Don Wilner is one of Pembroke Pines' most respected Personal Trainers.

For the past eight years, Don has been helping to improve the health and fitness of many of his friends and family. He is selective about the clients he accepts into his training program. He admits that the client is responsible for achieving the results, and that it takes an enormous about of discipline and determination. But Don's techniques soften the blow by making workouts fun, challenging, and a bit different each time.

In addition to an ACE Certification, Don holds a doctoral degree in Music from the University of Miami.

Don will help you:

• Assess your physical condition and track changes
• Set goals
• Make a nutritional plan and learn better eating habits
• Learn proper strength training technique
• Improve endurance
• Find motivation
• Improve your appearance
• Feel better
• Improve your health
• Gain muscle and lose fat
• Tone up
• Improve mental alertness
• Reach your goals

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A Message from Don Wilner

How Exercise and Attention To Nutrition Changed My Life

About ten years ago, I was quite out was shape and on my way to likely become another statistic.  A married father of two at 5’10” and 40 years old, I weighed almost 210 pounds (which was probably 30 pounds overweight), my blood pressure was over 140, my cholesterol was above 240, and exercise was not an idea in my mind.  Although my father suffered a heart attack some years earlier, it didn’t enter my mind that I too was at risk for heart problems.  My diet was horrendous!  Eating an entire box of cookies or doughnuts was normal for me.  I was busy doting on my kids, being a day-trader, and playing musical jobs until late at night.

I have been a musician all my life and my instrument is the double bass.  Some people call it the stand-up bass.  It is a very large stringed, wooden instrument used in jazz and classical music.  Naturally I have to bring it to the jobs I do.  I have always had to have a station wagon or SUV to transport it due to its size.  I had a job for five years playing  (and managing) the Van Dyke Café in South Miami Beach (maybe you’ve heard of it!)  Every night when I arrived at work, I was faced with a rather long stairway up to the second floor where I would perform.  I noticed that by the time I got the bass out of the car and up the stairs and to the stage, I was usually quite sweaty and tired.  It occurred to me that at my age, I shouldn’t feel that way.  Besides, what was going to happen in the future?  How long would I be able to cart this bass around?  It was the only way for me to make a living.  I started to think about my health.

I think I must have been in denial about my health.  Both of my parents suffered from terrible health problems, although many of their health problems were caused by bad luck!  It just really hadn’t occurred to me that I was quickly heading in the same direction.

I applied for life insurance and they sent a nurse over to my house to take my blood pressure and collect a blood sample.  She asked me a bunch of questions that started to make me think.  They want to know what I do for a living, if I exercise, smoke, my weight, if there was any history of heart disease or other illnesses in my family, etc.  It occurred to me that these are the factors they use in deciding whether or not it would be in their interest to make a bet on my life!  After she left, I took off my shirt and took a long look in the mirror. I saw a 40-year-old guy with a big belly.   I didn’t like what I saw.

Anyway, one day, I had to go to the dentist to have some oral surgery done, and I dreaded it.  I was sure I was going to suffer from the pain and I started to think that if I was in better physical shape, maybe I’d be able to deal with the pain better.

So I decided to do something about it.  I knew I could.  I knew that losing weight would not be easy.  But I had done difficult things before.  I had quit smoking when I was 23.  I got a doctorate in music from the University of Miami.  I succeeded as a musician. I could do it.  I decided that the next day I would start a new way of life.  No more eating junk!  I wanted to lose that belly!  I wanted to look like the guy in the Men’s Health magazine!

The next morning I woke up, had breakfast, put on my sneakers, and decided I was going to run around the block a few times.  I ran about 50 yards and I thought I was going to collapse!  I needed some knowledge!

I put myself on a healthy (but restricted) diet and lost 20 pounds in 4 months.  But I still didn’t like the way my belly looked- too round!

I still needed to do something more.

Fast forward 1 year . . .

I lost the thirty pounds.  I was able to run (slowly) up to 4 miles!!  I could rollerblade for more than one hour at a stretch.  My belly was gone!  I could run up the stairs with my bass and not notice it.  My blood pressure was under 120/80.  My cholesterol was below 200.  I was in better shape than I was ten years earlier!

But I wanted more-  I wanted to have a better physique.  I wanted bigger muscles.  But was this possible at my age?  Definitely!

Do you want to know how I did it?  There should be no reason why you too cannot improve your health.  It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible, it’s not even really hard.  But it is work and it does take commitment and requires using your head.  YOU CAN DO IT AND AS AN ACE CERIFIED PERSONAL FITNESS TRAINER, I CAN HELP SHOW YOU THE WAY!

About ACE-
The American Council on Exercise (ACE), a watchdog for the fitness industry, is the world’s largest nonprofit fitness certifying organization. ACE has earned respect as a leading certification organization because its exam is one of the most challenging in the industry, and because ACE-certified Professionals must continue their education to keep their certification current. ACE’s mission is to promote active, healthy lifestyles and their positive effects on the mind, body and spirit. ACE pledges to enable all segments of society to enjoy the benefits of physical activity and protect the public against unsafe and ineffective fitness products and instruction.