Fitness and nutrition had always been a struggle for me. It was never a focus for me while growing up. Fad diets, attempted quick fixes and yo-yo weight loss/gain was my reality.

A family history of obesity, diabetes and heart disease was what I was up against. So many times I had tried to do workout videos at home, jump on a treadmill while watching tv, but never made the mind body connection. This would lead to my efforts fizzling out and putting weight back on as well as fighting crippling anxiety.

Enter my children Ash & Dom. I wanted to set an example for my children of good health and nutrition at an early age to hopefully avoid the struggles I faced throughout my life. With both of my children limited by food allergies, finding healthy and nutrient filled foods that they enjoyed was a challenge. But in doing so it forced me to read labels, limit takeout food which led me to feel more energetic throughout the day.

Enter Christine Brewer! I first met Christine Brewer at a Bootcamp class in 2014 and was hooked! She had a way of pushing me to expect only the best of myself without excuses getting in the way. She helped me continue my path of healthy eating and taught me more about portion control and self acceptance.

She created a wonderful welcoming community of strong beautiful people that I felt privileged to be a part of. I’ve learned that sometimes journeys have a longer road, and that’s okay.

Today I feel strong not only in body but in mind as well. I’ve remained consistent with daily healthy nutrition as well as completing 4-5 workouts per week.

I can look in the mirror and feel good about my reflection. Most importantly my children have seen what all this can do for themselves and see that a healthy lifestyle is the best lifestyle. I couldn’t have done it without Christine, or without the wonderful family that I found at AFFIRM fitness!

I began my fitness journey in 2015 after being referred to a cardiologist and told that my life expectancy was going to be severely impacted by my 315-pound body and that I needed to make a change. I had tried—and failed many times before to make a lifestyle change that would stick but it wasn’t until I joined the community of Affirm Fitness Training that I really saw any long term success.

While working with Christine and the other amazing trainers on the team I learned not only what I should do; but perhaps more importantly what I could do.

I, who had never been particularly strong, or fit was learning first hand what my body was capable of—and what it was capable of was a complete transformation!

In just over 3 years I went from morbidly obese to merely overweight and was able to celebrate the 100 lbs lost milestone in 2019. But more than the rush of pride that came from seeing myself in the mirror in a new way; I felt healthy and strong and confident like I had never been before!

In my line of work we talk a lot about the formative power of community—and I have to say that the friends I have made at Affirm, and the care and attention of the trainers has made for one amazing community that I am excited to visit every time I can.

I’m not going to lie—the pandemic was hard. And being cut off from my Affirm Fitness gym family had a negative effect on my health—but since. I’ve been back I’ve already seen that positive swagger return.

I feel better, I’m loosing weight again, and I’m back with a group of people who inspire me and care about me. I can’t think of a better place to call my fitness home than Affirm.

Fitness, what is fitness? The only fitness I knew was the training and conditioning I did for Fastball. I did not workout, run, bike etc. outside of what I had to for ball.

I struggled big time both mentally and physically with my body image and weight. I knew what had to be done, but honestly did not have the proper knowledge and tools of how to do it or fix things for myself. Weight has always been a struggle for me; crash dieting, looking for a quick fix was always my go to and I did this for longer than I can remember.

It wasn’t until my brother announced he was getting married that I really decided to do something about it. I did not want to look at pictures and wished I looked better or had done something to better my health and image. That’s when something flipped!

I literally took to google and did a search for gyms and up comes AFFIRM Fitness. They were offering a challenge with meal plans and workouts and coaching and I thought, let’s do this! This journey began 10 years ago and I am still at the gym to this day! This became a lifestyle for me and of course when you see the physical results, that helps too! I owe all this to Christine. She was my trainer, but she became my amazing friend who I could not be without.

She holds you accountable, doesn’t accept excuses, is your biggest cheerleader and really pushes you to be the best version of yourself. As she has said more times than not, you can have results or excuses, not both! It is not easy, and I definitely have ups and downs over the years, but having her helps immensely!

I have two boys who have watched me for years, work on myself and change my lifestyle and they are now joining me at the gym and I couldn’t be happier!

AFFIRM Fitness is not just a gym, it is a family. Whether you are there to work on your strength, weight loss or mental health, we are all there, doing it together.

“For many years I have struggled with chronic neck pain. After several years and numerous surgeries I had given up on ever being able to exercise again.”

About 2 ½ years ago I started training with Christine at AFFIRM Fitness. She developed an exercise plan for me that helped me to strength the muscles that needed to be strengthened without setting them off.

After a few months of training my pain flare-ups went from every 2 – 3 weeks to one every 2 – 3 months! I feel like I have gotten my life and my health back. Training has given me added confidence in myself and my abilities.

To this day I still feel a bit apprehensive approaching a training session, but always proud that Christine pushed me to do things I never would have challenged myself to do.

She has also helped to be educate myself on calorie intake and portion control. As a result I have lost 12 lbs.”

There’s usually a moment in your life where you realize you have to make a change and focus on your health. Mine of all things, was when I got winded carrying a load of laundry up a flight of stairs. Between raising two young boys, working long-ish hours, my physical fitness always seemed to take a back seat to everything else going on in life.

I’ve always wanted to be in good shape, but just didn’t know how to get there. I tried going to the Y down the street and trying to figure out how to use the minefield of machines in front of me, but doing this alone without a guide is incredibly overwhelming. What is this machine for? How much weight should I use? Is my posture correct? How do I do this without hurting myself? I had no answers and no one to ask. I went to the gym sporadically at best. I wasn’t doing anything right, and wasn’t seeing any results.

Years later, I stumbled across an instagram post from my friend Trevor. After seeing his incredible weight loss transformation I had to know how he did it! I called Christine the next day and set up an appointment.

From the moment I walked in I knew this was the place for me. Christine and the whole vibe at AFFIRM fitness was incredibly welcoming. This wasn’t a place for a bunch of jocks to show off how much they can bench, it was a home for people focusing on their physical and mental health.

If being a homeowner over the past decade has taught me anything it’s that when you need a job done right, hire a professional. I needed someone to tell me what to do, how to do it, and how hard to go. In the more than three years that Christine has been my trainer I’ve learned more than I ever thought possible about proper exercise, and I’ve never done the same workout twice.

We started from square one and she continues to push me further than I thought I could go. I’m no longer intimidated by the idea of ‘going to the gym’. It’s now a place I really enjoy and actively look forward going to.

My body feels better, I’m sleeping better, I’m more toned, building muscle, and setting a good foundation to keep building in for the rest of my life. And most importantly, I can carry 2 full loads of laundry up the stairs and not break a sweat LOL!! :D

Thank you for everything Christine! I’ll see you next week!

Creating a healthy balance between work and personal life grew more important to me in recent years.

I’m a 44-year-old food lover who, at times, loves to be lazy and needs some guidance when working-out. I’m also employed by the Heart & Stroke Foundation, therefore, adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important to me. Becoming more aware of my body and finding a workout regime that worked for me was critical to my physical health but equally as important for my mental health.

The 12-session package of personalized training is a perfect fit for my lifestyle and a very affordable way to invest in yourself.

Training with Christine over many years, and more recently, Jenna, has improved my cognitive connection to health and fitness. Also, when you’re at AFFIRM you feel like you’re amongst friends, and cheerleaders and you’ll receive a healthy mix of structured, driven and sometimes militant workouts that are tailored to YOU as an individual. The feeling of your mind and body being awake and alert is unparalleled.

They offer something for everyone – for me, I want to be a proud and active member at AFFIRM Fitness a minimum of three times per week. Christine knows I’m not going into competitions or marathons – I want to have a healthy body, mind, and spirit – and you can achieve this at AFFIRM. You’ll see! Come down and meet Chris and the team and say hello. This can be the start of a new YOU.

See you at AFFIRM!

I am someone who was active for most of my life. Whether it was playing sports in high school or taking up jogging as an adult. While I wouldn’t say it is something that I love to do it is something that I know I needed to do.

It wasn’t until my forties when my life became chaotic with working and the kids that my exercise routine slowed down until I got to the point that I didn’t feel like exercising so I didn’t. Then came the divorce and a new wonderful relationship with a client at Affirm Fitness.

I didn’t meet Chris through the gym but rather through a social event that she was hosting for my partner. At this event I met many of Affirm’s clients and one of the first questions I was asked was when am I coming to the gym.

The “girls” were so friendly and supportive that I decided to give it a try.

So I opened the door to Affirm Fitness and Chris on August 27, 2022 and I haven’t looked back.

I remember my first personal training session and I couldn’t do a push-up, I could hardly swing a kettle ball and don’t even get me started on burpees. But Chris knew what she was doing and that with time I would gain muscle and strength and would be able to do these exercises. And she was right, I have grown stronger and gained muscle. Every step of the way Chris has known what exercises I needed to do to improve my body and health.

My life has changed in many ways since joining Affirm Fitness. I am now doing personal training twice a week and boot camp once a week. My back is no longer sore, my body structure has changed for the better (I can see actual muscles now) and I actually look forward to my sessions.

While Chris may be no nonsense she knows her stuff. The gym has become a second home to me. I have made some wonderful friend who encourage me every single day.

Chris has created a family.

Who knows maybe one day soon I will actually enjoy doing burpees.