s progress. There is also the added bonus of friendships gained and the inspiration drawn from other client’s abilities and progress. Northwest Personal Training!!!