April 22 2014

“As you can see from my photo I have a pretty big journey ahead of me and although the A Healthier You program was a starting point, I know that I have a long way to go. I have chosen to blog my journey, partly to keep myself on track but also to encourage others who find themselves in a similar situation to take the plunge – you can do it with the right support. I hope you can join me…

Starting was one of the hardest things I have done but as my weight crept up to almost 100kg I knew it was time I took control. I was having pain in my knees and hips and I couldn’t do things I enjoyed – I was living life on the sidelines. I also knew I couldn’t do it on my own (I am a bit of a couch potato) and that I would need someone to push me so I asked my family for personal training sessions for my birthday.

I didn’t just randomly choose Chodat Fitness. My son has been doing sprint training with them for a few years and as watched him train I saw trainers that were friendly, supportive and inspiring. They are truly passionate about what they do, are extremely knowledgeable and honestly care for those who train with them. They also take the time to match you with a trainer that is right for you. My trainer is Jenny and I have been training with her for nearly 6 months. She is just the right mix of supportive, encouraging and tough. On top of that she really knows her stuff – no 2 sessions with her are ever the same, but my feeling of achievement at the end of every session is. I also know she is there for me if I am having a bad day as well as being there to celebrate the good.

I will never forget that first day in the gym – the fitness testing alone nearly killed me. I have just repeated that testing and can do more than 3 times the number of squats and push-ups, hold a prone hold for nearly twice as long and do 1km on the cross trainer in 2/3 the time I did it that first day and still have enough energy to do a 30 minute cardio session after it! When I started I was reluctant to go to the gym outside of my PT sessions but now I am doing a mix of cardio and strength sessions at the gym 3-4 times a week in addition to my PT sessions, as well as some yoga and bellydancing. I am prone to making excuses so I made sure that my husband and son have gym passes as well so that I always have someone to go with. I haven’t tried any of the group classes, not because I don’t want to, but because of work and family commitments.

My ultimate goal is to walk the Tongariro Crossing in NZ early next year but my next goal is to break 90kg and I have given myself the next 6 weeks to do it. I will let you know how I go.

The hardest part is starting – if I can do it so can you.”

Cheers
Jules

March 12 2015

“I just looked at the goals I set in my first post and although it has taken me a bit longer (ok a lot longer) than 6 weeks to break the 90kg mark, I have done it. I am still slowly working towards my goal. My weight loss has been slow but I decided that by doing it slowly I am giving myself the opportunity to make the changes in my lifestyle that result in permanent change. I can now walk down the chocolate and chips aisles in the supermarket without feeling the need to get anything (in fact we usually skip them altogether), I don’t eat cake because I don’t enjoy it, I drink at least 3 litres of water a day and my favourite sometimes treat is a freshly squeezed fruit juice. Having said that I am far from perfect with the 2 demons I am yet to conquer being wine and the choices I make in food courts. Maybe next time you hear from me I will have improved in these areas too.

Unfortunately the planned trip to walk the Tongariro Crossing in NZ (used as the setting for Mordor in the Lord of the Rings movies) had to be postponed because I have had some problems with my feet that meant that a 19.4km walk across an active volcano was unfortunately out of the question. Okay so the problems with my feet had me banned from running and a couple of other exercises but we have worked around those. Most importantly I never used it as an excuse not to exercise. The good news is that I am now on the mend and have recently added walking to my exercise regime.

I have grown to love the gym and am even starting to almost enjoy doing a good cardio workout (but don’t tell my trainer).

My advice this time is be kind to yourself – look at becoming a better, healthier person rather than a thinner person. Take it slowly and make the changes lifelong. Build good support networks around you. It might sound a bit corny but my decision to start PT with Chodat was pivotal to the work in progress I have become. A huge thanks to Jenny (my PT) and Lukas, Em and all the ‘family’ at Chodat – you have given me my life back.”

Cheers

Julia