Today was my last workout at the studio where it all started for me! When I found RPT Fitness I was pregnant and could barely walk due to an old injury in my low back that reared it’s ugly head as my body shifted and prepared for childbirth. I had tried EVERYTHING…expensive pro athlete style physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, chiropractic, energy work, osteopathy, and finally a steroid injection into my SI joint. Even that only took away about 10% of my pain. I thought Rafael was just a personal trainer, so I didn’t have hugely high expectations that he’d be able to “fix” me but boy was I wrong. Rafael is not just a personal trainer, he is an expert in corrective exercise - if you tell him where it hurts, he’ll work on the parts of your body that relate to that area. It was painful for a few weeks, but then…My pain started to wear off…. Long story short, I continued to see Rafael all through the rest of my pregnancy (up until the week I gave birth, weighing 202 lbs!!!!). I started back up with him 8 weeks postpartum, as soon as my doctor cleared me for regular activity, and have been seeing him ever since. I feel stronger than I ever have, and in all the right ways, using proper form, building strength from the inside out with core work built into every exercise. I’m sad not to have his gym just 6 minutes from my house (we’ve been so spoiled!) but I’m so excited his business has grown so much that he’s moving to a bigger space! No one deserves the success he’s experiencing more than he does, and I’m happy to have played a small part in that. Thank you Rafael, for your excellent work now and always, and I’ll see you Monday morning in your new gym!!