August 2017 Member of the Month – Jan J.

LIVE WELL is proud to announce Jan as our Member of the Month for August. Jan’s incredible journey shows us how only 6 months of exercise and building healthy habits has made an impact in her life. As you read her story, we hope t will inspire you.

On January 30th, 2017, I experienced a major heart attack at home. While I do not remember that day, I was rushed to Royal Columbian Hospital. I received lengthy CPR, had a stent implanted in one of my veins and had chest surgery to remove fluids/blood created from the CPR.

After seven days in intensive care (SCISU) and 16 days in the hospital I was finally able to go home. I found myself very weak, always tired and absolutely no appetite for several weeks. I was not able to drive and rarely left my home. I felt the need to find help to support me with my recovery.

While my healthcare in the hospital was excellent, the recovery programs offered by Fraser Health were minimal and the wait lists long. With the help of my family we researched and found LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic. Our timing was excellent as the Langley location was just about to open. After receiving the ok from my doctor to proceed - we reached out to Josh, the owner of LIVE WELL Langley and later met with Sarah the Clinical Exercise Physiologist for a consultation.

Sarah was very informative, listened to my history, my pains and concerns, also helping me create goals. She informed me they would develop a customized program for me and would take it slow and easy. My BP and vitals are monitored on a regular basis to ensure I’m not overdoing it.

While I considered myself active and somewhat healthy prior to my heart attack, I never attended exercise classes on a regular basis. I was someone reluctant to sign up for a long period of time but felt comfortable with the staff and environment so I gave LIVE WELL a try.

I am now in my fourth month with LIVE WELL. With the help of Josh, Sarah, all the great staff and my family I am enjoying a strong recovery. The structured and tailored exercise program they have created for me, which they adapt and change regularly have made the exercise classes enjoyable and challenging. With the friendly and caring staff along with the ever-changing music and tunes played, I enjoy my classes and I find myself building healthy habits!

I look forward to continually improving my strength and health so I can enjoy a long life with my husband, kids and grandchildren. I look forward to spending as much time as we can at our cottage, hiking, swimming, boating, and relaxing with family and friends.

I encourage anyone who has health issues, who has always wanted to get out and exercise and improve their health to give LIVE WELL a try. It’s fun, it’s great for you and it’s habit building!

Thank you to Jan for sharing her experiences. The LIVE WELL Community is so inspired by Jan’s commitment and determination to improve her strength and health, while having FUN at LIVE WELL. We can’t wait to see her results in the next 6 months…Keep sharing the JOY Jan!