Kevin Hougham's StoryI joined the Y in September 2004. I weighed 253 pounds and had a 43" waist. I was really a physical mess. I joined to swim as my knees were just about shot. About my second or third visit, I decided to give indoor cycling a try. I survived the first class, then the second, and decided I could do it regularly. For a month it was three times a week, then steadily built to six times a week after about three months. While I did make some simple changes to what I ate and drank, I never really dieted. Daily exercise became my default choice - I had to decide not to go, the default choice was to go. The changes to my weight and health were dramatic. By September 2006, I weighed 175 and had a 33" waist. My health profile was equally amazing; BP of 115/58; resting heart rate of 48. All because I made a commitment to daily exercise, which in my case happened to be indoor cycling. By the Fall of 2006, I had taken over 500 indoor cycling classes at the Dubuque Y. I had turned my life around and felt the need for a different challenge to keep me engaged in the process. I approached Andy about teaching some classes, and started with one on Fridays at 8:30 A.M. Then we added some beginner classes to encourage people in circumstances like I faced to give it a try. It's from within these beginner classes that we've seen some dramatic success stories. Middle-aged women who had no real athletic background taking it up 4-6 times a week and really getting after it. Middle-aged businessmen shedding weight and getting fit. I can give you names of at least six other people whom I'd sure would be willing to tell their story. Today I teach seven classes a week, reaching about 85 people. They have made hard aerobic exercise part of their daily lives and their lives are changing because of it. There are so many people who find themselves in the circumstances like myself and others who are sedentary and overweight - and can see no real way to escape it. I think that people who read this story can be empowered to try to change their lives, maybe with not such dramatic results, but certainly improved health and fitness. My message to everyone who reads this is that it's never too late to take control of your health and the Y is a great place to do it!
Kevin Hougham
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