One of the most courageous things Carri Weller has ever done is stop, take deep breaths and pick up a proverbial stick.
“I was at the end of my rope,” Weller said. “I prayed and I drew the line in the sand.”
All of her life, Weller had struggled with her weight. With food. With all of things that go into making lifestyles healthy. On the cusp of her 30th birthday, though, Weller had decided she had seen enough.
It was time, she said, to expect more of herself.
“Excuses are lies that keep us in chains,” Weller said. “At some point, you have to say to yourself, ‘I am worth it and there is a better way for me. I don’t have to live my life this way.’”
Immediately after joining the YMCA, Weller plugged into a Health and Wellness Coaching program with fitness director Karen Rambach.
“I immediately saw her passion,” Rambach said. “She really wanted to turn her life around with respect to getting healthy and that probably was more of a key for her, getting healthy rather than the actual weight loss.”
The weight loss, though, certainly followed. Weller shed 100 pounds and went from a size 22 to a size 10.
Healthier than she has ever been in her entire life, Weller is out to prove that anyone can do the same. Today, the woman struggling with food temptations is the one with the tips on how to eat right. The girl who hated gym class is now the one leading strength training classes at the YMCA.
“I never in a million years dreamed that this would be my job,” Weller, a certified personal trainer, said. “You have to take it one day, one step, one meal and one choice at time because that’s what life really all about, choices. You have to make sure you make the right ones.”
As a Wellness Fitness Coach at the YMCA Weller is helping 60 others on their way to meeting health and fitness goals. Her program, Rambach points out, is wildly popular and it’s all because of Weller and her ability to encourage and connect.
“I can completely relate to these people,” Weller said, “because I have struggled since I was in the third grade.”
Weller’s personal story, Rambach said, is what really allows her to connect with the people she works with. Combined with her ability to encourage and empathize, the experiences Weller has had with weight loss and healthy lifestyles is what makes her perfect for her new job.
