The Best You Can Be In This Moment
Candice Camfferman
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Sarah O: Where were you on your fitness journey before joining The Form Lab
Candice C: I was going to other gyms, but very sporadically. I didn’t have a plan, I had lost my motivation, and kind of felt like, what’s the point? I felt I needed a trainer to keep up my motivation.
Sarah O: How did you find TFL, and why did you join?
Candice C: I actually found TFL through Instagram! I’m very aesthetically driven, and the pictures of the gym looked very clean, and like a really nice environment… that drew me in to research TFL more. Once I looked at the website and mission statement, it made me very intrigued!
Sarah O: Were you dealing with any pre-existing condition or injury before joining TFL, and if so, how did that inform your experience with the trainer you chose?
Candice C: Yes, I have psoriatic arthritis, so I randomly get joint pain in my knees, wrists, and ankles. Several years ago I had ankle surgery, and for several years I’ve had limited mobility in my right ankle. It prevented me from running or jumping…that wasn’t easily done without pain or further hurting my ankle. It prevented me from doing HIIT workouts and other similar types of classes.
When I first met with Sage, that was a big topic of the consultation. In every training session she works on my ankle mobility to try to help with that. We do ankle stretching, flexion, and she makes sure to focus on getting me ready to move without pain. Since I’ve been training with Sage, I’ve been able to start jumping, and doing jumping lunges without pain for the first time. I really credit this to the ankle mobility work she has me do in each workout.
Sarah O: What were your original goals stepping into TFL, and how did that change over time?
Candice C: Initially, it was solely for the goal of weight loss. I did not care about being strong, and if I’m being honest, I just wanted to be smaller. Over time working with Sage, the focus shifted to building strength, confidence in myself, and mobility in my ankle and other parts of my body. Unfortunately at some point, I broke my ankle by tripping over my dog (not at TFL!). Once I came back to TFL we focused on restrengthening the ankle and working on my upper body. Three weeks after breaking my ankle, I was fully recovered and ready to move, even though I broke it in two places. I was even able to do squats, and to this day I still do not have pain. I did go to physical therapy once, but the bulk of my recovery has been done here, which is a miracle because I’ve been suffering with ankle issues since 2015. My surgery was in 2017. Even after that, it was never great until I started coming here, I was like ‘wow it’s good!” I broke my ankle in November, and I was back at it in December. I was so upset when it happened, I was in a groove here. Sage was very encouraging, she said we could just focus on upper body and manage my injury until I was fully healed and ready. Honestly, it was in a few weeks I was back to doing everything I was before.
With Sage encouraging me, I was like, wow I’m strong and getting stronger and I’m a strong woman and I can feel confident about that!
Sarah O: You work with Sage, tell me training w/ her has impacted you.
Candice C: She is literally amazing, just working with her, I feel like she has become a friend, built my confidence, and made me feel strong when I’ve never felt strong in my entire life. She’s always empowering me and making me feel better. Even when I’m having a bad day, training with Sage is actually like therapy for me, it’s fantastic and I love her so much. She is so in tune, I love the way she supports me as a woman… I can come in and I’m on my period, or dealing with other female issues, and she truly understands what you’re going through. She wants to make you feel comfortable each day. She empowers you to be the best you can be in that moment.
The transformation has been amazing. I mean of course, I’m a woman and I want to see my body changing. But now, I want to see my strength building, I want to see those changes. Sage has had a lot to do with that. My original goals and ideas had to do with my lack of confidence. But with Sage encouraging me, I was like, wow I’m strong and getting stronger and I’m a strong woman and I can feel confident about that!! Now, I’ve shifted my mindset and I am looking forward to getting stronger, not thinner.
Sarah O: What’s next for 2023?
* Candice & her partner, Tom, took 1st place in the Partners' Open division at the deadlifting competition, lifting a combined weight of 670lbs!
Candice C: I’m doing the deadlift competition on April 29th* which should be fun and I’m super excited. I want to move up in weights, and maybe add some HIIT classes to get my cardio endurance up, and just keep building on what I’m doing and becoming a stronger and better version of myself!
Sarah O: What would you tell a client about TFL who is on the fence about joining & may have had challenges working out in other settings?
Candice C: I say, for one, do it! I’ve worked out at many gyms and other studios, and often they’re overly nice but it’s not sincere or it’s somehow forced. Since coming to TFL, I can tell you that what you see is true, everyone here is genuine, everyone cares…not just my own trainer, but everyone who works here…every person here is amazing. TFL is extremely welcoming, it’s an amazing environment. If you have any fear of working out or being judged, this is the perfect place, because no one here will judge you… they will empower you to be the better version of yourself.
