We are pleased to present Mackenzie Ballas, as our Featured Member and Athlete for November!
INSPIRED, DETERMINED, GOAL-ORIENTED, POSITIVE and has a CAN DO attitude!
During the summer of 2016, Mackenzie was not happy with herself and the weight she had gained after her pregnancy. She made the decision to find a career that would require her to take care of herself and make herself healthier for the long term.
After much research, Mackenzie decided that she wanted to join the Police Academy. Mackenzie researched all the physical requirements she would need to achieve by her test date on October 26, 2017. From the moment she chose this career path, the rest was history.
Mackenzie put together a training plan that would improve her cardiovascular endurance and core strength, but she also recognized that she needed help meeting the physical requirements for the upper body test. Mackenzie teamed up with one of our personal trainers from the Indian Valley branch and together, the team worked to get Mackenzie ready for her test. When her trainer met Mackenzie for the first time, and Mackenzie shared her goals, the trainer asked what her plan B was, just in case. Mackenzie responded that there was no plan B. With that, they both knew they had to do whatever it took to get Mackenzie to pass her test. Mackenzie trained a minimum of 5 times a week, alternating cardio training 3 times a week with strength/core training twice a week. By the time Mackenzie took the Police Academy test, she had lost 85 pounds and surpassed all expectations of the test.
Congratulations to Mackenzie for making it into the Policy Academy, and for being an inspiration for everyone proving that if you work hard, you can achieve any goals that you set for yourself.
Mackenzie, with Indian Valley’s Wellness Director, Dawne Wentzel.