In Providence, Harry Adler is known as the co-owner of Adler’s Design Center & Hardware at 173 Wickenden Street. The store, which was founded by Harry’s grandfather in 1919 is a mix of traditional hardware, decorative hardware, paint, wallcoverings and window treatments. making it a special, busy enterprise. A typical day for Adler involves opening the store at 7:30 and leaving in the early evening after the last customer has left. This schedule does not leave a lot of time for weekday personal activities such as exercise, but Adler kept investigating options because he wanted a more healthy lifestyle balance. In January 2010, Adler approached personal trainer Adalberto Perez for a short series of workouts. Adler committed to three 6:00 a.m. workouts, which he imagined would give him enough of a foundation to work out on his own.
What Adler found with Adalberto Perez was a different approach that kept him engaged to the workout. Adler remembers Perez’s focus, integrity and ability to listen as being impressive and inspiring. He completed the first week’s worth of training sessions and immediately signed up for more. Perez made a commitment to Adler’s health and progress, and Adler has maintained a steady workout schedule with Perez for more than a year. Adler had explored personal training with a family history in mind. Adler’s father had a stroke at a young age (56) and his grandfather died of a heart attack. Adler took blood pressure medication and was under the care of the doctor to monitor the condition. After the first four months of working out with Perez, Adler’s doctor found that his blood pressure was at levels so good that he did not need medication. That result plus the weight loss he had achieved in the first four months made his doctor very happy.
From Adler’s perspective the time with Perez has gone beyond initial short-term goals and is a part of maintaining a level of health and wellness. Adler recently completed a 5k road race with his niece, an activity that he agreed to do at the last minute. A year ago, a road race would not have been possible, but Adler completed the race with ease.
Harry Adler, Owner of Adler’s Hardware on Wickenden St.