Bonnie Perna
This is 53!!! I joined the Fitness Asylum in Aug 2016 and started my first Body Challenge that fall. I had been at the heaviest weight of my life when I turned 50 and had tried every diet program and workout with very little success. I would lose a few pounds, but it would gradually come back. I felt sick and bloated all the time and had very little energy.
After following the progress of a friend doing the bikini challenge, I wanted to try FA, but I knew I wasn’t ready for bikini. And then I saw a post from my longtime Facebook friend Bonnie Lefrak about the Body Challenge. I had never trained with Bonnie but had known her from when she was a trainer at another gym many years before. I knew her to be a kind and helpful person from the old gym and decided to give FA a try.
When I first joined, I was terrified. I didn’t know anyone and was so out of shape I didn’t think I would make it through my first bootcamp. But I did! Everyone was so friendly and so helpful. People would encourage me when I was ready to quit and helped me with proper form and technique.
I had always been very shy and often had a tough time making new friends. Through this amazing community, I am proud to say that I now have so many incredible new friends, lifetime friends, people who truly care, and who want to see everyone succeed.
When I started my first Body Challenge, my goal was to lose 10 lbs. And I came very close with a 9 lb loss. But I continued on with more challenges, and at the end of my third challenge, after some encouragement by my team captain to INCREASE my calories, I found I had lost 30 lbs! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I could get back to the weight from my college days in my 50s!!!! And I have maintained this loss through 3 more challenges.
This spring, I did something so far out of my comfort zone, something I never thought I could, and completed my very first spartan race. I loved it! And this Fall, with my longtime friend, and now FA pal, Michelle Ruggiere-Rosum by my side, I will finally be taking on bikini! Can’t wait!
