Margaret has made an incredible transformation. She’s been working with me for about 2 1/2 years, and I couldn’t be more honored!
Margaret is proof that age is just a number. She says she’s in her “senior years” as she chuckles. Margaret is 91 years old. She lives in Miami, and has two of her children living in Miami as well. She has a total of 7 children, 10 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren.
Margaret had never been to a gym before or worked out. She says, “7 children was enough of a workout!” 💪😂
Margaret is a cancer survivor, but had a recurrence when she moved to Miami from Fort Lauderdale and had to undergo treatments again in her late 80s. She also has Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), a heart condition that causes your heart to beat much faster than normal. When this happens, the upper and lower heart chambers don’t work together which causes shortness of breath and not enough blood and oxygen to pump through the veins. The doctors tried to manage it with medication, but it didn’t work, so she had an operation to try to fix it but that didn’t work either. She says, physically, she was down in the basement.
At that point, her daughter, Terry Vento said, “It might help you if you do some supervised exercises”. So Margaret tagged along to Terry and Peter’s (Terry’s husband) next session with Lyonel at LyonStrong.
When Margaret spoke to Lyonel for the first time, she told him that she wanted to get better and she wanted to be independent because she did not want to rely on anyone. At that time, she was relying on her family more than she preferred. She would lose her balance if she stood up for too long, she could not walk in a straight line, she needed assistance to sit down and stand up. So Margaret decided to give Lyonel a try, and she said it’s been working out.
It’s not a problem for her to move around freely now. If something lands on the floor, she can pick it up. Her energy level that was once nil, is now at a point where she can function fairly well. She still has to baby it a little, but it’s improved.
She says that she has not found herself on the floor, but if she would find herself on the floor one day, there would be no problem because Lyonel has taught her how to turn around and get up.
Margaret states, “There is nothing bad at LyonStrong. What has been extremely good, is that everyone is helpful, pleasant, knowledgeable, and caring. There is a feeling of belonging, you’re not just a figure. And that makes a difference, not being a stranger.”
Margaret definitely belongs. She is part of the family. 💗 We don’t have strangers here at LyonStrong because when you walk through our doors, you’re either a friend, or a part of the family.
Margaret said that she notices that the people that go to the gym are happy to be there. They enjoy being there. And she enjoys being there too!
She admits that she’s not the most outgoing person. It takes a minute for her to get acclimated. But she laughs and says, “I’m acclimated here!” 😊
Lyonel tells Margaret how extraordinary and inspiring she is to everyone, and she responds by saying, “It just doesn’t seem possible. I’m just doing what I need to do, and that’s not extraordinary.”
In which Lyonel replies, “You might not think it is, but it actually is. And what I mean by that, is that there are a lot of people out there that are looking at their scenarios and the things going on in their lives and using them as an excuse NOT to do the things that can help them get better. So the fact that you’re not letting anything stop you, and you ARE doing those things to get better.. THAT’S extraordinary!”
She answers by saying, “Oh… If I let things stop me, I think I’d long since be dead.” and then she laughs. 😄
Margaret doesn’t believe in counting numbers. She feels grateful to be here and grateful to function. And she’s hopeful it will continue for a long time. She doesn’t know where she would be or what she would be doing if she wasn’t training with Lyonel. Just putting one foot in front of the other, and getting to the gym and doing the workout – it gives her a sense of accomplishment – just for doing something and not vegetating.
Margaret says working out with Lyonel has helped with her everyday tasks. It’s like doing without thinking. She doesn’t have to stop and question if she can do something. She just does it. She also does social things with her family and some require physicality, and she thinks it’s great!
“My preconception of a gym was.. you went, you worked out and went home. The relationship with the people who you worked with in the gym was just never in the picture. You were just someone that they worked with. But at LyonStrong, from what I’ve seen and experienced, anybody who goes there is a part of it. It doesn’t matter if it’s Lyonel, Danny, Pilar or whoever.. everybody is concerned about everybody else. And that’s what makes you feel like you CAN accomplish things, and also that you’re not alone. People are here with you that care.” – Margaret Vento
MARGARET’S FUN FACTS:
Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Book: She reads a lot, so every book is a favorite. She finds biographies very interesting. She just read, Finding Magic: A Spiritual Memoir by Sally Quinn. She said it was Awesome!
Favorite Quote: “Good things come in small packages” by Shubham Choudhary.
Favorite Music: What she calls, Semi-Classic and describes as not Opera, but the next step down. However, when she works out, she’s not paying attention to the music, because she’s really concentrating on what she’s doing.
Margaret likes to keep it simple. She says there’s no need to complicate things. Laughing, she remembers “KISS: Keep it Simple Stupid!” 😂😂😂
On a serious note, Margaret says personally, she doesn’t think that she could do what she does without God being in her life. She talks to him a lot. She feels it’s very important. And she’s grateful for her family because they are so good. She feels blessed.
She says, “As long as I can, I will go to LyonStrong and.. I’d use the word ‘enjoy’, but when I’m working out, that’s not it!” and then bursts out in laughter.
Margaret believes that if you choose to come to LyonStrong, you will be challenged, but you will be cared for.
Watching Margaret’s transformation has been so incredible for all of us here at LyonStrong!
Her humor, humility, and outlook on life has truly been an inspiration.
I am so grateful to be a part of her journey.
Lyonel Lumarque
P.S. IT IS ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE! You can do this, just like Margaret did. Let us be part of YOUR transformation story … LET’S SET UP A DISCOVERY SESSION TO HELP BREAK DOWN YOUR GOALS AND FIND OUT HOW OUR DNA SPECIFIC, CUSTOMIZED NUTRITION COACHING, TRAINING AND ACCOUNTABILITY PROGRAM WITH GUARANTEED RESULTS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE. CLICK HERE AND SET UP YOUR SCHEDULED CALL TODAY!
