Getting fit, feeling satisfied with personal trainers | Health and Wellness

Published 12:33 pm Friday, February 28, 2014

“We get a lot of dings as we get older,” John Chouinard laughed when he described one of the reasons why he works out with personal trainer Ed Tessel at Gold’s Gym in Redmond.

Chouinard, a 66-year-old Woodinville resident, has paired up with Tessel for five years. Tessel may be about 30 years his client’s junior at age at 35, but the two are a solid team in the workout room.

They meet two times a week for 30 minutes of exercise, which includes weightlifting, cardio, calisthenics and flexibility training.

“We do a lot in 30 minutes. It’s intense,” said Chouinard, who also spends time on his own on a treadmill and elliptical trainer at Gold’s.

“You just overall feel better,” Chouinard added about working out with Tessel, whom he called a good motivator to get the fitness job done properly.

From Tessel’s side of the workout bench, he’s been a full-time personal trainer at Gold’s for eight years and has been doing his job for 12 years overall.

He currently works with about 50 male and female clients, ranging in age from 30 to 60.

Tessel found a second home in the weight room when he was in high school.

“I was little in high school and needed something to make me stronger and bigger in order … to not get beat up in school,” he said with a laugh. “And it went from there. I’m into taking care of myself.”

Working out also kept him focused on his goal — and away from trouble and drugs, he said.

Tessel gets satisfaction while working together with his clients and helping them realize their goals of becoming fit and feeling good about themselves.

Tessel likes to see them breathing hard and burning fat during the workouts, but there’s more to their time spent together than just training.

“You develop great relationships. It’s the best,” Tessel said.

Andy Nystrom photo of personal trainer Tiffany Ewings, right, and client Jennifer Swift at Gold’s Gym in Redmond.