“When I started at Winston’s Health and Fitness 12 years ago, I was headed for a wheelchair.” Linda Badger speaks passionately about the difference Winston’s has made in her life, after all, she credits him and his gym with turning things around for her when she was otherwise wheelchair bound. Linda’s story is an inspiring one, and one that she says wouldn’t have happened without Winston’s Health and Fitness.

“I had spent the majority of my life in pain from a bad back, and everything I had heard about Winston’s was really complimentary, so I went and asked if he could keep me out of a wheelchair. Honestly, I would have been satisfied with that, but now, I have virtually no pain. A good five days a week are spent pain free,” says Linda. “When I joined, my body was saying enough is enough, and if I had picked someone else who didn’t give a damn, I’d be in a wheelchair, but Winston plugs away until he gets it right. His knowledge of the human body is amazing, he knows exactly what to do to make something better.” Linda credits the drastic turn around to two things: her own persistence, and Winston’s encouragement. Linda is adamant that there were days she was almost in tears she was hurting so bad, but Winston’s encouragement never faltered, and coupled with her own determination, it was enough to keep her going.

Avoiding being wheelchair bound is obviously a huge feat, but Linda has even more success stories when it comes to her time at Winston’s. “When I started I weighed 172 pounds, now I weigh in at 140 pounds, and it’s all muscle,” says Linda. She’s adamant that she wasn’t trying to lose the weight, but her time at Winston’s translated into an entire lifestyle change.

Linda also speaks passionately about the atmosphere at Winston’s, “if you need help of any kind, Winston will give you a hand, but there’s also members there that are willing to assist you. For example, I have one exercise in particular that I have to have help to do, I can’t do it by myself, and at one point or another almost all of the regulars have helped me with it.”

If Linda had to choose one thing that sets Winston’s apart from other gyms in the area, she doesn’t hesitate to focus on Winston himself, using the age-old saying that he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.