text: Success Stories | Synergy Athletics
  Leo Pradun
  Before – "Every Sunday was sitting on the couch and eating chips. My kids saw me like this EVERY weekend."
  After – "It's crazy! I've been battling weight issues for a long time until I came to Synergy. This is by far the most successful thing I've done. Now instead of sitting on the couch with my kids, we go for walks. People come up to me that I haven't seen in awhile and tell me how slim I look. It feels amazing to hear."
  Jill Kristek
  Before – "I felt weak and jiggly" (I think that's what I wrote on my goal form!) I was uncomfortable in a bathing suit and summer was coming up fast! I didn't want to feel that way again."
  After – "Since joining Synergy I feel great! Also I've participated in a Spartan Race or Tough Mudder without dropping dead on scene! Now I can do 10 REAL push ups and went across the monkey bars at the playground with my daughter Katie!! I hadn't successfully crossed a set of monkey bars since I was about 11 years old!"
  Before – "Before Joining Synergy, I had always been active, I would walk between 3-7 miles a day with Kieler and my dog, and I honestly thought I was in decent shape until my first workout at Synergy. I had always wanted to run a 5k, because everyone else was doing it. Before joining Synergy I would not have done a 5k, let alone the Mud Gauntlet. I simply wasn't in good enough shape."
  After – "However since working out, I have become able to do more and more things that I either couldn't do before. I have more energy, which is very important when you have a 3 years old. As a photographer I found that when shooting a wedding exhausting from being on your feet all day. Now I finish and I still have energy to burn.
  As strange as this sounds, working out also directly applies to dialysis treatments. before I would come home I would feel just awful, which is a side effect of having the treatment itself. Now I can come home and I may feel bad, but its a lot better than it used to be and the next day when I get up in the morning I am ready to start my day.
  And as I get older, the better shape my body is in, the easier a time I will have with my treatments, AND eventual kidney transplant. (because the better shape your body is in, the quicker you will recover)."
  Before – "I started going to Synergy a year ago as part of the Fit Mom Program, to become more fit, stronger and healthier. I haven't felt any of those things since high school! I had no energy to do anything with my kids because I was always tired. My kids are very active so I was always running them around to practices and things and using that as an excuse to not fit in exercise. Before starting Synergy, I would sign up to do 5K runs with my family, do absolutely no training before hand and feel like death for about a week after the race. I always wanted to do a race with obstacles but there was no way I could combine running AND obstacles when the running was hard enough!"
  After – "After the Mom program ended, I was worried about going by myself because I am horrible at working out solo. When I attempted to do it on my own in the past, I always quit after a few weeks. Now, even though I workout by myself at Synergy, I never feel like I am alone. All the members are so supportive of each other and friendly. I love the family atmosphere! I love seeing kids working out with their parents, teenagers getting ready for their sports season and adults of all ages becoming healthier and more fit every day.
  Recently I completed the Warrior Dash, which is a 5K with intense obstacles. I really wanted to challenge myself and figured I could handle most of the obstacles and would just go around the ones I couldn't complete. My schedule still doesn't allow much time for training but now, my training for this race was my workouts at Synergy! To my surprise, I was able to easily handle all the obstacles. I finished the race and had so much fun doing it! I can't wait to sign up for another one! I love how strong I feel after a workout and the dedication I am putting toward reaching new goals at Synergy. I love that I now WANT to make time for my workouts and WANT to do more active things with my family."
  Before – "There were many activities I couldn't do before I came to Synergy. I couldn't even take a walk with my family without having to stop half way through. At work being able to make it up and down the stairs which hindered me and cranked up my stress level. I couldn't do this because of my heavy weight, lack of energy and high stress levels.
  I hit the bottom and up in the hospital because of a panic attack because of high stress.
  The increased stress level was causing a lot of issues at home and work. It was pretty sad I couldn't walk that far with my family. The most embarrassing thing was the inability to play with my daughter on the floor. When I found out I was going to be a dad again, it was time for a change!"
  After – "Since my year at Synergy I have been able to be more visible at my job make it up the stairs. Also I ran and participated in a school intramural league with the kids. My family and I go for walks and I can even pick up my daughter and carry her when she gets tired n the walk. My energy level is a lot higher therefore my daughter and I can do so many activities.
  My whole lifestyle has changed (diet,energy levels, work priorities), I'm watching my kids grow up and now have the ability to take part in their lives. Thanks to everyone at Synergy!"
  "Before coming to Synergy I was not comfortable, and would not be seen in any type of shirt that exposed my arms. That insecurity has been pretty much most of my adult life. Now, after working hard and starting to see results, I think I've worn a tank top almost everyday! My arms are a work in progress but I LOVE the results I've seen so far. My friends have noticed and complimented me and I just feel so much better about myself. No more bat wings!
  Another activity that I've been able to enjoy since coming to Synergy is being able to work out – side by side, with my daughter. I never really thought about it until sending you that email and you reiterating to me. That is pretty priceless. We are getting healthy and strong together. I'm able to show her that this is a lifestyle that I'm choosing and I hope she chooses it also. It's wonderful being able to compare are aching muscles!!!"
  "Prior to joining Synergy I was having back issues and was seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis. The fear of possibly injuring myself was limiting me from doing some of the things I enjoy, such as working out, running, and certain activities with my children.
  Outside of the chiropractor I would often wear a back brace, even if it wasn't necessary because I just didn't want to risk possibly hurting myself and being bed ridden or in pain for any period of time. In January 2015 my husband and a friend of mine encouraged me to join the "Fit Mom's Challenge." My goal was to strengthen my core and tone.
  Over the past 6 months, working out 3 days per week, I have noticed a significant difference in how I feel both physically and mentally. I have more energy and stamina, but most importantly, my back feels great! I haven't worn my back brace or felt the need to see the chiropractor in months. I no longer fear hurting myself when doing activities with my family, and am truly enjoying my newfound strength and endurance."
  Before – "When I first came to Synergy I was looking for a weight training routine that was fun and engaging. My typical workout prior consisted of time on a treadmill and trying to do weights but I was seeing little result and frankly had no clue what I was doing."
  After – "After going to Synergy for just a few weeks I noticed a huge change physically and mentally. I felt more confident, strong and ready to take on real fitness challenge. Last summer I completed a 30 mile bike race in great time and afterwards I felt great and could have kept going. I never could have done it without the work I had been doing at Synergy. This year I completed my first 5k and later this fall I'll do another 30 mile bike race for the MS Society."
  Justin Poet
  Before – "I joined Synergy because of a few reasons including a lifetime addiction to food, tv and several other bad habits… it was losing my father at age 62, not being able to wear a t-shirt confidently let alone play with my kids on the beach without being disgusted with how far I let myself go. Before starting Synergy, I had never been able to control my eating or work out for more than two weeks at a time and I never really thought I could."
  After – "Since joining, Yes, I can run a 5k… that's awesome. I can actually see my neck in pictures… equally awesome. Synergy made me realize that I CAN do and be all of those things that I never imagined I could do. In the back of my head I always thought I shared my Father's destiny but now I can let myself imagine growing old with my wife, kids and grandkids… that's what I can do since becoming more fit and it feels great."
  Angela & Andy Ciaravino
  "I went back to work in October 2013 after staying home for ten years with our girls, resulted in me basically stopping exercise altogether for a year. I felt horrible. I wasn't happy. I wasn't moving, at all. I felt stressed and anxious to the point where I started having panic attacks for what seemed to be no reason. I knew I needed to do something, not only for my body, but for my mind. Finding the time for myself was becoming increasingly more difficult between work and the girls activities.
  Andy has always been athletic and active. He wrestled his whole life, played in softball, basketball and tennis leagues as an adult. He also worked out fairly regularly. Several ankle injuries put an end to his basketball career and a back injury halted his work outs almost entirely. I had heard about Synergy from friends but, for myself, was never really "into" gyms. I saw an ad for the Fit Dad's program at Synergy in the fall of 2014 and I told Andy about it. I knew that your programs were pretty individualized and took into account past injuries, weaknesses, goals, etc. Andy immediately signed up.
  About the same time, I started going to Zumba again but wasn't loving it. Andy convinced me to join him at Synergy. We went while the girls were at gymnastics, which worked out very well. After our work out, one of us would go for the girls, and one of us would go home to get dinner ready. It worked.
  While weight loss was not my ultimate goal, I really wanted to feel stronger, more fit, tone up, and be a healthy example to our kids. We generally eat really well. I cook every single day and make well balanced meals but I knew that this wasn't enough. Andy was looking to feel stronger as well, especially in an effort to strengthen his back, which continued to bother him. Weight loss for him was a bonus. After a year (almost) at Synergy, he is down 4″ in his waist, weighs less than he has in years, and is feeling stronger. I know I'm stronger. At the start I could barely do 5 push ups. Now I can (fairly) easily do several reps of 10 or 12 in a row. I find myself saying to Andy, "This weight is too light" and going back to the rack for something heavier (and hope that you notice!). Andy continues to push himself as well. He may add on another rep because he's waiting for me or do push ups at the start of every day and even brings resistance bands on vacation and business trips. We even sometimes have plank challenges at night for fun! On our vacation last week we, along with the girls, kayaked and went paddle boarding. We would not have done that before!
  Synergy has been a real blessing in our lives. We are stronger, happier and healthier, exactly what we want to be so we can watch our girls grow up into happy and healthy adults."
  Sue Mertens
  "I started Synergy to gain the biggest 2 things I lost a long time ago and that was my confidence and my health (which I now have!). My dad died at 53 and my mom died at 69, both had heart disease and my mom had diabetes, needing dialysis at the end of her life. The getting lean and stronger for me, was a huge bonus. As a stay at home mom, I always put everyone else first, now it was my time!"