Many people go to the gym to stay healthy or drop a few pounds, but some high-risk health patients said working out saved their lives.
“It’s been life changing,” Matt Williamson said. He was a heart patient since 1999, having two open heart surgeries, before a cardiologist told him there was nothing more he could do. His heart was inoperable.
He said, “I’m like, ‘If I just lay here I’ll go see Jesus and it’ll be alright.’ I really had those thoughts at 55.”
Until he met a man named Pat Sims, who took him to his trainer, Jeff Blake.
Blake works with clients from Lubbock all the way to Hobbs, NM. He specializes in older clients or those who have health histories.
“I have people come in and say, ‘So, I know there’s nothing you can even do for me. I know you don’t even want me in your facility cause I’m so high risk,'” Blake said. “It wasn’t about how much they could lift, or how much they weigh. It’s, ‘how much can I accomplish in my daily activities? What can I do now that I don’t have to get help with.'”
He said before a big surgery or after rehab, the mental and emotional stamina can be half the battle for his clients. However, these are the types of clients he likes working with the most.
“If I have a client come in and say, ‘I’m an Olympic athlete, and I want to get 3 percent better.’ Okay, I can work with you. But if I have someone who come in and say, ‘I can’t walk to get my mail.’ I’m going to gravitate towards that person,” Blake said.
Pat Sims has been training with Blake for nearly two years.
“I couldn’t do things with my kids at 465 pounds,” he said. “After two and a half years, it’s amazing how much more stamina and endurance I have.”
He said, the workouts seem simple at first. Blake focuses on things like balance and core.
“A lot of basic stuff,” Sims said, adding that it works.
Blake said his job is all about seeing clients like Sims and Williamson come so far.
“It’s about giving them hope, realistic hope for these patients.”
If you’d like to contact Blake, email jeff.gunzup@gmail.com.
Always consult your doctor first.
