June Member Spotlight: Nancy Dobiecki

We are thrilled to highlight, Nancy Dobiecki as our June Member Spotlight. 

Throughout her life Nancy has demonstrated courage, hope, and perseverance. She keeps moving forward no matter what challenges arise. Growing up Nancy was pretty quiet and kept to herself. She didn’t have the best home life and credits this for making her a strong self-dependent person.  

After high school Nancy got a job in customer service. With nothing tying her to the Midwest, Nancy decided to jump on the opportunity to move to Northern California with one of her friends who was being transferred. There she met her husband, who was from Chicago. Needless to say there was a Cards Cubs rivalry in that relationship! Together they had two kids, Kyle and Paige. Unfortunately at the age of 39 her husband passed away from a heart attack. 

Nancy moved back to the Midwest and eventually ended up back in St. Louis. It was a stressful time. She was working and raising her two kids by herself. After her doctor told her she had high blood pressure, Nancy decided to join a gym. She went 6 days a week and got her blood pressure under control. Unfortunately,  financial circumstances changed she had to end her gym membership. 

A few years passed and Nancy was diagnosed with breast cancer. After beating cancer last year Nancy decided it was time to get back to the gym. In January of 2021 Nancy join our Forward Fam. She was a little nervous because of the pandemic, but knew she wanted to make fitness a part of her life again. She started coming twice a week and after a few months bumped up her membership to three times per week. 

Nancy is the textbook of consistency, coming to the same classes each week. I have the pleasure of coaching Nancy on Wednesdays. She usually comes to an evening class, but one week she was on the schedule for the noon class. When I asked her about the class switch, she said that she was going to the Cardinals game and took a half a day off so she could still come to the gym.  Another time she mentioned she was leaving for a trip for the weekend, but not to worry because she was still going to come to her Friday morning workout before she hit the road. Wow! It’s impressive how commited she is to her goals and how she makes her workouts a priority. She says having a routine, a gym to go to that she likes, and her desire to continue her journey to better health and fitness keeps her consistent. 

When asked why health and fitness is so important to her. Nancy said she feels better mentally, emotionally, and physically when she is making healthier choices. She is also stronger, has better balance, and has so much more energy. She is doing everything she can to support her health.  

Nancy said her biggest accomplishment since joining Forward Fitness is dropping 45 pounds and going down four pant sizes. She came in with a mission and put in the work.  She challenges herself at the gym and incorporates healthier food choices outside the gym. She is committed to making health and fitness part of her life. 

Nancy is someone you are happy to have in class as a coach or fellow Forward Fam member. She has a positive attitude and growth mindset. If there is something she can’t do, not a problem. She will work at it until she can do it. She has already gained so much more mobility in her spiderman and can now do a get up and reverse lunge. She’s not afraid to try new things and step outside her comfort zone. She will also cheer on fellow members! 

Nancy’s advice to anyone thinking about starting a fitness routine is, “Just do it. You’ll be so much happier. It’s hard in the beginning. If you want to take your health seriously, don’t be afraid. Find support. Just do it!”