Tony Pinneri
After a successful career in Human Resources and having lived in several states, Tony retired and settled in Harrisonburg in the Fall of 2007 with his wife Eloise. Looking for a place to work out, Tony tried out every gym within 20 miles of Harrisonburg. His good friend Don Grimes was an employee of the Wellness Center and invited him to come work out. Tony became a member in the Spring of 2008, and he has made the Wellness Center a part of his life since then. In the past five years, he has not only enjoyed working out but also has cultivated lasting friendships. He likes to use the Elliptical, the rowing machine and the Nu-Step during his workouts. Although he spends a few hours a day at the Center, he splits his time equally between exercising and talking with friends.
In order to jump start 2013, Tony signed up for the Right Weigh Weight Loss Challenge. The program added more structure to his work outs and with the weekly challenges and point system, Tony began coming to the Center 6 to 7 days a week. He successfully completed the Challenge and lost 11 lbs. in the process! He commented that, “Michelle Tillery, George Reid and Jo Walling all provided great encouragement along the way!”
Tony says that his best achievement to date is having a great family. He and Eloise have been married for 46 years, have 2 great kids who both have successful careers, as well as 2 grandchildren. Tony is inspired by his own adaptation of a famous quote by Calvin Coolidge. He agrees that the world is full of educated people but persistence and determination in life are inspiring to all of those who witness it. Tony will be an example of these qualities as he works towards his October weight loss goal. In the Fall, he will travel to Williamsport, PA to celebrate with classmates during their 50th High School reunion. Tony recently signed up for the first Wellness Center Community Couch to 5K and hopes that the structure of this program will aid him on his fitness and weight loss journey!