Superhero of the Month – Sherene and Paul Vasey
We are thrilled to announce our first international Superheroes of the Month, Sherene and Paul Vasey! Hailing from South Africa, Sherene and Paul have been regulars our evening classes at Mo-Mentum. Sherene first took Zumba at Mo-Mentum as a way to combat stress and soon started taking a variety of classes. When she married Paul in 2012, they found working out at Mo-Mentum was a great way to enjoy a healthy lifestyle together.
They have made many friends at the gym and are always the first to welcome new members in their classes and training sessions. Sherene and Paul love hosting people in their homes. Whenever they have visitors stay with them as house guests, a workout at Mo-Mentum is always one of the tourist destinations.
Congratulations Sherene and Paul!
Q & A
Describe what your life (and your health) was like before fitness.
Paul and I have both played sports in the past and lead a fairly active life style. Paul suffers from a chronic fatigue type condition in the past 10 years that has made fitness a lot more challenging for him. I go through lazy times where the sofa and candies call me more than working out but eventually get off the couch when my pants get too tight.
Was there ever a low point or an experience that made your priorities change?
Not really, we have been very fortunate in our lives to maintain decent weights and suffered no seriously debilitating illnesses. Unlike some very inspirational weight loss or medical condition battle some of our gym mates have achieved we’ve just bobbed along.
How did fitness come into your life (or back into your life)?
I joined Momentum in March of 2011 after ending a 17 year horrible relationship. A friend invited me to a Zumba class, which almost killed me and I could barely walk for a week. However since my evenings were now free to do as I pleased I kept coming back. When Paul and I got married in March of 2012 he started attending classes with me as I had to show off my new gorgeous husband.
What kind of results have you seen since starting a regular fitness program?
My tight pants are not too tight anymore. Paul is still struggling with his fatigue but joins me at the gym as often as he can manage with out triggering his condition. His stamina and ability are better than before but he need to take it slow as to not set him self back.
Please talk more about the actual changes in your life? (weight loss, confidence, more endurance, less medications etc)
Again we have been fortunate that we take no regular medication, have generally had healthy weight maintenance but endurance and strength have greatly increased. Having a work out buddy who pushed you to go to the gym on the days you don’t want to is a big help. We always feel invigorated after the work out and have more energy than before taking the class.
What kind of changes have you seen there? What do these changes mean for your lifestyle, longevity, finances, etc?
The plan is to keep healthy, avoid doctors and have many happy years together. Medical bills can bankrupt a family so making a commitment to keeping fit now ultimately should avoid major illness and costly medical care later in life. And I don’t have to buy bigger pants 😊.
Why do you make fitness a priority in your life?
Paul and I want lots of happy and healthy years together, we took 25 years to end up together so want to have as many more years as we can. Getting and staying fit are a way to ensure that goal.
These days, what makes you truly happy and feel at peace?
Honestly having my best friend by my side what ever we are doing and enjoying a loving and stable relationship. Our past situations have highlighted how blessed we are to be together and to enjoy what we have now. Had we not been through difficult first marriages, we may not have truly appreciated the happiness we share together.
How do you feel compared to 1 year ago?
Definitely stronger with better muscle tone and more endurance. When we started taking spin class we would struggle to keep pace with the class but now seem to spin along just fine and come back the next night for more.
Specifics: age? job title? children? spouse?
Paul is 43 with a nine year old son who lives in the UK. He is a former high-school business teacher who now designs and sells financial literacy games for age 7 to high-school age students.
I (Sherene) am 42 with no children and have a small Insurance business that develops benefit packages for small to mid size companies.