Denise Henry doesn’t really want to share her age…..but let’s say she is over 30 under 50! Denise is a Sergeant for the Creek Nation Lighthorse Police Department and also holds a Cross Commission as a Tulsa Police Officer. She has been a part of Fit First Responders since April of 2015.
Denise’s favorite parts of FFR:
1. Red Fridays…because we celebrate those that are fighting the ultimate battle for our freedom.
2. The ending to every workout!
She says, “The camaraderie that we share during both those things is heartfelt and moving….every time the emotion that we feel at the end of every workout when we hold hands and either pray for our brothers and sisters who might be going through something or we celebrate the success of one of our brothers and sisters. it is real, and it is the feeling of family!”
Denise keeps coming back to FFR because it is her home and it is her family. She says everyone in this program feels that way. She explains, “The atmosphere in our gym is always comforting to me regardless of struggles I am going through and obstacles I’m facing on the job or in my personal life. The coaches and the other members are always there to help you. It’s like having 200 new best friends that do the same job and are facing the same problems and that now look after you and have your back. The coaches are like having your own personal doctor, personal trainer, personal therapist, personal nutritionist, and personal life coach. There’s not one thing in life that somebody there hasn’t experienced and overcome. It’s my family forever now!”
The results Denise has seen are of course weight loss (23 pounds). For her that is not the most important part. She has also gained strength and muscle and is in better shape than when she was in her twenties. For her, the healthy habits she has learned are the most important part. She shares, ”I eat for nutrition instead of for comfort now. The nutrition is not a diet. People fail on diets. They teach you 10 healthy habits that you follow everyday. It doesn’t matter whether you’re cooking or going to McDonald’s you can eat healthy and you can even enjoy not so healthy things if you follow the ten habits. We all have our things we love to eat, but we earn them in the gym. The nutrition is something everyone can follow everyday in their life for the rest of their life.”
Denise finds she has more energy and is more focused in everyday life. She is definitely happier and feels better because she is healthier than she has ever been. FFR has helped her become more confident and focused at everything she does, and because of that she is a better employee and a better leader. She has been promoted twice at her agency since joining FFR and now has been promoted to the only female sergeant in her department. She says, “I am a better mother, daughter and friend I think because I’m more focused on my family and my friendships and the important things in life. It’s impossible to be in our program without feeling all the positive vibes and love all around you and all that love rubbing off on you. You can’t walk out everyday after a workout without feeling better about life without you wanting to be a better person. You feel it when you walk in the gym. You feel it after you leave the gym, and you miss it when you are away from our gym.”
Denise sums this up, “You can’t get what we have at any other gym. There are a lot of great personal trainers out there but no one can give you what we get in our program. Nobody is going to push you the way your peers do. Nobody is going to think about your injuries, your job stress or your life obstacles the way the coaches and the other participants do. When you are going through our workout thinking that you can’t make it through and you look to the right and you see someone who does the same job as you who is also struggling through life, doing the same workout, it makes it impossible to quit on yourself. The coaches never let you quit on your self but it is your peers that you see in the room with you sweating, tired, fighting through the workout but also being strong encouraging one another, that keep you going that keep you motivated to make it through these workouts. These are not people you see for an hour at the gym….they are your family, the ones you may be on a scene with later that night, maybe the ones that save YOU one day. They are all on the same team as you. That is the feeling you will have from the first day you come into the gym for your first workout for the rest of your life. It’s my family and it’s open to anyone looking for that kind of support and encouragement.”
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FIT FOR DUTY, FIT FOR LIFE
THE FIT FIRST RESPONDERS FAMILY
