Meet Sara

Time for a change

"No thanks, I’ll just watch." That’s what Sara Nunes used to tell her 7-year-old son when he asked her to play ball. "I didn’t feel good," she explains. "I was out of breath and had stomach issues. My doctor wanted to put me on blood-pressure medication. I thought to myself, 'I am 31 years old. I shouldn’t feel like this!'"

An email from Toby Wells Y arrived at just the right time. "I had just finished school and decided to focus my energy somewhere else," she remembers. But Sara needed a strategy, and being a die-hard Chargers fan gave her an idea.

"It was the start of football season, and I thought about how I am always surprised when the season ends — it goes by so fast! So, that’s how I counted my weeks at the Y. In 16 weeks of football, I lost 40 pounds!" And when football was over, Sara was just getting started. She met with personal trainer Joe O. for an InBody scan and a plan for some achievable goals. "Joe empowered me to be confident and overcome my gym anxiety."

Three months later, Sara’s follow-up InBody scan was a shocker. " lost 10.5 pounds — 18.3 pounds of fat and gained 4.8 pounds of muscle — and my body fat went from 38.4 percent to 29.2 percent. The difference was huge. I was sleeping better, and I had more energy."

Being healthier has changed Sara’s life. "I get more quality time with my son. When he asks me to play basketball, I say, 'Yeah, that sounds like fun!’ Instead of going to the park and just watching him, I am on the monkey bars with him.”

"What I really love about the Y is the sense of community I feel here," Sara continues. "Everybody really cares. It shows with Joe when I am training, with the people at the desk, in the fitness center and with my son’s swim instructor."