Catherine
I first started working with Mario in January of 2007. At the time, I was 38 years old. I was approaching 40, but I felt as if I was approaching 50. My body ached after working all day and I felt tired much of the time. I felt like I was getting “old.” And that’s what I told myself much of the time …I’m getting old.
My first meeting with Mario, he asked me what my goals were. I told him to get stronger in my body so that I might begin dancing again. I was a professional modern dancer, and hadn’t danced since 2002. Almost immediately after beginning my work-outs with Mario, I felt better in my body. Stronger. Over the next year, I saw my body transform. I was leaner than I had ever been, and I had muscles I hadn’t seen in years. Some I hadn’t seen before EVER, at least not on my body. Vanity aside, I felt so much stronger and healthier.
Every Christmas, I go get a Christmas tree with my daughter. For years, I would struggle getting the tree from my car to the house. I’d strategize and take breaks. It was a process. My first Christmas after having started training, I lifted the tree off my car and into the house with so much ease, it didn’t even occur to me how easy it was and how difficult it had been. I just did it. No strategy needed. As we get older, we inevitably begin thinking twice about the things we do in life for fear of injuring ourselves. Some of that is wisdom and common sense, and some of that is premature aging. Mario has provided me with a new possibility … Longevity. I am now 40. Instead of feeling like I’m going on 50, it’s quite the opposite.
Mario helped me reach my goal within a short period of time; six months at most. I have been taking African dance, which is one of the most physically challenging forms of dance, for some time now. What I did not expect to get from the experience was a complete lifestyle change and a commitment to taking care of myself. One of Mario’s strengths is the passion for what he does; he is committed to you, the individual, having a better quality of life. As a dancer I greatly appreciate his creativity and attention to form and detail. As a result, I have never gotten bored or injured in my experience weight-training with him.
Catherine Ybarra,
Pilates Instructor
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