As a physiotherapist, I know that exercise is the key to recovery from injury. It can help to manage chronic pain and is a great stimulus both mentally and physically. I preach about it every day of my working life but do I personally make enough time to do some myself? Before June this year, I hadn’t.
I run my own business and like many people after long days, I have always found lots of excuses not to exercise. I had also got out of the habit of enjoying exercise and the positive feelings that went with it. A glass of wine and a chat with friends just seemed so much more appealing!
In June this year however I finally turned things around. I had a chat with Nikki Clarke, one of the personal trainers at Central Health Physiotherapy and we decided to embark on a 10 week program of diet and exercise.
With my determined personality and a straight down the line approach from Nikki we had the basis for being a very successful team!
My initial weigh-in revealed I was a good stone overweight and had nearly 25% body fat!
The aim: to achieve a stone in weight loss, under 20% body fat and needing a new wardrobe!
Diet changes – The best advice was to change my habits especially with eating breakfast. Previously it was very normal for me to have no breakfast. I’d then be starving by lunch around 2 pm where I’d seek out the most filling sandwich I could find! Supper was usually something easy like pasta and a couple of nights a week, dinner out and a few glasses of wine. I would often choose the more filling dishes with sauces and more carbs! A carb addict for sure.
My diet is now very protein based with no or very little carbohydrates. I eat eggs for breakfast and then a protein salad for lunch with fish, chicken or meat. Supper is again meat or fish with vegetables and where I can I eat fruit in the day. Wine has been reduced but much to the disdain of Nikki, not cut out completely. A girl has got to have some fun!
So food sorted, and I actually enjoy the diet and have not missed sandwiches one bit. I am still trying to lose some weight but I will start to introduce some carbs back slowly but in far less quantity than before.
Exercise:
I now cycle to work more consistently, at least three times a week, which covers about 40-50 miles a week. I see Nikki twice a week for weight training essentially, for an hour each time. This is the easy one to miss out so you must make time for this or it will not work. It is repetitious, but in time, even I have begun to enjoy it and the sense of achievement. I also try to get to the gym myself a couple of times a week.
Initially my body felt exhausted and all my muscles ached. Walking downstairs was quite amusing too, not for me but onlookers! Fortunately this only last a few weeks.
The result:
I am now a stone lighter; I’ve dropped 2 dress sizes and 1 size for trousers. I’ve got a whole new wardrobe, I feel better, I look better and my confidence in what I wear and how I look has increased tenfold. I am more energised and my grumbly old neck, Achilles and knees have not bothered me in weeks!
The future: I plan to maintain the diet as it makes me feel very much better and is surprisingly very doable. I will never be gym obsessed and I will still eat the food I love but in moderation. I will continue to exercise but mainly on my own and I have bought a new bike with the intention of doing more cycling.
The whole experience has been a real motivation and I really thank Nikki for pushing me in the right direction.
So if my lifestyle sounds familiar to you and you know you need to do something about it, do it, it is liberating and rewarding. If you do not want to see a trainer or it is too expensive, then just get yourself to the gym or the park three times a week, eat breakfast and try to avoid too many of the bad things!
Go for it!!
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