LATHAM, New York (NEWS10) – A local fitness professional is on a mission to lift weights while lifting the spirits of countless women throughout the Capital Region. Heather Matthews overcame addiction 10 years ago and has opened the gym of her dreams to instill confidence in others.
On April 11, Matthews looked around the newly renovated space and couldn’t believe his business, HLM Fitness, had finally opened its doors at 1209 Troy Schenectady Road in Latham.
“How is this happening? How is this the same person? The same life? Matthews said. “Ten years ago, I really thought it was all over.”
Ten years ago, Matthews was trapped in a life of alcoholism and addiction. He tried going to rehab centers five different times and nothing worked. On one of his darkest days, Matthews attempted suicide because he couldn’t imagine his life without alcohol.
Matthews said the turning point came at an unexpected moment, when her parents cut off her help.
“I want parents to know that as unfathomable as it may seem to say that to your child if they’re struggling with addiction, please stop enabling them,” Mathhews said. “They need to make their lives so uncomfortable that they are forced to change.
Matthews hit rock bottom and said he had no choice but to make a transformation. He knew that he had to change everything in his life, including who he surrounded himself with and how he spent his time.
“So, I was like who doesn’t drink or do drugs? People in the gym,” Matthews said.
He launched into the fitness lifestyle and entered a fitness competition without ever lifting a dumbbell in his life. Matthews joined a gym and hired a trainer, working tirelessly to compete. Along the way, her process helped her get sober and gave her the confidence she needed to leave alcohol behind.
Over the years, he has competed in countless NPC Fitness and Bodybuilding competitions and won numerous titles. Matthews became a nationally recognized NPC competitor and she knew she had to share that skill with others.
Matthews decided to dedicate her life to helping women gain confidence through exercise. She spent most of the seven years renting a small space at a local gym to train countless women, but eventually her business expanded enough to open her own space in Latham.
“I want women to know that it’s not a gym where you walk in and you’re trying to change the way you look, as much as you’re trying to prove to yourself that you can do things you never thought you could.” Matthews said.
At the moment, HLM gym is offering 30 sessions per week of one-on-one personal training and small group classes in “Total Body Toning.”
“So I hope that people know that if they are struggling and they think there is no way out. You know, I found it through exercise, but you can change your life,” Matthews said.
