Flower Mound Fitness – Boot Camp Success Story !

Flower Mound Fitness Boot Camp Success Story. Meet Pam Michel – Get You In Shape 2012 Client of the Year Winner My name is Pam Michel & I’m a retired music teacher. I live in Flower Mound where my husband & I, married 28 years, raised our 2 daughters. They are now 23 & 20 […]

Flower Mound Fitness – Boot Camp Success Story !

Flower Mound Fitness Boot Camp Success Story.
Meet Pam Michel – Get You In Shape 2012 Client of the Year Winner


My name is Pam Michel & I’m a retired music teacher. I live in Flower Mound where my husband & I, married 28 years, raised our 2 daughters. They are now 23 & 20 years old, so we are, for the most part, empty nesters. I’ve been part of the Get You In Shape program for 16 months.

Where you were in life before Get You In Shape? What did your life look like?

Before I joined Get You In Shape, I had spent a couple of years helping take care of my husband’s parents. During that time, I gained quite a bit of weight. I’m 5’2” & I got up to 175 lbs. I was squeezing into a size 14. I was tired all the time & couldn’t seem to take weight back off by going to the gym. I also don’t mind telling people that I have had Parkinson’s Disease for 12 years now. The extra weight wasn’t helping my health issues. I was pretty much sick of feeling crummy & knew that I could do something about it beyond just taking drugs if I got serious about taking care of myself. I used to be a runner, so I don’t have an aversion to exercise. I just needed to find something that motivated me to get back into the fitness habit again.

Why you decided to join Get You In Shape?

I found a Groupon for a month at Get You In Shape, so decided to try it. It was summer, though & I had trouble with the heat. I ended up taking off a couple months & trying a different program that was indoors & I also went to the gym. By September, 2011, I knew the other programs weren’t working as well because of Get You In Shape‘s focus on overall fitness & nutrition along with a support system. So I went back & haven’t stopped since.

What was your first experience or first impression with Get You In Shape?

I loved that so many different types of people were in the program. There were all different ages, body types & fitness levels, but everyone was supportive of helping others meet their own individual goals. Also, the trainers all had a little bit different techniques, but were equally effective. I loved the variety!

What are some of the tools from the Get You In Shape program you have used that has helped you?

I guess I’ve tried just about all of the suggestions Get You in Shape has offered. I try focusing on one change at a time. At first I just increased the amount of water & drank daily & gave up drinking cokes. During the holiday season last year, I focused on eating sensibly & attending boot camp consistently & got through the whole season without putting any weight back on. At the beginning of 2012, I decided to participate in a Get You in Shape contest. We formed teams & competed over several weeks to basically try & be the “biggest losers.” During that time, I began using a food journal. I chose to use My Fitness Pal because it was easy. It was that contest & my great team (The Fitastic Five) that enabled me to finally drop under 150 lbs & take off another 8 inches in a pretty short period of time. I also recently tried the 24 Day Challenge. I was focused more on inches than weight at that point. But I was able to take off another 3 lbs. & 3 inches.

What do you like most about the Get You In Shape Program?
I think the focus on nutrition along with exercise is key to fitness. So I really like that about Get You In Shape. I also love the contests, opportunities to participate in different events, the constant variety & my Noon Class with personal trainer Chaney!!

How has the Get You In Shape program helped change your life?
Well, I’ve had to buy a lot of new clothes! LOL But aside from that I’ve learned about how our genetically altered wheat is really bad for our bodies. I now choose to eat gluten-free as much as possible. This has also helped my husband eat better & take off some weight too. I pay much more attention to my portion sizes & eat more frequent, small meals. Many of my old snacks have been replaced with better options. In general, I eat very differently than I used to. It’s not a diet, but a permanent way of life.

What is your proudest moment or results from the Get You in Shape program?
This is kind of silly, but I have always had pudgy thighs & upper arms, even when I was young & really tiny. At the end of the summer when we took measurements, my upper arms finally began to drop after staying the same for months. I was jumping up & down happy! Some other boot campers thought I was nuts since they want their arms to be bigger! But I finally felt like I was being successful at turning fat into muscle.

How has the Get You In Shape Program impacted other areas of your life?
I recently discovered that I no longer need to take anti-inflammatory drugs every day. I use a prescription anti-inflammatory, so I like not having to pay for that on a regular basis!

Also, I’m a singer, & one of the more unexpected changes has been in breath control & ease of singing. I guess all the strengthening of abdominal muscles has really helped. Since Parkinson’s Disease weakens the voice, I’ve been totally thrilled with this added benefit!!

Last, but not least, I turned 50 years old back in August. I’m SO much healthier than I was when I turned 40! So crossing this milestone was a thrill for me! I love being 50, fit, & fabulous!

What are the results that you have achieved from the Get You In Shape program and how has Get You In Shape played a role in your results?

Well, the most obvious result is that I’m down about 35 lbs & over 30 inches from when I started. I’ve gone from a size 14 down to Size 6 & 8 – even in jeans. And I no longer have spillage over the top of my jeans! I probably haven’t had that luxury since before having babies! Oh, & most of my double chin has gone away! Woohoo! But overall, I just feel SO much better!! My metabolism seems to be higher, so keeping weight off seems to be easier. I get to “cheat” on my diet without feeling guilty as long as I go right back to eating healthy. I love that Get You In Shape keeps challenging me with new opportunities. In December, I’m running with a Get You In Shape relay team in the White Rock Marathon. My Parkinson’s muscles seem to poop out after an hour of running, so I don’t know that I’ll ever do more than the relay. But for now, this is a great challenge. I am totally indebted to Get You In Shape for how far I’ve come in the last year & a half! And I can’t wait to tackle new fitness challenges that come along!

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