Helen Ryan
Certified Personal Trainer
E-mail: helen@trainertoyou.com

Phone: 951-205-1420

Helen knows something that many trainers do not: What it feels like to be fat and out of shape. In August of 2003, 5'1" Helen weighed 198 pounds and wore a size 20. She was unable to bend over and tie her shoes. She was too large to be strapped into a ride at Legoland.

Many people have a “life-changing” experience. Helen's was holding her father’s hand while he died – and facing her own mortality. In her words, "It made me think of all the things I’d never done while waiting for another 'tomorrow.' Waiting for the day when I’d miraculously wake up thin and fit. But tomorrow never came."

She began light exercise in September of 2003, then started eating healthier. Taking baby steps, her weight dropped. By December of 2003 she was down 30 pounds and began Spinning and heavier weight training. The remaining 52 pounds came off.

"I’m not going to lie," says Helen. "It was hard. Very hard. I made a lot of difficult choices: I had to say 'no' to food a lot. I had to say 'yes' to exercise a lot (even when I didn’t feel like it). I had to learn to put my health first and make tomorrow happen today. The payoff is I have much more energy. I wear a size 4. I can bike 60 miles, then dance all night. I look and feel younger and happier. I did it. You can, too."

Helen is certified through the American Council on Exercise (ACE), and a certified Spinning® instructor. She is the fitness columnist for a Los Angeles-based online magazine, the "resident trainer" at CleverMoms.com, and a freelance fitness writer.

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