Rebecca's weight loss goals and being healthy comes to life
Rebecca Salman is a staff member at the Baxter YMCA. But her journey started in December of 2014 when she decided she wanted to get healthier. She felt like she needed to set some weight loss goals and working out at the Y was the way to make that happen. After being a member for a while she decided she wanted to work part time at Baxter so she started teaching preschool swim lessons in early 2015. A couple of years later she started picking up hours in our Wellness Department. While in Wellness she started teaching Body Pump, LIVESTRONG at the YMCA, and eventually, some personal training. She went from 4 hours a week to 17 hours which worked well with her full time student status as she earns her Masters in Management and Leadership to enhance her degree in Business Management.
Trial and error brought more knowledge
[caption id="attachment_15597" align="alignright" width="300"] Rebecca's before and after photo[/caption]
Rebecca was able to learn a great deal as she worked to find a comfortable weight for her frame. She trained with low weights and cardio for two years while working out with James Pope, previous Associate Wellness Director. She dropped to 127 lbs. and realized that, even though the weight loss charts told her this is where she should be, that was not a good weight for her.
In the midst of her weight loss journey she was able to take on a few half marathons in 2016. While she enjoyed running, she didn’t love it and was advised to try Power Lifting by another personal trainer at Baxter. She backed off of running and even competed in her first push/pull competition in 2017. After winning 4 competitions she was very encouraged.
Success comes for Rebecca in so many ways
She gained back some of the weight she had lost and turned her attention back to her weight. Rebecca stands 5’0” tall and felt really good at 205 lbs. but wanted an edge so in the spring of 2018 she started working with a nutrition coach and ended up dropping 60 pounds while still maintaining her strength for power lifting. Now hovering around 148 lbs. Rebecca feels strong and healthy and ready to compete! In 2019 she started in her first sanctioned meets to qualify for bigger events. Rebecca now holds one state record and was scheduled to compete in a Full Power Meet which consists of a squat, bench, and dead lift.
Words of wisdom from Rebecca
Rebecca has this message for starting a weight loss journey, “You must be consistent, not perfect, but consistent. Keep up with it. Move on after you have cheated. Prioritize your health. Put yourself first.” If you are interested in Power Lifting, she stresses technique above anything else. “If you use the correct techniques, it really provides a whole different way of doing things.”
Rebecca is available for Personal Training. Contact the Y for more information on Personal Training packages.
[caption id="attachment_15601" align="aligncenter" width="300"] More photos of Rebecca's progress[/caption]