When Elizabeth B., a Professor of German Studies at Stanford, began training with Jeremy Fernandez three years ago, her first goal was to rehabilitate her elbow.  At the time, she could barely use it to empty the dishwasher. 

From strength training with Jeremy, she regained full use of her arm--so much so that she recently reached the top of an indoor climbing wall and is excited to try again soon.

Her current fitness goal is to bench press 65 pounds. "I'd like to be able to get 10 reps in fluidly, which I should be able to do this year," she says. "I also would love to be able to balance on the bongo board while throwing a medicine ball against the trampoline, but I think that one is a few years away!"

Jeremy is in charge of motivating Elizabeth, and she credits him for the extra jolt she needed to meet her weight loss goal of 30 pounds. "I know that I would not push myself hard enough if I worked out on my own," she says. "I would probably still be using the ten pounds weights and doing only cardio!”

"When I think about how weak my exercise background was before I started, I'm surprised at how far I've come," she says. "In my youth, there weren't many athletic opportunities for women beyond cheerleading. As a consequence I never believed I could do anything fitness-related. Now I'm the opposite, and I think that if I were 30 years younger, I would try bodybuilding."

As a clinical psychologist specializing in eating disorders and an author of eight books on weight management and behavioral health issues, Joyce was already very aware of the benefits of exercise when she started training at AXIS in 1999.

“Though I’d been working out for 20 years, I needed help reducing back pain and improving my balance.”

Since starting her program, Joyce has lost 30 pounds. She’s also bounced back from several surgeries with the help of her trainer, Tien Tran. “Most recently, I had knee surgery. As soon as I knew the surgery was coming, Tien and I worked to strengthen my VMO so that I would have a better recovery,” she says. “It worked; according to my doctor, I’ve had the most rapid recovery he’s ever seen.”

Her new goal is to get in shape for horseback riding as she recently started taking lessons. “I’ll be able to hold on to the horse better if I strengthen my legs,” she notes. “One exercise Tien has shown me is how to work my inner thighs by squeezing the smaller swiss ball.”

Joyce’s husband, Morgan , joined AXIS in 2001. Though his wife was a devotee of AXIS, he had some initial skepticism. “Before he started coming to AXIS, he definitely questioned my need for a personal trainer,” Joyce recalls. “I remember telling him that I’d sooner quit the cleaning lady than quit AXIS!”

Morgan laughs at the story. “I think that statement might have been what convinced me to sign up for myself,” he says. “I realized that if AXIS meant that much to her, it was worth checking out.”

A life-long runner, Morgan uses his sessions with trainer Crystal Wellman to get in shape for skiing and golfing, two of his favorite activities. “To prepare for ski season, we work more on leg strength, and for golf we work on rotation and balance. The trainers here at AXIS are very creative at inventing exercises that help you reach goals,” he says.