COVER STORY, DUPAGE | Body Beautiful Suburbanites

THREE LOCAL WOMEN WHO FEEL HEALTHY & BEAUTIFUL INSIDE-OUT

Our bodies come in all different shapes and sizes, but the one thing all bodies have in common is the ability to make us feel great or awful depending on how they are treated and how well they are functioning. We caught up with a few of our West Suburban readers who shared the various regimens they use to help them feel healthy and subsequently, look good as well. Each story will inspire you.

Barb Marquardt of Winfield Pictured Center

Barb Marquardt has led an active lifestyle and worked out for most of her adult life and has been a member at different gyms along the way. She never joined a gym with the intention to lose weight. She would work out on her own and liked the way she felt afterwards both physically and mentally. Interestingly, she never saw a significant change in her body composition. At her husband’s urging, she begrudgingly joined his gym, H4 Training in Winfield.

“I expected that it would be similar to my experiences at other gyms,” says Barb. “I was completely wrong.” She explains that H4 is the “whole package” when it comes to training and encouraging a healthy lifestyle. She participates in their group training classes at least twice a week, which is essentially personal training but in a group setting. The trainers also educate and provide information on nutrition and other aspects that are important to overall health. “After about six months, I began to see that I was becoming physically stronger and looked more muscular,” says Barb. “Talk about motivation to continue!”

Barb insists that there is just so much more to the puzzle of keeping your body looking and feeling great. “Drink tons of water! The more you drink it, the more you will crave it. I try and drink at least 64 oz a day,” advises Barb. “Also, consistently get 7-8 hours of good sleep. Everything seems better after a good night’s rest.” –MK

Lisa Kahn of Naperville Pictured Left

Two years ago, Lisa Kahn’s health regime seemed like it was on the super healthy list. She was vegan-juicing daily and eating a wealth of raw foods, but suddenly her body crashed. She had no energy, lost fifteen pounds, could hardly walk and couldn’t keep food down. After many trial and error doctors and a lot of suffering, Dr. Sexton from Naperville Integrated Wellness introduced her to functional medicine. Functional medicine is a form of alternative medicine that focuses on restoring proper body and organ function and addresses the root cause instead of just symptoms. “My daily health plan had to change drastically,” says Lisa. “I eat local, organic, GMO free foods and use environmentally friendly products which I apply, inhale and clean with daily.”

Lisa practices yoga several times a week and intersperses full body workouts and strength training which add to her fitness regime. Yoga keeps her stress levels to a minimum and helps keep her body looking good and functioning at top levels. She, and fellow yogis share garden plots to ensure they reap organic produce for maximum health benefits.

Lisa’s passion for health and wellness led her to embrace being a Young Living Independent Distributor where she can share her love of essential oils and allows her to make her own environmentally friendly cleaning and body care products using a wide variety of Young Living’s chemical free essential oils. Lisa explains, “You are what you put into and on your body and who you choose to surround yourself with – keep it all non-toxic!”–MK

Pam Ebeling of Lisle Pictured Right

Pam Ebeling likes to start her day with what she calls her “miracle morning”, a little time for herself. She drinks her tea or coffee, reads her devotional and some personal development and then works out, usually from the comfort of her own home. By fueling both her mind and body, she feels like she is in the best shape of her life. However, it wasn’t always this way.

A couple of years ago, Pam was searching for something. She just didn’t know what. “I was killing myself spending hours in the gym and was looking for a community to belong to,” she says. One day, an old friend approached her and introduced her to Beachbody, telling her she could work out 30 minutes a day from home and follow their nutrition plan and get awesome results. Pam decided to take the leap, and she has never looked back. She sticks to the 80/20 rule of eating: 80% eating lean, clean and green, and the other 20% is meant to enjoy life’s little moments, like pizza, ice cream and wine. Having the healthy balance, she doesn’t feel deprived and stays on track.

“As a Beachbody Coach, I work with other busy ladies, like myself, to help them get started on their fitness journey,” explains Pam. “I talk with them about their goals, and we find a program and nutrition plan that best supports them.” Being able to help others become happy and healthy is just another component that helps Pam continue to feel the best about herself. –MK