Blog
Prepared for Whatever Comes Next
A year ago, Kathi Hammond was managing arthritis pain and seriously considering a return to physical therapy.
Today, she’s stronger, more confident, and has avoided a surgery she once assumed was inevitable — and when her family needed her most, she had the strength to show up for them.
THE START
Kathi’s arthritis had reached a point where she felt like she needed to do something.
“I have arthritis, and I have a lot of joint pain,” she said. “I was getting to the point where I thought I should go back to physical therapy — but I had a friend who’d been coming here for a year already, and I knew strength training would help with the pain. I thought maybe I’d just give this a try instead.”
It wasn’t an easy decision for her to make.
“I’d never been in a gym — no gym membership, nothing like that,” she said. “I was very nervous about the whole thing.”
EASING THE NERVES
For someone with no gym experience and real physical limitations, Kathi says the coaching made all the difference from day one.
“They just accommodate whatever physical limitations you have,” she said. “It was my thumb — they came right away with fat grips, and that’s helped a lot. I used to get injections in my thumb, and I haven’t needed one since I started here.”
THE PROOF IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Ask Kathi what’s changed, and she doesn’t start with the gym — she starts with her life outside of it.
She has two kids who coach basketball, and bleachers used to be a genuine source of anxiety.
“I was always holding the handrail,” she said. “This past season, I was just going up and down — I don’t need it anymore. I can get concessions with my hands full. The balance was huge.”
It shows up in the small moments, too.
“If I drop something, I just pick it up. I don’t have to think about how it’s going to hurt,” she said.
But the moment that mattered most came when her family needed her.
“My son fell and dislocated his ankle — he’s six-foot-two,” she said. “If I hadn’t been coming here, I’m pretty sure we would have had to call an ambulance to get him off the ground and into the car. That shouldn’t be part of my everyday life, but it was a big thing that I could do it.”
THE ARTHRITIS TURNAROUND
The pain that first brought Kathi through the door has changed dramatically over the past year.
“My arthritis pain is a lot better,” she said. “I’ve had surgery on one thumb, and I’ve been putting off the other one — but now I’m not even thinking about when I’d schedule it. I don’t think I’m going to need it.”
The improvement extends further, too.
“The knees and the back — it’s a lot better. Walking and things, I can do a lot more than I was doing before.”
THE POWERSTRENGTH DIFFERENCE
Kathi had done physical therapy before, and she’s candid about why PowerStrength has worked differently for her.
“They don’t push you as much in physical therapy — it would help, but it just wasn’t the same as coming here,” she said. “They know what you can do, and they push you to try something different. I’m getting stronger here in a way that just wasn’t happening before. I don’t do well doing things on my own at home, so I had to go someplace — I just ended up coming here instead, and I’m very happy about that.”
WHAT HER FAMILY SEES
The changes haven’t gone unnoticed at home.
“My husband can tell I’m getting stronger — I have more energy, I can do more things without the pain I had before,” she said. “My kids don’t live at home anymore, but they’re proud of me for coming.”
That recognition means something to her.
“It makes me feel good. It’s nice to know that they’re proud of me.”
Kathi also sees her training as a way to ease her own kids’ future worry about her as she ages.
“My mom is 87, and she has trouble walking,” she said. “I’m hoping I’ll be better off at 87, taking these steps now, than what she is. I could still help my son move into his house. I feel good that I’m able to take part in all of that.”
THE REGRET
Ask Kathi what she’d tell herself a year ago, and she doesn’t hesitate.
“I shouldn’t have waited,” she said. “My friend would talk about everything she was doing here, how her balance was better, how she was getting stronger — and it sounded like something I wanted to do. But I was too scared to do it for a year. I wish I had started sooner.”
Her advice to anyone in that same spot now is simple.
“I would recommend they do it. The coaches are great, they work with you, and everybody is so encouraging,” she said. “There’s really nothing to be afraid of. I was afraid — but there’s nothing to be afraid of when you come here.”
Asked to sum up what PowerStrength has meant to her, Kathi kept it simple.
“PowerStrength is just a great place to come to get stronger,” she said.
READY TO MAKE YOUR NEXT 10 YEARS YOUR STRONGEST EVER?
Men and women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who want to get stronger and have more energy can join the Personal Training Program at PowerStrength at any time. No previous workout experience is required — each program is customized to the fitness and ability level of each individual.
Multiple personal training sessions are offered in the early morning, mid-morning, late afternoon, and evening. Find your nearest PowerStrength location — Alpine, Kentwood, Jenison, Plainfield, Holland, or Byron Center.
Click powerstrengthpro.com/adult/contact-adult to learn more and schedule your risk-free consultation.