As metabolism slows with age, it gets harder to maintain the body many people had in earlier years, but Malisa Gren can attest that it’s not impossible to find what one may have lost.

“When I was 24 years old I was over 250 pounds,” Gren said. “I had a high risk of metabolic disease and other health problems.”

Gren, a resident of Tooele, led an active lifestyle as a child but said she let herself go when she reached her teenage years and early 20s.

After trying all kinds of diets and “quick fix” pills with no results, she decided to give Weight Watchers a try at the suggestion of a friend.

“It was a very easy program to follow,” Gren said. “I incorporated exercise along with healthy eating habits and lost the weight.”

Gren wanted to learn more about health, nutrition and exercise, which led to her enrollment at Utah Career College where she earned an associate’s degree in health and exercise sciences.

She also tested for a personal training certification through the American Council on Exercise.

Now as a personal trainer, she likes to motivate, educate and help others realize their potential.

“I hope I can inspire them by being an example,” she said. “To let them know if I could do it, they can do it too, and so can anyone else.”

Gren teaches strength training and yoga classes at the Magna Recreation Center, but she is also a long-distance runner.

She has finished two full marathons, three half marathons, and many 5Ks and 10Ks. She recently finished a half marathon in Mt. Hood, Ore., last month.

“Long-distance running was something I never thought I’d be able to do,” Gren said. “It’s something that not everyone does as far as an endurance exercise.”

Running also gives Gren time to think about and solve problems, she said.

She stresses cross training as a pivotal part of exercising in order to work the muscles normally ignored when running or cycling.

Setting goals is Gren’s motivation to maintain her exercising habits.

“Not only is weight loss physically challenging, but it’s mentally challenging as well,” she said. “I still have that fat girl inside, and I just have to keep her at bay and keep myself on track.”

As a mother of three children, Gren has made exercise a part of her life as well as her family’s life.

“As a family, we do many things together that involve exercise,” she said. “In this day and age there are too many things that make a person’s life sedentary. So in my life and in my children’s lives there will always be activity, healthy eating habits and a better quality of life.”

compiled by Natalie Tripp

If you or someone you know would like to share their exercise habits, please contact Natalie Tripp at Natalie Tripp: ntripp@tooeletranscript.com