I am a 41 year old mother of three and a doctor. Exercise is usually not my top priority. Not only is my time pretty limited, but training in a gym, any gym, with weights is not at all desirable to me. Going to the gym can be pretty boring and isolating, let alone intimidating. I tried various trainers - the idea being that with a scheduled workout, I would actually find some incentive to get to the gym and try to transform the way I think about gym training. Well, of the trainers I had in the past, one made me cry, one talked too much, one just did not inspire me to continue. Nothing seemed to work.
Then I met Juris.

I think the best quality possessed by Juris is his completely positive outlook, which he maintains, even at 6:00 am. Recently, I said to Juris, “I am sorry - I let myself go for so long, exercising now is so difficult.” He smiled and said, “No, Edie you need to turn it around and say thank God I rediscovered exercise and I’m here now getting it back.” He has a unique way of motivating you to achieve your personal best and to break down your own barriers to success.

After having 2 pregnancies and “back to back” deliveries 22 months apart, I felt like there was no way my body could actually return to “normal.” I had resigned myself to the fact that my “mummy tummy” was never going away. I was not happy with myself. I felt unattractive, old, and definitely not “sexy”. Being a small-boned and small-famed woman, having borne 2 large babies, weighing 9 lbs. 10oz. and 8 lbs. 14oz. each!, my abdominal muscles were completely stretched out seemingly beyond repair. My diastases recti, the longitudinal separation of the abdominal muscle above and below the navel, were the size of the Grand Canyon!

Juris focused on this area from our first session with core strengthening exercises for abdominals and back. Soon my abs started to tighten, and my endurance for extended abs exercises has improved greatly. I am really starting to reap the benefits of all my training with Juris. I feel better about myself, younger, more appealing, and more confident. I am even considering running the NYC marathon this year, at Juris’ suggestion, and I have never run a marathon before.

Juris has given me very sound nutritional advice that has helped me modify my diet and eating habits in a very beneficial way. He suggested simple, attainable goals (like eliminating my daily breakfast muffin and replacing it with oatmeal) which have helped facilitate both weight loss and better health.

Juris has now become a trainer for our entire family. My daughter is mildly overweight for a 6 year-old. Juris welcomed her to join our workout session and helped her learn how to use the treadmill, do sit-ups, and free weights, while still within the impossible confines of her short attention span. She loves it because he makes exercising fun.

It might sound corny, but Juris really loves what he does, and his enthusiasm is contagious. I look forward to our workouts and feel motivated to eat better, get more aerobic exercise, and to try my best. Exercising with Juris has translated into a real win for me on so many levels, physically, professionally, and personally. It’s a no-brainer that exercise is good for you, but having a trainer like Juris is like having a life coach. He is so positive, so encouraging, and so patient that his very presence makes you feel capable of anything. I look forward to many years of knowing Juris.

Having Juris around helps me to remember to take care of myself, in addition to my children, my husband, and my patients. I consider myself most fortunate for having found such a talented, caring, and gifted trainer.

Edith A. McCarthy, M.D.