Yesterday I was privileged to have the opportunity to meet Dr. Mehmet Oz, DJ'S Scott and Dana from 105.1, and many of Orlando's Channel 9 crew. As a Health Educator, Personal trainer, group fitness Instructor, and Entrepreneur, this was a dream come true. Many of you know of Dr. Oz and his talk show that delivers critical health and wellness information to everyone through a very sincere, visual, and direct way. I am always very impressed by the topics he covers, demonstrations he not only has but involves the audience as well, and his direct and quick delivery of information that many of us are on the edge of our seats wanting to know. Even more importantly, Dr. Oz addresses the needs of so many people with genuine interest and concern. He educates the public visually and efficiently so that the information can be understood and retained. In other words, Dr. Oz helps enable people to want to take care of their health and shows them how. Who could ask for more from a Doctor?
At this point I want to take a moment to happily explain how meeting Dr. Oz came into fruition.
Many of you may know that my client of 10 months Samantha Brown entered Dr. Oz's Transformation Nation Million Dollar You contest. http://doctoroz.sharecare.com/rules.html Together we have been working diligently on Samantha's weight loss and fitness. Samantha is also with Weight Watchers and does great on their Points program. Not to mention her friendships and group support with Weight Watchers is incredible!
In 10 months, Samantha has quickly progressed through many phases of her exercise conditioning and I have tweaked her diet here and there to see what works best to support her weight loss and muscle growth. Needless to say, she is one dedicated woman who makes no excuses, recognizes her weaknesses, and celebrates her strengths.
A week ago, Sam was listening to Orlando's 105.1 and learned quickly of their contest to meet Dr. Oz. She called in immediately, and at first was unable to get through, and then was suddenly greeted on the other line by a "YOU WON!" angel. She immediately called me at 8 a.m. asking me to join her. We were both on cloud 9 and have been ever since.
Meeting Dr. Oz yesterday was more amazing than we could have ever imagined. This man speaks to the hearts of so many and it is even more powerful in person. When he walked into the studio, he greeted everyone with a huge smile and hand shake. He took the time to make everyone feel comfortable and special. As his radio interview took place, I was even more amazed by his ability to just answer questions efficiently, positively, and with the utmost sincerity. As a fitness professional, I share in his quest to outreach the public to educate them on what "good health" is and that there are answers that can bring joy and wellness to everyone's lives. So I was filled with joy, inspiration, and found myself deep in thought as I connected his responses to all that I encounter with my students and clients.
Now, as if this meeting couldn’t get any better, he then jumped up from his seat during a break to meet and talk with the 2 winners of the contest and their guests. He was instantly excited to learn that Samantha was entered in his Transformation Nation Contest and wanted to hear all about her progress so far. Dr. Oz looked through her fitness journal which contained her before picture, short term and long term goals, and workouts that I write down every session. I encourage my clients to be goal driven, carry a notebook so I can write down assessments, workouts and consistently review goals, as well as be able to view their workouts when they are not with me. Samantha has been extremely diligent with this process! So watching Dr. Oz as he flipped through her journal was a stunning moment. He was very excited to see how much core work we do and was sincerely proud of Samantha's progress so far. He really took the time to talk and listen to her. After that, he took pictures, signed books, and just individually greeted and talked with everyone. He was full of energy and happiness as he danced around and connected with everyone. More stunning moments.
A huge delightful surprise came when on air; Dr. Oz pulled Sam into the discussion and asked her many questions about her journey. He got to the heart of matter for all those struggling with weight and health issues when he asked “Who told you that you weren’t worth it?". As he continued to speak with Samantha about her decisions to become healthy and fit, we were all deeply moved and some of us were in tears. I was so proud of Sam and how much courage she had to open up to 105.1 listeners (there is a candid shot of this "proud and excited" look). Boy was this surreal.
The session had to come to an end but not without Dr. Oz taking more time to connect with everyone. He left quickly due to his busy schedule, but not without giving more hugs and smiles. I am still moved emotionally from the experience and even more driven to make a pivotal difference in the lives of my family, friends, students and clients.
It has been in our plans for Samantha to be with me 4 days a week as we both dedicated a lot of time to her succeeding in her personal goals and becoming Dr. Oz's #1 success story for Transformation Nation. We both believe deeply that this journey is to be shared to help inspire, motivate, and encourage the world to seek out good health and make positive changes to live a joy filled and pain free life.
Here is the link if you missed the show yesterday on 105.1 with Dr. Oz:
http://mix1051.radio.com/2012/02/06/dr-oz-in-studio-with-scott-mckenzie-the-morning-mix/
Also, I have posted pictures on both of my Facebook pages, Nikki Garriepy and FIT 4 LIFE.
I will continue to blog and outreach the world on Samantha's progress as well as share my experiences, beliefs, and education to help others in their quest to live a fitter and healthier life. I am blessed to work in a field that I love, and there is no greater privilege than to be a positive part of people's lives and to help them reach their goals of good health.
Stay tuned and thank you greatly for your support,
Nikki
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