A few years after her 4th spinal surgery Kali was stuck with the same mobility and strength limitations as 6 months post-op. Sitting in class was painful, and bending forward to tie her shoes wasn’t yet possible. Despite her effort and consistency with several bouts of physical rehab, the process never quite got her to where she wanted to go. 

Four months ago, she had the courage to try something new and began one-on-one training here at Queen Street. We’re stoked about her progress so far and excited that Kali is open to sharing her story. Read below to find out more about her experience getting back into a gym environment, and the results she has been the most excited about so far. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you first reached out to Queen Street Fitness. I’m an engineering student at Queens who’s originally from Vancouver. I’ve had 4 back surgeries to try and fix my scoliosis because the hardware that was put in my spine failed a couple of times. Because of that, almost my entire spine is fused which has taken away a ton of my mobility and strength. I initially reached out to Queen Street because I had reached a point where I was fully recovered from surgery but was very limited in my movements and strength. I found the gym online and was excited to see that one of their focuses was to help people with improving mobility for everyday life and injury rehab. It seemed like a good place to start because I really wanted to be able to function day to day without my back limiting me as much as it was. 

What was your first impression of the gym, and has that changed at all in your time training here? I was really intimidated going into my first consult/session because I wasn’t sure how I would fit in at a CrossFit gym considering I could barely tie my shoes and hadn’t done consistent exercise in a couple of years. After talking to the coaches and meeting some of the members, I realized how positive and supportive the culture is.

Was there a moment when you thought, ‘wow, this might actually work for me?’ Tell us about that. One moment was after talking to Storm in the consult and realizing how knowledgeable he was and how well the programming aligned with my goals. I was very optimistic after the consult and I’ve only gotten more optimistic since then. I feel like I’m really set up to be as able as possible considering my situation. 

What results are you the most excited about and proud of so far? The goal I’ve been the most excited about has been regaining my flexibility through my legs and my back. My pain throughout the day has really improved and the things that I struggled with before like tying my shoes and sitting in class have gotten so much easier. Oh and sit-ups! (Which I didn’t expect to be able to do with a fused spine)

What is possible for you now in your life that didn’t feel possible before? I really feel like I started at 0 because even though I was a couple years post-op, I didn’t have any more ability than I did even 6 months post op. I was also told to stay away from all stretching and exercise for at least a year because I had needed revision surgeries for broken hardware. I was really nervous to get back into exercise so wanted to make sure I was working with someone who understood my situation. Because of the progress I’ve made, it feels like so many things are more possible now. The main thing though is that I have way more control and confidence in my body’s ability to do activities in general and less fear of injuring myself.

Kali is crushing it, and Storm couldn’t be more excited to work with a client who is so driven, positive and committed to the process. This is just the beginning for Kali in reclaiming her every day function, fitness and physical confidence. We can’t wait to see what happens next.