Basketball was my passion all throughout high school. The court was where I displayed my sweat and hard work. I was lucky enough to be coached by my father who pushed me like hell, so I was familiar with working hard. Unfortunately, I lost my father two years ago to a horrible debilitating disease known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”. Needless to say, I was left feeling empty with a hole in my heart. My father and I were very close. I was his only child his little girl, the spitting image of him.
When I started training with K.L. I noticed how his attitudes, coaching style, motivational ability and passion resembled my father. Through his training process I have made great changes to my body, but more importantly my mind.
I feel like a different person. I am happy all the time. Growing up, I was depressed with eating disorders and a poor perception of my body image. Because of K.L. and Sweat Box I now love my body and myself. Never a confident person, I now walk with my head held high. My dad would be so proud of his daughter.
Throughout my young life, I have also struggled with drug addiction. I am hesitant to actually admit this, but feel like others might learn from my mistakes and be inspired by my change. I would smoke weed and hang out with the wrong crowd because something was missing in my life.
I felt alone and smoked because it was the only thing that made me happy, or so I thought. This was hindering my training during Phase I/ the first six weeks of Sweat Box. My head was so cloudy from the marijuana I could barely remember combinations. One of the biggest influences came from spending time with the other positive women from Sweat Box classes.
I have never met such a great group of women. Everyone has their own set of problems but we all work on them together through Sweat Box training. I have stopped smoking pot because I no longer need the artificial high it gave me. Through hard work and will power, I developed a more positive and healthy addiction. Sweat Box!
Sweat Box has helped me to free myself of the negative things in my life. It is helping me to discover who I am. It is showing me that I have a lot to offer. It has helped me to realize and appreciate my independence and strength as a woman. It has turned my body into a fat burning machine and helped me see the light where it was once dark. It makes me feel superhuman and on top of the world.
I can do things that I never would have imagined in a million years. The other day I squatted 285 pounds and found out that my body fat dropped to 15.2%. K.L. once used the analogy of walking on water to explain to me the power of having faith in myself. Now that I’ve grown in this process, I have a better understanding of what he meant and more importantly, what it feels like. I am starting to feel like I can walk on water or do anything I put my mind to. The hole, once in my heart is starting to fill up with love for myself.
I can’t say enough good things about K.L. he is an amazing individual. I have never met anyone as passionate and intense as him, besides my father. They are the two most important men to ever enter my life. My father has sadly passed away, but I know he is looking down upon me smiling and proud as hell. As for K.L., he is the man with the master plan! I am grateful fate brought me to him. Sweat Box is an amazing journey that has only just begun. I can’t wait for my next session.
-Erica “Free” Blanchette, Certified Personal Trainer
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