I've
always had a yoyo type relationship with food and exercise, I like to look and
feel good but with a busy lifestyle and working away I have found it hard to
commit to certain diets & regimes in the past. I will often have an event,
occasion or holiday which makes me refocus and start thinking about 'getting in
shape again’ but after years of starting again it was becoming laborious, I
wanted fitness and wellbeing to be a lifestyle not a stop-start strategy!!
I've never been massively overweight, and as a
5'8 tall woman I can carry some excess weight without looking cumbersome and
would always dress for my size, but it's been a long time since I was truly
happy with my body and feel I could wear what I wanted. I’ve always had an
hourglass figure and been quite curvy and in proportion, however as you can see
from this swimwear shot taken shortly after starting at RWL, there’s no tone or
definition. As any bride-to-be will know, we put a great amount of pressure on
ourselves to look and feel amazing on our special day so this for me was the
best motivation I've ever had, yet 5 months before the wedding I still hadn't
found my enthusiasm, I was a size 14 and wanted to be a comfortable size 10!
Beginning
of April 2013
Having
met with Sam & Joe to discuss my goals and hear about their suggestions and
expectations I have to admit I was slightly apprehensive. Their positivity and
genuine belief in me to achieve my goal was inspiring but I still had doubts; I
had less than 4 months to achieve a goal I’d spent years trying to reach.
We
discussed the different routes I could take and being the type of person I am I
wanted to jump in feet first, this would mean starting my programme straight
the way, building strength and eating clean for 14 days. The initial thought of
eliminating carbs, sugars, dairy, alcohol and processed food from my diet
seemed impossible but I realised that if I wanted results I would have to put
my trust in the team and follow their techniques by the book.
We
took a photo of me in a size 10 dress I'd bought a while back and had never
worn and was told this would be my measuring tool; jumping on the scales once a
week would no longer be part of my routine; measurements were more constructive
than what my scales said!
Trying
on my dress was a daunting task, I understood the purpose was more about the
end result but it scared me to see how far away I was; it looked more like a
top, my hips and bum were too big & I just couldn't pull it past my waist. Even
looking at these pictures now as I write this, fills me with the dread of how I
felt at the time of this photo.
The
first few sessions went by and I started to learn how RWL worked; positivity
and vision were a must in the gym and I had to start leaving my insecurities
and doubts at the door. I was introduced to new habits, fundamental traits that
in time would be the norm for me.
As
my training programme progressed and I became stronger in the gym it was more
than just my body that was changing, my mind became clearer, my thoughts more
focused, I was sleeping better and my skin and hair were also improving; in
just a month I already felt huge improvements! I continued to eat clean and was
so impressed with how much easier I found it, the training and nutrition worked
together and I wouldn't allow myself to be tempted by foods I had to avoid when
I’d worked so hard in the gym, and equally the better I felt about myself the
more I wanted to push myself while training.
I
had interim goals which really helped to keep me focused, a show in June I was
presenting and a dream dress I wanted to wear for it, my hen do in July and the
dread of wearing a bikini and then of course our wedding in August.
The
coaches are all extremely proficient and are as serious about achieving your
goals as you are - they have an invested interest and help you stay motivated
& on track, every programme is tailored to your training & nutrition,
you know that the coaches really understand your lifestyle, your goals &
your timescales, it's like no other gym I've ever worked with.
Something I
found quite prolific was that 10 weeks into working with RWL I hadn’t found the
need for any medication! Simple tasks such as taking a couple of paracetamols
for a headache or waking up feeling groggy hadn’t occurred in this time, I
hadn’t experienced any down days and my body was noticeably stronger and
clearly my immune system was much
tougher.
I
reached June and was feeling so much better about myself, the dress I’d bought
to host Miss Leicester fit better than I had hoped and for the first time in a
long time I could honestly say, I felt amazing! I had maintained my curvy shape
but had lost inches and felt so much more toned and confident. Friends and
family were starting to comment on my 'new look', I enjoyed the compliments and
it made me even more determined to reach my goal.
I
arranged to bring the Miss Leicester finalists for Miss Great Britain to RWL to
train and be put through their paces and the team were looking to select an RWL
Fitness Model from the finalists who trained. It was a great way to introduce
the girls and their families to RWL and the great work they do!
By July we had
really upped my game, I was now training 4-5 times a week, I hadn't drank
alcohol since starting at RWL and hadn't missed it, I was still sleeping better
so my work productivity and energy levels were vastly improved! My strength
programme had moved to 'transform' and I was really starting to feel more
defined, working on toning my abs, my legs and my arms - the bingo wings had
gone.
On
the 10th July I flew to Marbella for my hen do, 12 ladies aged 18-60 all
ranging from sizes 8-18's, we’re such a close group of girls and no one cares
about each other’s size or physical makeup, but most females still feel the
pressure of looking their best around peers. I was now fitting in size 10
clothes and for the first time in years felt confident in my bikini.
A
vast change from my first bikini picture taken just 12 weeks before!
Having returned from my hen do
I had a lot of hard work left to do, I’d only been away for 5 days but having
eaten and drank as much as I wanted and not completed any training while away,
I had put on a few inches and was carrying some excess water. I now had 3 weeks
left until the wedding but more importantly just 2 weeks until my final dress
fitting as from then I would have to maintain my size to ensure the dress
wasn’t too big or too small.
I continued to train 5 times a week
and kept up my nutrition. Towards the end of July we decided to try my
‘original’ red dress – my measuring tool and I was amazed by the results!!
The dress easily fell over my bum and
hips and I could actually wear it as a dress!! These pictures side-by-side
really show the progression!
All through the process I had seen the
numbers decrease each time I was measured and that was great motivation
watching the inches get smaller, but even that didn’t compare to actually
seeing results like this in a photograph.
The morning of our wedding I woke up
bright and early, my dress hanging from the back of the door at my mum’s house
where I had spent the night. The sun was beaming & I couldn’t believe our
day had finally arrived. My bridesmaids arrived and we spent the morning
getting ready, having hair & makeup before eventually getting into our
dress.
I felt absolutely amazing and was so
glad I had invested the time into making myself look and feel the way I did at
that moment. Countless goals, events
& occasions had been and gone in my life and so many times Id thought ‘well
I’ve almost achieved it, I’m better than I was but wish I had a couple more
weeks left…’ not this time I had achieved my goal and couldn’t have felt
better! I though back to the times my energy was lacking in the gym or I wasn’t
pushing myself hard enough and Joe, Sam or Jeff would say ‘think about those
wedding pictures, you’ll have them forever’.
We had the most amazing day, and I
never lost sight of what the day was really about, marrying my best friend and
the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Publically announcing
our love for each other in front of friends and family; it’s not about the
dress, the venue, the cars or the flowers but you ask any bride-to-be if you
could wave a magic wand and make her feel wonderful in her dress as she walks
down the aisle to her husband-to-be, she would jump at the chance to feel at
her best, RWL own that ‘wand’ and I will always endorse what they do. I can’t
speak highly enough of their strategies, finally a gym that really works and
gets results!
Thank you RWL
for helping me to finally achieve my goal, I loved wearing my wedding dress and
you’re right, along with the memories….these pictures will last forever!
After a wonderful honeymoon and, dare I say it, 5
weeks away from the gym I am excited about getting back into my training and
nutrition. I have picked up some ‘new habits’ that I hope I will keep forever.
Of course with the wedding and spending time in Italy, with the temptation of
so many carb based meals, I did falter slightly but not like I’ve done before
and once I’m back in the gym and in the right mind-set I know I can continue to
train and maintain the hard work we have achieved.
Looking forward to the next stages of my RWL
journey.
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