A year ago, 16-year-old Gideon Kilstrom was not feeling well. He weighed nearly 300 pounds and kept getting sharp pains in his chest, which worried him, so he decided to do something about it. He started working out at one of National Fitness Partners’ clubs in Monroe, North Carolina. He joined as part of Planet Fitness®’s High School Summer Pass program.

“It got to the point where I was just tired of it, and then, I was getting scared because I was hurting all the time,” Kilstrom said. “I flipped a switch and started working out and eating as healthy as I could. I was new to everything.”

After a year of consistency in the PF^® gym, he lost 126 pounds, and he feels better than ever. Kilstrom’s health transformation has inspired others to follow his lead. His family followed in his footsteps and started focusing on fitness and holding one another accountable. His younger brother lost 50 pounds, and other family members also lost weight.

“Everybody in the family has lost weight now because he encouraged us. Even the small wins, like being able to run now, where before he’d be so out of breath, he can run now. It’s a blessing to see that he feels better. We always get in some sort of activity, whether it’s coming here (to the PF gym) or getting outside and walking and running. We all just feel better,” Hope Kilstrom, Gideon’s mother, said about her family.

Gideon also upgraded to a PF Black Card^® membership, so he can bring friends and family with him to Planet Fitness. His transformation was proof that Planet Fitness changes people’s lives and leveling up one’s fitness can have a domino effect on the people around you.