Copyright 2021 Susan Niebergall
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-7360923-0-9
Hardback ISBN: 978-1-7360923-1-6
eBook ISBN: 978-1-7360923-2-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020925972
Niebergall, Susan
The advice in this book has been carefully considered and checked by the author.
It should not, however, be regarded as a substitute for medical advice.
I recommend talking to your doctor before starting any new exercise routine.
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to my husband Tim and my son Mike (and even Snowball and the late Rascal) who have put up with me all of these years and who have supported this project as well as my fitness and business journeys every step of the way.
CONTENTS
FORWARD
In January of 2016 I was living in Tel Aviv, Israel.
25 years old, renting an apartment overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, and coaching people online from all over the worldI didnt think my life could get any better.
Then I met Susan Niebergall. And my life quickly got better than I ever could have imagined.
We met over the internet when Susan e-mailed me asking for online coaching.
At 54 years old, she wanted to get strong. Very strong. Stronger than shed ever been before. She told me she wanted to get into the sport of Powerlifting. Which, candidly, there werent many women doing period. Never mind a 54 year old women.
But thats what separated Susan from anyone Id ever met. And, to this day, its still what separates Susan from anyone I know.
She didnt care about her age. She didnt use it as an excuse or justification to stop trying. If anything, it became a source of motivation. An opportunity to prove to her and everyone around her that you can get stronger, leaner and in the best shape of your life at any age. That it, truly, is never too late.
And thats exactly what shes done.
When we first started working together, Susan told me she wanted to be able to do a chin-up. A real, unassisted chin-up. She had never been able to do one before but was determined to make it happen.
Several months later, Susan sent me a video of her doing a real, unassisted chin-up. Not long after that, she was doing 3 unassisted chin-ups. Soon thereafter, 5 in a row. Nowadays, at 60 years young, Susan is doing weighted chin-ups with 45 pounds strapped around her waist.
When we first started working together, Susan told me she wanted to be able to Deadlift 200lbs. She wasnt sure if it was going to be possible but she sure as hell would give it her best shot.
On April 11, 2016 (four months after we began), Susan sent me a video of her Deadlifting 245lbs.
I dont share these stories of Susan to impress you. My purpose isnt to convince you of how amazing Susan is or how remarkable all of her accomplishments are.
The reason Im sharing these stories with you is because, as youll read in this book, Susan is a normal person just like you and me. She has overcome extraordinary battles to get to where she is today. And she has fought tooth and nail to achieve each and every one of her goals.
It hasnt been easy for Susan. Just as Im sure it hasnt been easy for you.
But just because it hasnt been easy doesnt mean its not possible. And it definitely doesnt mean you should give up.
In the following pages youre going to learn more about Susan. Shes going to let you in on the good and the bad. Shes going to show you where shes succeeded and where shes failed. Shes going to walk you through her journey from then until now.
And in each and every one of these pages, youre going to learn more about yourself. Youre going to find strength, hope and inspiration to become the best version of yourself. And just as Susan changed my life for the better, so too shell change yours.
- Jordan Syatt
INTRODUCTION
FIT AT ANY AGE
I felt pure despair. I couldnt understand how I had gained weight again, especially when I thought I was doing everything right. It was the kind of despair where you just want to say, screw it, and eat all the things. Because it really didnt matter anyway. It seemed as if every attempt I made to lose some weight and lean out didnt work. I was tired of the infamous Yo-Yo diet, where I would lose some weight, regain some, lose again, gain again over and over and over. I wanted out.
I was looking for something to blame it on. Anything. Anything but myself.
I had reached the infamous stage of middle age where your body decides to take over and it does whatever it wants to do, regardless of how you try to direct it. Thats what happens, right? Our metabolism slows way down, and thats the primary culprit for our middle-aged belly. Or, thats what I thought. Or maybe, more accurately said, thats what I wanted to believe, because blaming my current state on something else was way easier than taking responsibility.
Whenever I looked at myself in my bathroom mirror, I always thought, how did this happen to me?
I had pretty much given up and resigned myself to the fact that my current state was as good as it was going to get. My body was being stubborn. No matter what I did, it wouldnt budge.
The level of stubbornness I felt?
Imagine taking a dog for a walk. You leave the house with the dog, and the dog gets to the driveway and decides it doesnt want to take another step. Not one more. He just sits there, in all of his stubbornness, not moving at all. And you keep yanking on the leash, but this dog is a big dog, and he aint going anywhere.
Hes too big to carry, and he will not move. (Actually, if you have a cat, its more like the stubbornness that a cat shows, every day, all the time.)
Thats kind of how it feels when you hit middle agelike everything has come to a screeching halt, and what used to work doesnt work anymore. In a word, I felt stuck.
Now what do I do?
This feeling had been with me for a long time, but for some reason, one particular day, it all spilled over. My clothes were fitting tighter, I was exhausted from working out, and I felt like no matter how hard I pushed myself I was still going nowhere.
It was exhausting. I had been on a Yo-Yo diet, and I miraculously lost weight for a short period of time, but was never able to keep it off. My weight just kept Yo-Yoing up and down. When I was on the low end, I felt great. I felt successful. I felt like this time, it was going to be different. I was going to finally be able to keep it off. But it never turned out that way.
My journey is not unlike anyone elses, really. Mine is, unfortunately, a pretty common story.
Thats exactly why I wanted to share my story with youbecause I think you will relate to it. I also want to empower you. I want you to see all of the mistakes I made along the way (and trust me, there were plenty), and ultimately I want you to see how I changed it all, while I was well into my fifties. Most importantly, I want you to learn how you can do it, too.