It’s a typical Monday morning, I'm walking through the club and notice a hubbub of activity. I hear deep breathing as a member works hard to do ten more sit-ups. There trainers are on the floor educating their clients to " To Be the Best " and make exercise a part of their life. Not just going through the motions, but embracing their workouts and enjoying the benefits.

As I see everyone working hard to make positive changes, I frequently take notice of this one particular member. She walks into MBS with such enthusiasm I can almost feel her feet stomp the ground and her ponytail swing back and forth. Melinda Novak enters the club ready to pump her muscles and feel her body change as she is working out! She looks totally fit, like she was born ripped. However, I have now come to learn that Melinda was overweight her entire life, growing up with kids teasing her and losing friends because of her appearance.

Melinda was tired with the way she felt, the way she looked, and the way she was treated. Like many people, Melinda never thought she could lose the weight.

“One day, I had become so tired of looking in the mirror and holding my thighs apart to see how I would look if I was thin,” reflects Melinda.

She was mentally ready to make a change. She weighed 240 lbs at one time and is now a lean and fit 111 lbs. I am still awestruck as I think about the fact that she has lost more than half her total weight--over 125 pounds!

Exercise is now part of her life and according to Melinda, “Exercise helps you escape from everything else in life. It also takes time for you to build stronger self-esteem along with a stronger body”. For the women who have always had problems with weight or developed problems after having kids, she wants you to know that you can succeed at whatever you want to look like. As Melinda puts it, “It’s there if you want it bad enough, you just have to go after it. Set small goals so you can reach them and then set them higher as you start to succeed”.

“As the weight came off,” says Melinda. “My discipline to work-out and diet increased, as did my self-esteem”.

Melinda realized in this challenge that she was not on a diet; she was just discovering what her real make-up was. Knowing that all the hard work helped her discover who she was and all she could be. Today Melinda looks and feels great. “It’s still hard work, but it makes you feel good and you enjoy great health.”

I think Melinda is a great example of what we can do if we put our minds to it. Keep up the great work Melinda, what you’ve accomplished is truly inspiring.