Corrine Maddox reverses diabetes and transforms her life through exercise at Sagewell Health and Fitness.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — We’ve all heard it before, exercise is good for your health. It’s almost a throw-a-way line but it’s true and for one Guilford County woman, it helped her lose weight, reverse diabetes and get her life back on track.
Sagewell Health and Fitness in Greensboro isn’t just a gym its where people go to take control of their health. But for Corrine Maddox its a place that helped save her life.
“They show you how to use everything and then they just give you a chart to go on and you mark everything down,” Maddox said.
She began going to the facility three days a week, now she goes five days a week.
“Anywhere between one hour and one hour and a half,” Maddox said.
She didn’t start exercising just for fun, it became a necessity.
“I was diagnosed as morbidly obese. I was diabetic, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, it was awful,” Maddox explained.
Years ago Maddox weighed 200 pounds. She struggled to do everyday tasks. .
“I could walk about 10 ft and my legs would just give up. They didn’t want to go any further. At that time we were pretty active traveling and stuff like that and I had to travel in a wheelchair,” Maddox said.
Spending time with family also became a challenge
“I have five grandchildren that I love to hang out with and do things with and I couldn’t,” Maddox said.
I didn’t know where to go, who to turn to, but I hit that wall and said something’s gonna change. And that’s the kind of mentality Maddox and health experts say is all it takes to hit the gym.
“I think exercise is something people have anxiety about and the best way to get through that anxiety is by working through it with professionals in any capacity that that’s possible, whether that’s a group fitness class, whether that’s personal training, however it may be,” said Health and Fitness Specialist Patrick Westervelt.
Westervelt said exercising can help with daily activities.
“It’s gonna not only prolong your life but it’s gonna keep you able to do the things that you want to do such as seeing the world, traveling in general,” Westervelt said.
Because of the hard work and dedication Maddox has put in, she’s now down to 135 pounds and is no longer diabetic.
“I started my journey at 67 and in three years I think I’ve come a long way,” Maddox said.
She keeps going, even a knee replacement surgery a year ago didn’t set her back because a healthy lifestyle remains her priority.
