It’s funny how a single moment can change your life forever. For me, that moment was a few weeks after I turned 40, when I was driving home from dinner at a friend’s house. I was at a stoplight when I was suddenly rear-ended by a man who was experiencing some sort of diabetic episode and hadn’t recognized that the traffic in front of him was stopped. He slammed into the back of my car going approximately 40 mph.
At first, I didn’t think I was hurt, and I was even able to drive home from the scene (my car sustained $8500 in damages, but somehow was still drivable). But as the normal aches and pains of whiplash subsided in the days that followed, pain in my lower back began to increase. It was eventually determined that I had torn one, if not two, lower lumbar dics, which meant that the discs were not only inflamed and bulging, but also leaking fluid that felt like battery acid on my spine. And structurally, my alignment was thrown off, causing more inflammation and pain in my right sacral iliac joint and hip.
I underwent four separate epidural injections and months of physical therapy, but the pain was persistent. Activities of daily living became extremely difficult for me, and instead of trying to move more, I responded by moving less and less and less (which I now know is the exact wrong thing to do for back pain). And I had to begin cutting back my hours at work until eventually I had to quit my job altogether. For the next few years, I grew weaker and weaker, life with chronic pain became my new normal, and I became mentally and emotionally depressed and exhausted.
And then one day I woke up and decided that I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I knew I had to do something, but I hadn’t exercised
since my mid 20’s and had no idea what to do or where to start. So I simply began walking on my treadmill. In those early days, I was lucky to walk for 15 minutes at a very slow pace before experiencing total exhaustion. But I kept at it every day, slowing increasing my time and pace and slowly feeling stronger and stronger.
After about a year of walking, I knew I needed to progress to something more, but I knew I couldn’t withstand any pounding movements (running or jumping) on my spine. So I began searching for “low impact” video workouts online, and that’s when I stumbled upon Cathe Friedrich.
I ordered one of her Low Impact Series videos – Cardio SuperSets – and couldn’t even get through it the first time I tried. But somehow Cathe made me feel safe, and I liked her, and so I kept trying again and again until it became achievable. And then I bought a few more of her LIS videos and did the same with those. And as I began to see progress and feel myself becoming stronger, I ventured beyond her low impact videos to other series and just kept going. I looked forward every day to my date with Cathe!
And during this time something magical happened – I began to see myself as being stronger, braver and more capable than I thought I was. I really wanted to start pushing myself out of my comfort zone and see what I could do – and each time I found that I could do more than I ever thought I could. This was revelatory mentally and emotionally, as well as physically, and allowed me to finally begin reclaiming my life from years of constant pain — it was like a dark fog lifted! As I continued to progress in my workouts over the next few years, my personality became more pleasant, my self-esteem grew, my marriage got stronger, my life got better. And, of course, I lost weight, reshaped my body, and over time gained a significant amount of strength, power and flexibility.
A single moment that changes your life forever… Well, for me it’s now two moments. The moment of my car accident, and the moment I found Cathe. I’m not sure I would be where I am today without her. She made me feel safe when my world was upside down, she motivated and encouraged me to keep going when I didn’t think I could, she taught me the fundamentals of exercise and proper form and progressions, and she instilled deep within me a passion for the transformative power of fitness. And since we are the same age, she has always made me feel that if she can do it, I can do it! And all that from a lady on my TV screen!
I live a life now that is mostly free of pain. At 50, I am stronger and healthier than I have ever been. I’ve attended several Road Trips to work out with Cathe in person (a true honor and highlight in my life!!) and am constantly encouraged and blessed by all my friends in the Cathlete community. I’ve also obtained certifications in both personal training and fitness/sports nutrition, and I love nothing more than to motivate others to get moving and discover that they, too, are stronger, braver and more capable than they ever thought they could be.
Thank you, Cathe, for being my moment!
Liz Balmer
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as if someone was beating me across the abdomen with a baseball bat nonstop. I was rushed to the hospital and after a battery of tests, the dilemma stemmed from a blockage in my biliary tree that also involved the gallbladder due to a faulty duct at birth and two intestinal operations as an infant. After surgery and a long recovery, I began to slowly exercise again by January 2011, but felt extremely frustrated since my core was still healing and I could not jump.
When Cathe mentions the weight she uses, I’m pleased to say that I can lift the SAME weight or a bit more! Actually, I would absolutely love to audition for and join Cathe’s crew as well. 
ovarian cancer. I did 12 weeks of chemo. During this time I lost 27 pounds, all of my hair, and the ability to do fine motor skills due to nerve damage in my fingers. I risked irreversible lung damage and kidney damage due to the drugs. Now remember I was at a healthy weight and in great shape when this whole thing started. Needless to say at this point I was sick, tired, weak, and just trying to make it through the day. I couldn’t clean my house, cook dinner for my kids, walk my dog, attend my kids school parties; I was only able to lay on the couch and go to my chemo appointments.
includes almost every one of her workouts from the Gym Series to STS to XTrain. I always tell people that her workouts rival a personal trainer. Previously whenever I had tried to exercise, I did only cardio, and now find myself quoting Cathe all the time telling other women, “Don’t be afraid of heavy weights, they do great things for you.” They certainly did nice things for me, as I was able to lose 96 lbs.!
My fight against obesity goes back to 1999. I weighted 74 kilos, I was in my twenties and studying at University. I decided I had to do something to lose weight, so started to correct my diet and lost 12-14 kilos, but stayed overweight for a long time. The scale was stuck, I thought that a clean diet was all I had to do and exercise was something I thought I could not fit in my daily routine.
, Power Max and Step fit. I loved this woman since the first time I pressed the play button on my remote control. She was so energetic, encouraging, and the workouts were so much fun! I start ed to see results: my post-partum belly was going away and I was getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I started to buy other dvds,such as Intensity, Lower Body Blast, Butts and Guts, Imax 2 and Imax 3, Gym Style legs… and one by one, I think I have bought most of her dvds. Obviously I started to discover the beauty of lifting weights. I was no more scared of dumbbells and barbells also because my muscles were toning and I liked my new shape.
Cathe and her workouts are now a part of my daily life. I would have never imagined that one purchase of a step aerobics kit could be so life altering. That purchase introduced me to Cathe Friedrich and she ignited a fire inside me I did not know I possessed. That fire is still burning just as bright! Thank you, Cathe!