I began training with Coach Ives the summer before my senior year. I was coming back from a stress fracture, and was struggling with the belief that I would never be as fast as I was before my injury. Coach Ives has a keen understanding of the training you need, when you need it. It is extremely personalized, and very adjustable based on how your body is feeling. The program taught me the importance of strength and recovery. I learned to utilize weights and balance hard running workouts with easy days. I became a stronger, healthier runner both physically and mentally. Every training week with Tim was a building block, and I reaped the benefits in the spring track season. I dropped thirty seconds off of my 3000m time, and 9 seconds off of my 1500m. I became a more confident competitor, and I fell in love with running again. More important than the results, Coach Ives pushed me to become a better person. He is a man of compassion and integrity, and he will come alongside you to reach your goals. Tim's detailed training program helped me become in tune with my body, and I feel very prepared to transition into college running. I strongly recommend this program, and I guarantee you will leave Coach Ives' office better off than you were before.

Elyse Prescott, Urbandale High School/University of Minnesota
PR's: 3000m - 9:45, 1500m - 4:29, 800m - 2:15

Recently, a friend told me, "You look better now than when we first met," which was 15 years ago. I truly feel I am getting better with age, and I owe a great deal of my new look to Tim Ives of The Body Project.

After working out with Tim for 18 months, I've lost 38 pounds and dropped two dress sizes. My Body Mass Index is now a healthy 23, down from 29, which had put me dangerously close to that nasty "obese" section on the weight chart. My cholesterol has even dropped 50 points.

What's most important, the exercise and healthy eating regimen I learned has become part of my life, so I feel confident I'll be able to retain my svelte shape and the energy and positive outlook that comes with it.

When I initially signed up, Tim asked me to name an overall workout goal. I said I wanted to lose 20 pounds and get in good enough shape to climb the mountain by my Colorado cabin. Obviously, I more than met the first goal. My second was a little more elusive, and I ended up scaling a far different mountain. Nine months into training, and with 22 pound lost, I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. While I could have done without the whole experience, I feel that my improved fitness level made treatment far easier and will help me keep cancer from recurring. In fact, research shows that chemotherapy and radiation are both more effective with thinner women. The doctors say my prognosis is excellent. And, while most women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer gain weight-a combination of drug effects such as metabolic change and a reaction to stress-I continued to lose. During treatment, I lost 10 pounds, most of it fat. I continued with strength training and walked two miles nearly every day. Exercise made me feel physically and psychologically stronger.

A week after I finished treatment, I climbed up to 9,000 feet on that mountain, and the hike was surprisingly smooth. I have a few thousand feet left before I make the top, but I will get there.

When I started working with Tim Ives in March of 2013 I was convinced that I could not lose weight or get into shape, that it was hopeless, that nothing could be done, that this is what I would have to live with for the rest of my life. I was so out of shape that rapidly walking up a flight of stairs made me feel like I was going to pass out; if I went shopping at more than two stores I would be exhausted for the rest of the day. I came to Tim when the recovery from a broken leg forced me to admit how poor my health was and how out of shape I truly was. I knew that Tim was the right trainer for me when he agreed to work with me, even with a broken leg, by starting with upper body exercises.

Tim helped me understand that exercise by itself is not enough to lose weight and that a proper diet is also necessary. He has provided meal plans, which jumpstarts my weight loss when it plateaus, and he keeps me accountable by asking about my progress from week-to-week. This accountability helps keep me focused on my weight loss goal.

Starting with a trainer I wasn't sure what to expect. I was concerned that I would be judged for my weight, my size and my lack of physical fitness. I was worried for nothing! Tim was very patient and encouraging with me and I never felt uncomfortable or inadequate. He took the time to find out what my goals were and to make my workouts interesting, challenging and achievable. Looking back at where I started I can see how far I've come. I can do things I never thought I could do! I can keep up with my friends who walk really, really fast; I can do push-ups, bench press, run a mile non-stop, and 40-second planks (during my last training session)! To date I have lost 85 pounds, 25+ inches, 5 dress sizes, and a huge double chin! I have much more energy and feel so much better throughout the day.

If you are looking for a trainer that will help you achieve your goals I highly recommend The Body Project. Tim has a positive can-do attitude, he is skilled at designing workouts to attain desired results, and best of all – he has the ability to make you believe in yourself! If you would have told me back in March 2013 that I would have lost as much weight and be in the physical condition that I am now I would not have believed you. If you're at all on the fence about starting a personal training program, take my word for it, you will have no regrets.

I came to Tim in April of 2013 at the lowest point of my physical and emotional health. I needed a change and I did not know where to start, only that I needed to do something. When I met with Tim, we spent our first meeting just talking about what I wanted and why I was there with him to do it. He had a very open and non-judgmental approach, which made it easy for me to open up and tell him how I was feeling. I had been very athletic up until 5 to 6 years ago when life and injury took the focus away, so I was really looking for someone to help me get started and motivate me to work hard. The first couple weeks it did not feel like I was doing much, but Tim had a plan that had me moving and lifting weights 4 times a week and I decided to trust him and keep working on his plan. During the start up, we also implemented a plan to start eating healthy again. Each week Tim would incrementally increase the amount of time I was working out, as well as check on me to see how I was doing emotionally and diet-wise. Each of my workouts with him were just as much a counseling session for me as they were a workout. At the end of our sessions in 6 months, I had lost a total of 125 lbs! It was more than I could have hoped for when I started out and I appreciate all the guidance that Tim gave me during this time. I would never have achieved what I did without his guidance and support.