For anyone who is familiar with Esther Kwongs spinning classes at the RAC, its probably hard to imagine anyone as energetic, encouraging and enthusiastic about fitness as her. But it hasnt always been that way. The beneficiary of good genetics, or so it seemed, Esther didnt have to work hard to stay in shape in her 20s. Everything changed when Esther became pregnant and gave birth to her son in 2003. Those genetics that had served her so well, turned against her as she struggled with her post pregnancy weight, complicated by high blood pressure and cholesterol that she had inherited...the cure? EXERCISE. Walking into the Rochester Athletic Club for the first time in 2005, one of Esthers first stops was the group cycling room. Those first few months she tried Pilates, as well as many other group exercise classes, but Spinning had captivated her. She loved the intensity, the atmosphere and the exhilaration of it...Esther was hooked. She became an instructor and without changing her diet much at all she lost about 40 pounds and was much healthier, getting her blood pressure under control...Esther had chosen fitness, and life was good. Esther enjoyed an active lifestyle with her athletic friends for a good five year stretch, but, as life often throws us curves...in 2010, life took another turn. Esther had contracted some type of virus that led to powerful coughing episodes. So powerful in fact, that she suffered broken ribs from the force of them. The illness combined with the fractures caused her to drop out of teaching her beloved cycling classes. Well, one thing led to another in a downward slide where Esther found solace in food and wine as well as distancing herself from her healthy circle of friends. Dealing with the depression from that turn of events and without the support group Esthers weight climbed to over 200 pounds. Esthers health suffered as a result too, with elevated cholesterol and blood pressure levels returning to near stroke levels of 220 over 110, higher than it was back at that fateful 2005 doctor visit where she was given the ultimatum to workout or else. Esther knew something had to be done, her health was at an all-time low, it was 2012...two years had gone by! It was then when Esther came across Dr. Joel Fuhrmans Forks over Knives book/website espousing the health benefits of a plant-based diet. She made a goal to follow the diet for 6 weeks in order to increase her energy to return to the gym, in short...it worked. Embarassed at the weight she had gained, it was very difficult for to walk back through those gym doors, but Esther had no choice, it was literally a life or death matter. Returning to the Spinning classes that she loved so much and re-connecting with her RAC family along with adding the vegetarian diet component, Esther lost 80 pounds in 9 months and has become the Esther that we all know and admire today! Esther now teaches three spinning classes a week at the RAC and loves the fact that she teaches a morning class, an afternoon class and an evening class, as that format allows her to reach all types of people, from different walks and age groups...assisting all of them in reaching their fitness goals through her high-octane spin stylings and plant-based nutrition strategies! For her journey to fitness, complete with a two-year detour to unhealthy and then back again - and this time better than ever...Esther Kwong is our Fitness Edge Radio Transformation Tuesday Success of the week for April 1, 2014! Congratulations on your transformation Esther, you are now nominated to be featured as our monthly Transformation Tuesday winner for April. Each month we select from our weekly winners and feature that persons inspirational story the last Saturday of the month on Fitness Edge Radio , which can be heard every Saturday morning at 9:00am on Sportsradio 950AM ESPN. Our monthly winner will receive certificates for massage, haircut and color from our sponsors, Massage Envy and LaSalon Bianca. Great job, Esther!
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 20:29:13 +0000
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