Usually the two folks participating in the Salisbury Post wellness program have lots of alternatives for exercise. With the YMCA and the Forum shut down for the whole month, Robin Satterwhite and Isaac Miller had a few extra challenges.

I asked them to recap with a broad stroke the program so far. Robin Satterwhite, humanities department chair for RCCC, said, “The past five months have been an eye-opening experience and a great learning process. FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real) is my worst enemy. The whole wellness experience for me has been equally mental and physical. I think I can’t do things, but I have had to work to overcome that. Some of this may be remnants of the anxiety I have suffered my entire life, but regular exercise continues to help.

“The knee discomfort is history, so I’m back to where I was at the beginning of March. I will not give in to injury or fear! Life is full of obstacles and roadblocks and we have to keep pushing forward. I am very fortunate to be in this program and want to give my best for maximum results.”

Salisbury Police officer Isaac Miller said, “The first little bit was rough but once I got into a groove, I have loved working out. There has been plenty of ups and downs, but the last five months have been great. We have the gym at the PD, so a good run mixed with weight training workouts has been my standard.

“In mid 2018, I had a heart issue that put me in the hospital for a week and out of work for a few weeks. I was at my heaviest weight ever, around 340 pounds and this was a wake-up call for me. This program was what I was looking for to try and save my life. I now exercise 5-6 days a week. With Robin as my accountability partner and David as my coach, I want to only go back to the hospital as a visitor.”

I asked about their strengths and weaknesses so far. Robin said, “For strengths, I have had great support from family, friends and the community. Everyone cheers me on! Regarding weaknesses, I have always been a procrastinator! I fight this bad habit daily! Also, menopause seems to make weight loss a bit more difficult. It gets frustrating to follow what my coach says to do, but see the pounds melting slower than expected. Another weakness is patience, obviously!”

Isaac added, “My strength is my desire to be better than yesterday. I always push myself to surpass goals that I set for myself. My weakness would be that I don’t know when to stop. I will go to exhausting lengths to beat my personal best. Sometimes I push a little too hard with no regard to the negative effect it will have on my body.”

Our gyms will likely still be closed for the most part through June 26 although certain legal challenges to the shutdown have begun. Isaac does weights, Robin does YouTube classes, and both run. I asked both what else they can do.

Robin said, “I am very disappointed the gyms are remaining closed for almost another month! As the humidity picks up outside, running becomes more of a challenge. I plan to keep running outside and doing a better job of running earlier in the day, plus mixing in YouTube videos. I have a step bench at home and use online classes there. Zumba videos are another option I am experimenting with. I miss the kickboxing classes at the YMCA and can’t wait for them to resume.”

Isaac said, “I need to be consistent. Using MyFitnessPal to track my calories lets me adjust if I’m struggling to lose weight.”

Neither Robin nor Isaac had met a monthly goal through April and Robin said, “My past monthly weight loss goals have been a bit unrealistic. For June, I would like to see at least four pounds gone and want more.” Isaac again wants to lose 10 pounds.

With an exciting, fast finish to May, Robin lost five pounds and Isaac lost 10 and is down to 292. Robin is now down 10½ pounds and Isaac 32 for the year.

The best month yet! Robin and Isaac want another one in June. See you in a month!