There’s a formula to getting and staying in shape, so why do so many of us have trouble achieving — or maintaining — the results we want? In this issue, the Medford-based personal trainer Trisha Vezirian explains that there are four pillars of fitness — training, nutrition, mindset and support — and that all four have to be in play to achieve the figure you want. In Jennifer Amato’s profile of Vezirian, she explains how the trainer helped a 48-year-old client and mother of two compete in a bikini competition after only 3 months of training, how she helps clients track weekly progress, and reveals a favorite cheat meal at a local restaurant. Vezirian cautions that it takes about 4 to 6 weeks to “observe noticeable and meaningful physique improvements,” and that exercising patience is crucial. One of the biggest benefits of working with a trainer is eliminating the guesswork and having support in maintaining the proper mindset, since motivation can fluctuate wildly.
The artist Tony Napoli, a retired Pennsbury High School art teacher, believes that after people see the wholesome new postcard-style Medford mural he created with a former student, they will have a more positive impression of the town — and of life in general. It’s a bold claim, but art often leaves a lasting impression that can subtly — or surprisingly — change the way we see something. By highlighting Medford’s forests, shoreline and wildlife, its picturesque Main Street, and the Dickens Festival, which transforms the town into a winter wonderland, Napoli and Jessica Bednarcik celebrate the community’s character and may even help reshape the viewer’s sense of Medford. For the images in the “M” on Main Street, Bednarcik, who graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design, even used images of her brother and herself as children as references. She wants viewers to think of their own families and home when they see the mural.
Elsewhere in this issue, Emily Melvin visits the Medford Historical Society’s annual quilt show. Featuring everything from antique heirlooms to modern masterpieces, the event celebrates the craft of quilting. For years, Susan Painter, a founding member of the Berry Basket Quilters, has demonstrated hand quilting during the show. Watching Painter at work and seeing the beauty and intricacy of the quilts often inspires visitors to try quilting themselves. In doing so, they, too, are helping keep a centuries-old craft alive.
Enjoy!
