A friend, also a client of mine came to me for weekly personal training sessions. Each week I’d ask ‘how’s your week been?’, hoping they’d tell me something positive about their eating habits. Every time they’d tell me about what had gotten in the way, how busy they’d been, how stressed, how hard work the kids had been and how they couldn’t find time to eat healthily.
What was the turning point?
After around 4 months they came to me in tears. Everything including their health was going wrong. I had to have a very frank and honest conversation with them. It was horrible giving them the reality of the situation, but it was my job as a trainer to help make a change.
Honestly….I was scared for their future. This day felt like a crossroads. They could either take my advice seriously or continue on a downward spiral with unknown consequences. They looked me in the eye and committed to taking it seriously by getting fitter and losing weight.
Where did it begin?
We agreed a plan together that same day, setting a target weight and making small steps towards a new fitness routine. From where I was sitting it was simple, but for them it was a huge and difficult step to take. We began logging everything; breakfast, the sweetener in every coffee, the afternoon biscuit between meetings, the gin in the evening, literally everything was logged.
What was the key?
There was no magic pill, just pure will power. It soon became clear to us where things had been going wrong. Every week they reported in with the food diary, scale weight, body measurements, exercise and how they were feeling. The key really was being consistent, patient, honest and trusting me and the process.
But was there LOADS of exercise?
Not a natural exerciser (combined with knee problems), but a lover of walking. The aim was for a 30 minute walk every day. This soon became a habit and they were smashing their target daily. It was working, they were feeling healthier, stronger and found they were able to switch off from the daily stresses that come with working from home and family responsibilities. The weight started to reduce.
Where are they now?
4 months later…..4 stone lighter! New clothes bought, old clothes binned. What a feeling, for me and of course for them. There’s still work to do to lose further weight and maintain this new life style, but they’ve made a tremendous start, and success is a great motivator. I really look forward to my text each week with an update.
Did they ever struggle keeping to the plan?
Yes they had commitment and patience. Yes the habits changed. BUT, they also had days where they lost the plot and went off track. The key was drawing a line on that ‘bad’ day and starting again the next day and not giving up. Being accountable by keeping a food diary and checking in with me weekly left nowhere to hide.
Life will always throw curve balls at you, but by concentrating on healthy steps and getting out for daily exercise has been a complete sanity saver for this client. It is the one thing in life you do have control over.
I’d like to thank my friend and client for allowing me to share their story with you. I hope they’ve inspired you as much as they have me and I look forward to continuing to support them on their journey.
Could it work for me?
Yes. It takes hard work and commitment but the results can be life changing. Please do get in touch via messenger, through the website form or via my website chat. I’m here to help.
Comments