If Not Now, When?

Barbara Server is beating the odds - not by being reactive, but by being

proactive. “In my family, there is diabetes, high blood pressure, high

cholesterol, among others,” she says. “I’ve always believed that if I ever

had one of those it should be because I inherited it and not because I caused it.”

This mindset changed her life in 2008. While Server wasn’t obese by any

stretch of the imagination, she felt losing 20 pounds could change her life. “I felt sluggish and sloppy and knew it was time for a change.”

Fast forward to today and she’s now helping others transform their lives so

they can prosper. Her program, a combination of Body for Life and information she’s garnered from other trainers, is a 12-week program focused on a healthy lifestyle. “Part of the program is really exploring what people are putting in their mouths,” she explains.

The program, which starts at $150 plus a small consultation fee, covers a wide range of issues. At the core of the program is teaching clients to make better choices. It also explores issues lying beneath overeating. “Food is our comfort,” Server says. “People tend to eat when they are stressed, celebrate with food when they are happy or turn to comfort food when they have experienced trauma.”

Other aspects of the 12-week fitness program include a weekly meal plan,

grocery list, skin and hair advice (Server is a hair stylist as well,) lifestyle advice, weekly email check-ins, clothing suggestions, nutrition label and shopping education, ongoing support and daily inspirational emails. Server will even go grocery shopping with you, help update your clothing wardrobe or come purge your pantry of unhealthy foods.

Overall, Server says her program is seeing great results because she listens, makes herself available as needed and doesn’t judge her clients. For her, success isn’t “Biggest Loser” style but rather slow lifestyle changes. The goal: an empowered person making smarter and healthier choices who is, in turn, happier with who she/he is inside and out. The end result is a complete mindset makeover that helps clients build self-confidence. “This program is really about teaching people how to make the transformation they want,” she says.

As for the 20 pounds Server hoped to lose — it is long gone. To keep the weight off and keep her on the right track, Server got into figure competition. Over the past few years she’s taken home numerous prizes at Fitness America Great North, including a first-place classic figure and

third-place bikini short in May of this year.

At the Fitness America Pageant she placed third in bikini masters and fourth in figure masters. This year she plans to retire from competition — “I have experienced great success. It feels incredible to share my success on-stage with such incredible competitors but I’m ready to pass the torch

on to someone else.”

Meanwhile, Server remains focused on expanding her programs and encouraging

anyone struggling with weight to give it a shot. The New Year is a great time to get motivated and change your life and, as Server often says so eloquently, “If not now… when?”

For more information about the 12-week program and other services offered

by Barb Server, visit www.BarbServer.com

Beth Probst is a freelance writer in Iron River and communications officer at the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.

Tags: ln healthyliving, livingnorth