Tracy is my best friend. We met two years ago. We feel like we should have met earlier. We have the same taste about clothes. When we go to the store we pick the same clothes at the same time! It’s a lot of fun to go shopping with her. She has a great personality and we can talk the whole day and never get bored.

She just had a baby girl this year and life is different now that she has two kids. She is a perfectionist so her career and her family are a source of pressure. I saw the tiredness on her face, but with happiness as the same time. I had a photo session with her baby girl a couple of times. Her boy and girl are always the center of her life..

I wanted to give her a photo session to pamper herself, but she told me, “NO,NO, NO!   I can’t take pictures like this! I need  to lose  more weight!  I don’t have clothes that fit!   I look tired!”
She had lots of excuses. but finally I dragged her before my camera.  It was  a quick shoot, because she didn’t have too much time. I chose the dress from her wardrobe and we matched it with jewelry.  We had so much fun and we were laughing.   It was  like playing dress up. When I showed the pictures from my camera screen to her, she was shocked.  She couldn’t believe she could be this beautiful!!! After the shoot, she was still in an excited mood and  she loved to look at all the pictures that I took. She IS beautiful both inside and out, and she needed to rediscover that fact. She needed to give herself a break, and pamper herself with the beautiful pictures that she deserved.

I love you my dear friend!

This is Norma. She is retired and volunteers as an ESL tutor in library.

How long have you lived in KSQ?
 I have lived here all my life.

Ｗhat do you like about life in KSQ？
To answer your question. I will quote –Ami Mckay
” No Matter what you do , someone always knew you would.”

How does KSQ compare to other places you have lived or worked?
I have lived in Sydney Australia, London England, and KSQ is cheaper.

If you could change anything here what would you change?
I would turn off the fire department’s alarm.

My love of Body Pump started with a conversation with my dear friend Mary. One day I asked her how she got her fabulously toned arms, and she exclaimed, “Body Pump!” From that day on I started taking her class. She always smiles when she’s teaching, and has amazing energy. I asked her to be a part of my project and share her story.

(Mary Lai is a certified instructor of Body Pump, Zumba, Sh’Bam, Body Vive, and Body Combat. She is also a nationally certified personal trainer.)

How long have you been a Body Pump instructor?

It’ll be 10 years come this January!

How  did you become a Body Pump instructor?

Well I was about to turn 40.  At first I was dreading it, but then I decided that instead of feeling negative I should mark this milestone with a new challenge.  At that time I had been taking Body Pump classes for about a year and was hooked on how empowering it made me feel, both physically and mentally. So I took the plunge and signed up for the certification training, and the rest is history.

What did you do before becoming a Body Pump instructor?

I worked in the IT field for many years.  My days used to revolve around sitting in my office and in meeting rooms all day, but now they’re filled with action and high spirits and fun!  My journey into the fitness industry has led me to all sorts of certifications, and I get to share my fitness expertise every day with others so that I can be a positive impact in their fitness journeys.

Love your big smile, how do you keep your good energy up all day?

I try to take care of myself by leading a healthy lifestyle.  And I always give my clients and my classes my all.  I know that sometimes it’s the only time in their busy day that’s devoted just for themselves, so I want to give them all my effort.

You had breast cancer a couple of years ago. What one advice do you want to give to women?

Take care of yourself.  It doesn’t guarantee that unexpected health issues won’t happen, but you’ll be able to bounce back much more easily if it does.  Because I was in good physical shape, I was able to recover from the surgeries and chemo treatments relatively quickly.  I am grateful for my good health every day!