Sara Santiago, 40, was not an athlete. She went to gyms and worked out at times, but never could find a routine she could stick to.
“I felt intimidated because I didn’t know how to use a machine at the gym, and awkward because I was the overweight girl trying to work out,” she recalls. “I assumed that I couldn’t be an athlete or physically fit. I had accepted that was the way I was meant to be.”
“The community is what has kept me coming back. The friends I’ve made keep me motivated.”
– Sara Santiago
In February of 2019, Sara was working 60 hours per week. She also begun drinking. Her depression got worse, and her weight increased to the 230-pound mark. With the help of her doctors and her boss she took time off of absence from work to concentrate upon her overall health.
“My brother called me and said I needed to find a gym with a strong community,” she recalls. “I had moved from Massachusetts to California, and he knew that was tough on me. I found a studio with fitness classes and knew I would probably hate them, but I tried them anyway.”
Positive signs are evident
Sara attended her first fitness class which combines high-intensity cardio and weightlifting and soon became addicted. With the assistance of trainers, she gradually started walking 3 miles an hour, and lifting weights of 5 pounds.
Today, she can run one mile in less than 10 minutes. She also lifts weights of 20 pounds.
“My brother told me to show up 15 minutes early and stay 15 minutes late to talk to people and make friends,” she states. “And he was right–the community is what kept me coming back. The friends I’ve made keep me motivated.”
A new perspective
Since starting this fitness path, Sara has lost 70 pounds and gained a different outlook.
“When there’s a drought in California, the grass turns brown. But once it rains a few times, it comes back green,” she declares. “That was my body. It wanted to be healthy, but it needed me to take care of it, both mentally and physically. Today I’m strong, I’m fit, I’m happy, I’m sober, and I’m healthy.”