Pumps Fitness Spotlight on Leanne Hamilton

Leanne-HamiltonMy name is Leanne Hamilton and I’m 44 years old. I’ve lived in northwest Indiana all my life, and moved to Valparaiso 11 years ago. I work in human resources for a hospital and have a daughter named Brittany.

Growing up and into adulthood, I was never athletic… at all. As 30 approached, I started to put on weight and didn’t think much of it, just attributing it to age. I continued to creep up the scale until it was higher than I wanted. In 2009, counting calories yielded a weight loss of over 30 pounds, but I let most of it slowly come back. I’ve dabbled in fitness classes over the years including Zumba and kickboxing, but nothing that really stuck.

I didn’t start out 2015 intending on it being my year, but that is what it has become. I decided March first would be a good time to quit smoking after my mom had a heart attack in February. I just don’t want my daughter to ever get that call in the middle of the night if there are steps I can take to avoid it. I read a book and was able to quit and currently have five months under my belt. Then in mid-March, I got back on my treadmill and set a goal to lose 15 pounds by my July birthday. I began using an app to track what I was eating and was logging miles on the treadmill, but wanted something to add to my efforts.

On May 4th I walked into Pumps Fitness for my first small group fitness class with Kim. Since then, I’ve been taking classes with Kim and Michelle every week and I’m loving the results. I’ve been thin without ever necessarily being in shape. The work I’m doing at Pumps is changing my body. I can feel myself getting stronger and in just three months, I am able to recognize I can do more with each class. I really enjoy the personal attention that comes with taking small group fitness classes. There is an increased accountability to it too because you can’t simply hide in the back of the room. I am pushing myself harder than I ever have and making myself proud. I’m looking forward to setting my next goal and seeing how much more progress I can make in 2015.