Danielle's progress
Danielle, 24 years, 5’3” Starting weight was 12stone 2 pounds. Weight at the moment is 10 stone 8. Inches lost to date = 15”
After graduating from Newcastle University, I became a waitress and to anyone who has worked in this industry before will understand its long hours and you have to eat whenever you can! Unfortunately for me this means going for long periods of not eating and then I would finish work around midnight and would want tograb food that is either quick or convenient and in most cases... a takeaway! Obviously as I wasn’t eating through out the day I filled myself with cups of tea, usually on average 5+ big cups a day. Working full time and the late nights meant that I slept in most mornings or was continuously tired, I used the same excuse that everyone uses which was I don’t have time to exercise! The only benefit from working the long hours was that I was walking on average 15km every shift so I was using this as my exercise as I felt that I couldn’t afford to pay the memberships that all the big gyms were asking for. I have never been one of these girls who had a desire to be skinny and extra muscular. I just wanted to be happy with the way I was! I wanted to be able to wear dresses without the Bridgette Jones pants sucking everything in!
After seeing the pictures from my graduation, thiswas the kick up the backside I required. I was constantly unhappy with the number on the scales as it didn’t move up or down but consistently stay a big number! I was generally not happy with the way I looked or felt; I decided it was time for a change. As it happened, a cheap gym was opening up near to where I was living so this was exactly what I was looking for. I started going to the gym but found that the classes were working better for me as I was loosing weight. But as there was someone there to guide me and show me exactly what I was meant to be doing, I knew that it was working. There were only a few classes that I could really get into and these were Laura’s classes. She was awesome and actually made me want to go, but I couldn’t make enough of her classes to really make a difference.
I found out about Laura’s Boot camps by seeing someone in the class wearing a boot camp jumper. After drilling them about the sessions, I eventually plucked up the courage and asked Laura about joining and this couldn’t have been easier! I measured and weighed myself and I was about 11stone. So off I went along to a trial early bird session where I met a group of people who were all very welcoming! The first thing I told Laura was that I was very unfit and I generally didn’t do running. The first thing she said was “right guys…steady run please”. After completing this trial session, I was physically tired but mentally I was so AWAKE!!! This was a whole new feeling for me, but I loved it! I gradually did more and more boot camps during the week, as I needed my fitness fix! After completing boot camp sessions through all types of weather in winter, I really am beginning to appreciate daylight and sunshine!
My first real payouts from completing boot campsessions were the compliments I received from my family when I went home for Christmas (after 6 weeks of boot camps), I didn’t feel like I had changed so I re-measured myself in January (just after the Xmas indulgence!) and to my amazement I had lost 11inches and 5pounds in total! I wasn’t happy with the amount of pounds lost but I was starting to feel happier and really that is all I wanted. I kept going with the boot camps and still allow the treats form time to time. But I am not as strict with myself anymore; if I want a treat I can have a treat, as I know that I have most likely worked out hard that morning!! I am far from where I need to be but there is one big difference I have found on my bootcampjourney, I do feel happy!
Clients Progress
Steve, 48yrs, 6’2”, 17st8lbs, home is on the Quayside
A Body To Die For With! (How I got here)
I’d always lived with the belief that being tall meant I could carry off any excess weight. It’s called being delusional! Four years ago I had a serious appendicitis situation with my weight dropping remarkably to around 14 stone though I have always tended to fluctuate between 15 and 16 stone with my heaviest memorable weight being 17st 4lbs!
Three years ago I met Rachel, my fiancée. She looks after me really well being a terrific cook (too good you might say) and in that time we estimate my weight has increased between 35 and 42 lbs! I have never been one for snacking though working in an office means I grab lunch how and when I can, usually a sandwich (not too healthy on reflection) with a Grab sized bag of Walkers Cheese n Onion for good measure. My main weakness, however, was a love of lattes and I really am an expert on Starbucks, Costa, Esquires and many others you could mention. On a working day I would usually have three during the day (always large, who would have less?) followed by one or two from our coffee machine when I get home to chill. All in all I enjoyed my food and coffee but it wasn’t doing me any good!
Last Christmas was a particularly silly time for us as we had chocolate coming out of our ears as Rachel and I chilled together (note that Rachel remains a very trim size 8) and whoever turned down the chance of extra Yorkshire puddings and mash at Christmas?
During the last six months of 2009 I started to notice minor health problems. I haven’t visited a doctor in at least six years (appendicitis operation apart) but noticed that I would get mild to severe heartburn after everything I ate and eventually even water was causing me discomfort. I conducted lots of research on the Internet about what could be causing it (someone had mentioned I may have an ulcer) but again I felt no need to visit a doctor. Additionally, I was having headaches; nothing severe but I was taking far too much paracetamol to combat the nagging pains (usually in the office in front of a computer).
New Year arrived and like most overweight people I started thinking about some exercise. Thinking but not doing! It should be noted that I have done no exercise of any description in the last five years! One day Rachel and I were in town, in Boots, and on a whim we decided to weigh ourselves (no scales at home, there’s a message there somewhere!). They were obviously not working correctly as I was aghast to see I was 17st 8lbs! My heaviest ever! Rachel still loves me, of course, but this really is a reality check.....
At home that night I went searching for a personal trainer. In my thirties I’d had the gym membership, the home gym, etc. but I never had a problem in de-motivating myself and finding something less strenuous to do. Remember, I’m tall so I can carry the weight! Not! I know that if I’d gone down the gym route this time I wouldn’t go more than once or twice so needed an alternative.
The difficulty is I had special requirements because I wanted to train from home (i.e. on the banks of the River Tyne) and I wanted to do so between 6am and 7am twice a week. I can get out of bed to train before I go to work but not after work, as I certainly wouldn’t have the motivation for the latter. Most personal trainers I came across wanted me to visit them in a gym or studio and, at first, it looked like I wouldn’t be able to find what I want.
Then on gumtree (following a Google search) I came across Laura Watson’s details. It looked like she knew what she was doing so I sent her an email on the basis of the worst thing she could say was she couldn’t help. Within the hour I received a very positive, motivating reply. Laura would love to help and the early start was not an issue (even though it subsequently transpired she has to travel twenty minutes to me for a 6am start). Dedication indeed!
At Laura’s request we set up a pre-training, no commitment, meeting in my home to determine my needs, state of fitness, etc. This was scheduled for three days later. The three days is important to note because in that interim period I came up with half a dozen very good excuses to cancel the meeting, the common denominator being “do you really want to do this Steve?”
The doubts passed and Laura was punctual for our Thursday night meeting. She was very professional though extremely friendly too. We agreed to start the following week on the basis that we would train 6am-7am every Tuesday and Thursday for four weeks then every Tuesday for a further four weeks (allowing me to train on my own each Thursday in the subsequent period). At this point we would review my progress and I would have the option of simply going my own way. We would start next week on Tuesday 19th January.
On the Sunday before we start Rachel and I visit Boots to see how my first week of healthy eating (diet below) has gone. Sods Law means the machine is out of order and Rachel wryly asks if I broke it the previous week. Not to be deterred we head for Superdrug and I am now 17st 4lbs, a loss of 4lbs, which is a really motivating start. Now for the serious stuff!
Week One
Many more reasons to cancel but over the previous weekend I bought my sports kit and was ready to go (I previously didn’t own any sports clothing of any sort). Up at 5.15am on Tuesday and outside for 6.00am to meet Laura who was waiting for me. “We’ll start with a gentle jog”, she says and within minutes I’m wheezing but trying to keep up! Occasionally we’d have a rest (or I would have a rest would be more accurate) but this consisted of doing various exercises to which my body felt very resistant. For an hour we had good variety as Laura took the opportunity to assess my (very poor) levels of fitness but by the end of the session I was still there! I won’t lie by saying it was enjoyable but, in fairness to Laura, it was very rewarding because I felt that I had achieved something. My first session over!
At this point I should mention my diet. If I was going to train to lose weight then I needed to eat better. From Monday 11th January I started a disciplined diet as follows:
Breakfast (usually missed previously)
Bowl of Shreddies with hot skimmed milk
Lunch
My office is close to a Marks & Spencer’s so every day Monday to Friday I have a bunch of mixed lettuce (large plate, about 40Kcal) plus a selection of cold meats (approximately 160Kcal). Add a yoghurt (fat free) and the total is around 300Kcal. This is my daily lunch with no variation, no dressings, just as written
Dinner
Rach continues to be a great cook but now she is a healthy cook. We eat pork or chicken casseroles (all vegetables and meat with few additives) with some brown rice and it really does taste very good (maybe because I’m hungrier). As a change, we have grilled chicken or steak with steamed vegetables. I always finish with an Activia yoghurt.
Apart from the above I have no other food intake other than low calorie, low saturated fat health bars (maybe two per day) and green tea or water. No bread, no potatoes, no pasta, no chocolate, no crisps, no lattes, no caffeine of any sort, just what is listed above with maybe the odd Ryvita or some grapes as a treat! Believe me, it isn’t as bad as it sounds.
The day after my first session I was sore. My shoulders and upper back were aching quite a lot and I’d managed to pull a tricep muscle in my right arm. The downside of have such an under exercised body! An email to Laura (in response to her “well done during your first session” motivational email) explaining what I’d done earned the reply of how I needed to stretch off the muscles and we could chat it through the following day (Thursday).
Thursday arrived and I was still very sore. Laura pulled Nordic Ski poles out of the boot of her car and we were about to do something new.
My coordination is very poor but I really enjoy this session. Nordic walking is very enjoyable though very intensive as well. By the end of the hour I know I’ve worked hard but my taut muscles are feeling very loose and relaxed.
More importantly I’ve completed my first week and feel as if I have achieved a milestone.
Sunday of my first week of exercise and its back to Superdrug to be weighed. I weigh in at 17st 0lbs! A loss of another 4lbs this week and 8lbs in total! A very acceptable start!
Week Two
Tuesday arrives soon enough and it’s time for session three. 6am and Laura, as ever, is waiting for me outside. Today we’re warming up with a gentle jog then onto some shuttle sprints. The warm up is fine, the sprints less so! I’ve just broken the fat person’s world record for the slowest shuttle when pop, my calf muscle goes. Ouch!
I try to walk it off and Laura shows me how to stretch the muscles but to no avail. We finish the session doing some upper body work with a medicine ball and soon the hour is behind us. I hobble off to the shower, again the victim of being so unfit!
Wednesday is sore and I email Laura to give her an update. She stresses the need for ice and I apply the frozen pea pack again!
Thursday arrives and the calf is still tight. At my request we Nordic walk again and the exercise soon eases the calf muscle. One hour and 2.9 miles later we are finished and I have had a very enjoyable session.
Due to a commitment on Sunday I need to be weighed on Saturday this week and I am slightly disappointed that I’ve only shed a further 2lbs. However, 10lbs in three weeks is very good and my clothes are definitely looser than they were.
Week Three
With the calf still tight Laura is pre-warned that I will need to look after it. I won’t miss a session now though and we agree that I will Nordic walk again. Up at 5.15am and the heavens have opened. I pull on waterproofs and make my way outside to find Laura huddled in her car waiting. She bounds out, however, as enthusiastic as ever and off we go. Today we cover 3.3 miles (Laura has a pedometer to measure progress). Even though it rained relentlessly I had a really good session (even the uphill, stretch-your-calf parts)! The hour is over quickly and 7am is soon with us!
After these sessions I have a real sense of well being and today is no different. Of real significance to me, however, is that in three weeks I have not had a single instance of heartburn or needed a painkiller for headaches. Maybe my body really was telling me something and I now have an altogether healthier outlook.
Am I really looking forward to Thursday morning?
Thursday arrives and the ground is covered with frost. To give my calf time to heal Laura agrees to split the time together between Nordic walking and upper body work with the medicine ball.
We set off at 6am sharp and Laura constantly refines my Nordic walking technique ensuring that I derive maximum benefit from the workout. Halfway through the session, on St Ann’s Quay, I am given a sequence of exercises to do involving press-ups (on railings) and a lot of work with the medicine ball. My upper body feels weak though I think I do ok before Nordic walking for the last ten minutes (including zig zagging through bollards) on my way home. As on every other day we finish with exercises to stretch the muscles and promptly at 7am another week of exercise is behind me!
On Saturday it’s back to Superdrug. Rachel and I have chosen Saturday to be weighed this week as a bit of a cheat because this is TREAT weekend. We have decided that we will have a fortnightly treat from eating basic food and I have chosen an O’Brien’s Tripledecker (grilled chicken, bacon, lettuce and coleslaw) with a large latte. Such a treat is very enjoyable and motivational in its own way and I now have a week to work any excess off!
Back to Superdrug. I approached the scales this week not expecting to have lost much, fully expecting the recent gains to have levelled off! Not so, at all, as I am amazed to have lost a further 5lbs this week, making a massive 15lbs in my first four weeks! Being results-motivated this truly is exceptional for me! 17st 8lbs to 16st 7lbs is a very welcome start!
After three weeks of exercise and four weeks of eating correctly it is time to reflect on how far I’ve come. I’ve lost 15lbs but that really is only part of it! As detailed previously I no longer rely on medication for headaches and heartburn and mentally I feel much better. My clothes are much looser and I, undoubtedly, have less stress in my life now walking with a spring in my step.
What part does Laura play?
Without a doubt, in theory I could have done this without her. I could have got up two mornings a week at 6am and worked (less) hard for an hour! But would I have, that is the key question? When the wind is bitingly cold or we are running like drowned rats in the rain I am not wholly convinced that I would have been there without her. For the hour that we train we are a team where the focus is on me getting fit. Without fail, Laura is there early to start and she is never in a hurry to end the session, motivating throughout! This has a lot of value for me.
Furthermore, key to having a personal trainer is technique. I could have trained on my own but I would never have discovered Nordic walking, for one! In addition, when it came to exercising I could have researched on the Internet, in books, etc. how to do different body strengthening activities but doing them in practise is a totally different matter. Even a simple press up has Laura telling me to tighten my stomach and pull in my bum and the (should be easy) squat earns me the advice that it’s not about bending the knees as much as pushing the bum out! This constant revision of technique really is invaluable to maximising my two hours per week exercise regime.
And finally my outlook towards exercise has changed in a period as short as three weeks. Now I’m focussed on being out of bed early for two mornings per week. As per the initial arrangement with Laura our sessions will shortly reduce from twice to once a week though this is not with the view to me cutting down on exercise. Already Rachel and I are planning extended Nordic walking sessions early on Thursdays and I am really looking forward to them. A true lifestyle change indeed and I really value Laura’s efforts in bringing me this far both physically and mentally!
Week Four
On Monday I alter my diet slightly and have porridge with skimmed milk for breakfast. Not having sugar spoils the taste for me slightly though and feeling a touch bloated I make the decision to stick with Shreddies on a morning especially on a working day!
Tuesday arrives quickly and we are into week four of my training with Laura. Today we Nordic walk again though this is much tougher because Laura is determined to concentrate on any sets of steps that we come across before climbing hills into the centre of Newcastle. Don’t be kidded that Nordic walking is simply a stroll, uphill is very hard work! By the time we’re finished I know I’ve worked hard.
After Tuesday’s session I feel really good, knowing that I achieved a lot in this session! Thursday was to be quite different!
Thursday arrives and I struggle to get out of bed. This must be the coldest morning of the winter yet and I feel really lethargic just getting ready. Laura, as always, is waiting for me outside and, as pre-agreed, we use Nordic walking only to warm up before doing some serious work. On the Sage side of the Millennium Bridge there are ornamental lights set into the pathways and Laura is using these for me to shuttle between. I might have kidded myself that I was getting fitter but this was serious work for an old body and after the allocated half an hour I was totally shattered.
We Nordic walk back to me home (Nordic stagger might be a more accurate description), stretch off and I trundle in the direction of the shower! Within half an hour I am on my way to work and feel quite de-motivated, which is unusual. I think this is because I am so weary that the thought of a day at work ahead of me is quite daunting.
I soon perk up though and put my negative thoughts down to the recent changes brought about by losing weight, etc. For one I am colder simply because I have less fat on my body and where previously I would have cuddled a large latte I now only have (yet another) green tea to look forward too! Also, I am far from being an athlete and my body is struggling to cope with being this tired. However, I do have the weekend to look forward to and I know deep down that I’ve achieved much more than I expected too in only four weeks!
Saturday arrives and we make our way to Superdrug! We are being weighed on Saturday this week because we intend to go out on Saturday night and don’t want weigh in heavy on Sunday!!!
I weigh in at 16st 6lbs! Only a 1lb loss this week and this is obviously disappointing but 16lbs in five weeks (four with exercise) is still motivation enough.....
A Body To Die For With! (How I got here)
I’d always lived with the belief that being tall meant I could carry off any excess weight. It’s called being delusional! Four years ago I had a serious appendicitis situation with my weight dropping remarkably to around 14 stone though I have always tended to fluctuate between 15 and 16 stone with my heaviest memorable weight being 17st 4lbs!
Three years ago I met Rachel, my fiancée. She looks after me really well being a terrific cook (too good you might say) and in that time we estimate my weight has increased between 35 and 42 lbs! I have never been one for snacking though working in an office means I grab lunch how and when I can, usually a sandwich (not too healthy on reflection) with a Grab sized bag of Walkers Cheese n Onion for good measure. My main weakness, however, was a love of lattes and I really am an expert on Starbucks, Costa, Esquires and many others you could mention. On a working day I would usually have three during the day (always large, who would have less?) followed by one or two from our coffee machine when I get home to chill. All in all I enjoyed my food and coffee but it wasn’t doing me any good!
Last Christmas was a particularly silly time for us as we had chocolate coming out of our ears as Rachel and I chilled together (note that Rachel remains a very trim size 8) and whoever turned down the chance of extra Yorkshire puddings and mash at Christmas?
During the last six months of 2009 I started to notice minor health problems. I haven’t visited a doctor in at least six years (appendicitis operation apart) but noticed that I would get mild to severe heartburn after everything I ate and eventually even water was causing me discomfort. I conducted lots of research on the Internet about what could be causing it (someone had mentioned I may have an ulcer) but again I felt no need to visit a doctor. Additionally, I was having headaches; nothing severe but I was taking far too much paracetamol to combat the nagging pains (usually in the office in front of a computer).
New Year arrived and like most overweight people I started thinking about some exercise. Thinking but not doing! It should be noted that I have done no exercise of any description in the last five years! One day Rachel and I were in town, in Boots, and on a whim we decided to weigh ourselves (no scales at home, there’s a message there somewhere!). They were obviously not working correctly as I was aghast to see I was 17st 8lbs! My heaviest ever! Rachel still loves me, of course, but this really is a reality check.....
At home that night I went searching for a personal trainer. In my thirties I’d had the gym membership, the home gym, etc. but I never had a problem in de-motivating myself and finding something less strenuous to do. Remember, I’m tall so I can carry the weight! Not! I know that if I’d gone down the gym route this time I wouldn’t go more than once or twice so needed an alternative.
The difficulty is I had special requirements because I wanted to train from home (i.e. on the banks of the River Tyne) and I wanted to do so between 6am and 7am twice a week. I can get out of bed to train before I go to work but not after work, as I certainly wouldn’t have the motivation for the latter. Most personal trainers I came across wanted me to visit them in a gym or studio and, at first, it looked like I wouldn’t be able to find what I want.
Then on gumtree (following a Google search) I came across Laura Watson’s details. It looked like she knew what she was doing so I sent her an email on the basis of the worst thing she could say was she couldn’t help. Within the hour I received a very positive, motivating reply. Laura would love to help and the early start was not an issue (even though it subsequently transpired she has to travel twenty minutes to me for a 6am start). Dedication indeed!
At Laura’s request we set up a pre-training, no commitment, meeting in my home to determine my needs, state of fitness, etc. This was scheduled for three days later. The three days is important to note because in that interim period I came up with half a dozen very good excuses to cancel the meeting, the common denominator being “do you really want to do this Steve?”
The doubts passed and Laura was punctual for our Thursday night meeting. She was very professional though extremely friendly too. We agreed to start the following week on the basis that we would train 6am-7am every Tuesday and Thursday for four weeks then every Tuesday for a further four weeks (allowing me to train on my own each Thursday in the subsequent period). At this point we would review my progress and I would have the option of simply going my own way. We would start next week on Tuesday 19th January.
On the Sunday before we start Rachel and I visit Boots to see how my first week of healthy eating (diet below) has gone. Sods Law means the machine is out of order and Rachel wryly asks if I broke it the previous week. Not to be deterred we head for Superdrug and I am now 17st 4lbs, a loss of 4lbs, which is a really motivating start. Now for the serious stuff!
Week One
Many more reasons to cancel but over the previous weekend I bought my sports kit and was ready to go (I previously didn’t own any sports clothing of any sort). Up at 5.15am on Tuesday and outside for 6.00am to meet Laura who was waiting for me. “We’ll start with a gentle jog”, she says and within minutes I’m wheezing but trying to keep up! Occasionally we’d have a rest (or I would have a rest would be more accurate) but this consisted of doing various exercises to which my body felt very resistant. For an hour we had good variety as Laura took the opportunity to assess my (very poor) levels of fitness but by the end of the session I was still there! I won’t lie by saying it was enjoyable but, in fairness to Laura, it was very rewarding because I felt that I had achieved something. My first session over!
At this point I should mention my diet. If I was going to train to lose weight then I needed to eat better. From Monday 11th January I started a disciplined diet as follows:
Breakfast (usually missed previously)
Bowl of Shreddies with hot skimmed milk
Lunch
My office is close to a Marks & Spencer’s so every day Monday to Friday I have a bunch of mixed lettuce (large plate, about 40Kcal) plus a selection of cold meats (approximately 160Kcal). Add a yoghurt (fat free) and the total is around 300Kcal. This is my daily lunch with no variation, no dressings, just as written
Dinner
Rach continues to be a great cook but now she is a healthy cook. We eat pork or chicken casseroles (all vegetables and meat with few additives) with some brown rice and it really does taste very good (maybe because I’m hungrier). As a change, we have grilled chicken or steak with steamed vegetables. I always finish with an Activia yoghurt.
Apart from the above I have no other food intake other than low calorie, low saturated fat health bars (maybe two per day) and green tea or water. No bread, no potatoes, no pasta, no chocolate, no crisps, no lattes, no caffeine of any sort, just what is listed above with maybe the odd Ryvita or some grapes as a treat! Believe me, it isn’t as bad as it sounds.
The day after my first session I was sore. My shoulders and upper back were aching quite a lot and I’d managed to pull a tricep muscle in my right arm. The downside of have such an under exercised body! An email to Laura (in response to her “well done during your first session” motivational email) explaining what I’d done earned the reply of how I needed to stretch off the muscles and we could chat it through the following day (Thursday).
Thursday arrived and I was still very sore. Laura pulled Nordic Ski poles out of the boot of her car and we were about to do something new.
My coordination is very poor but I really enjoy this session. Nordic walking is very enjoyable though very intensive as well. By the end of the hour I know I’ve worked hard but my taut muscles are feeling very loose and relaxed.
More importantly I’ve completed my first week and feel as if I have achieved a milestone.
Sunday of my first week of exercise and its back to Superdrug to be weighed. I weigh in at 17st 0lbs! A loss of another 4lbs this week and 8lbs in total! A very acceptable start!
Week Two
Tuesday arrives soon enough and it’s time for session three. 6am and Laura, as ever, is waiting for me outside. Today we’re warming up with a gentle jog then onto some shuttle sprints. The warm up is fine, the sprints less so! I’ve just broken the fat person’s world record for the slowest shuttle when pop, my calf muscle goes. Ouch!
I try to walk it off and Laura shows me how to stretch the muscles but to no avail. We finish the session doing some upper body work with a medicine ball and soon the hour is behind us. I hobble off to the shower, again the victim of being so unfit!
Wednesday is sore and I email Laura to give her an update. She stresses the need for ice and I apply the frozen pea pack again!
Thursday arrives and the calf is still tight. At my request we Nordic walk again and the exercise soon eases the calf muscle. One hour and 2.9 miles later we are finished and I have had a very enjoyable session.
Due to a commitment on Sunday I need to be weighed on Saturday this week and I am slightly disappointed that I’ve only shed a further 2lbs. However, 10lbs in three weeks is very good and my clothes are definitely looser than they were.
Week Three
With the calf still tight Laura is pre-warned that I will need to look after it. I won’t miss a session now though and we agree that I will Nordic walk again. Up at 5.15am and the heavens have opened. I pull on waterproofs and make my way outside to find Laura huddled in her car waiting. She bounds out, however, as enthusiastic as ever and off we go. Today we cover 3.3 miles (Laura has a pedometer to measure progress). Even though it rained relentlessly I had a really good session (even the uphill, stretch-your-calf parts)! The hour is over quickly and 7am is soon with us!
After these sessions I have a real sense of well being and today is no different. Of real significance to me, however, is that in three weeks I have not had a single instance of heartburn or needed a painkiller for headaches. Maybe my body really was telling me something and I now have an altogether healthier outlook.
Am I really looking forward to Thursday morning?
Thursday arrives and the ground is covered with frost. To give my calf time to heal Laura agrees to split the time together between Nordic walking and upper body work with the medicine ball.
We set off at 6am sharp and Laura constantly refines my Nordic walking technique ensuring that I derive maximum benefit from the workout. Halfway through the session, on St Ann’s Quay, I am given a sequence of exercises to do involving press-ups (on railings) and a lot of work with the medicine ball. My upper body feels weak though I think I do ok before Nordic walking for the last ten minutes (including zig zagging through bollards) on my way home. As on every other day we finish with exercises to stretch the muscles and promptly at 7am another week of exercise is behind me!
On Saturday it’s back to Superdrug. Rachel and I have chosen Saturday to be weighed this week as a bit of a cheat because this is TREAT weekend. We have decided that we will have a fortnightly treat from eating basic food and I have chosen an O’Brien’s Tripledecker (grilled chicken, bacon, lettuce and coleslaw) with a large latte. Such a treat is very enjoyable and motivational in its own way and I now have a week to work any excess off!
Back to Superdrug. I approached the scales this week not expecting to have lost much, fully expecting the recent gains to have levelled off! Not so, at all, as I am amazed to have lost a further 5lbs this week, making a massive 15lbs in my first four weeks! Being results-motivated this truly is exceptional for me! 17st 8lbs to 16st 7lbs is a very welcome start!
After three weeks of exercise and four weeks of eating correctly it is time to reflect on how far I’ve come. I’ve lost 15lbs but that really is only part of it! As detailed previously I no longer rely on medication for headaches and heartburn and mentally I feel much better. My clothes are much looser and I, undoubtedly, have less stress in my life now walking with a spring in my step.
What part does Laura play?
Without a doubt, in theory I could have done this without her. I could have got up two mornings a week at 6am and worked (less) hard for an hour! But would I have, that is the key question? When the wind is bitingly cold or we are running like drowned rats in the rain I am not wholly convinced that I would have been there without her. For the hour that we train we are a team where the focus is on me getting fit. Without fail, Laura is there early to start and she is never in a hurry to end the session, motivating throughout! This has a lot of value for me.
Furthermore, key to having a personal trainer is technique. I could have trained on my own but I would never have discovered Nordic walking, for one! In addition, when it came to exercising I could have researched on the Internet, in books, etc. how to do different body strengthening activities but doing them in practise is a totally different matter. Even a simple press up has Laura telling me to tighten my stomach and pull in my bum and the (should be easy) squat earns me the advice that it’s not about bending the knees as much as pushing the bum out! This constant revision of technique really is invaluable to maximising my two hours per week exercise regime.
And finally my outlook towards exercise has changed in a period as short as three weeks. Now I’m focussed on being out of bed early for two mornings per week. As per the initial arrangement with Laura our sessions will shortly reduce from twice to once a week though this is not with the view to me cutting down on exercise. Already Rachel and I are planning extended Nordic walking sessions early on Thursdays and I am really looking forward to them. A true lifestyle change indeed and I really value Laura’s efforts in bringing me this far both physically and mentally!
Week Four
On Monday I alter my diet slightly and have porridge with skimmed milk for breakfast. Not having sugar spoils the taste for me slightly though and feeling a touch bloated I make the decision to stick with Shreddies on a morning especially on a working day!
Tuesday arrives quickly and we are into week four of my training with Laura. Today we Nordic walk again though this is much tougher because Laura is determined to concentrate on any sets of steps that we come across before climbing hills into the centre of Newcastle. Don’t be kidded that Nordic walking is simply a stroll, uphill is very hard work! By the time we’re finished I know I’ve worked hard.
After Tuesday’s session I feel really good, knowing that I achieved a lot in this session! Thursday was to be quite different!
Thursday arrives and I struggle to get out of bed. This must be the coldest morning of the winter yet and I feel really lethargic just getting ready. Laura, as always, is waiting for me outside and, as pre-agreed, we use Nordic walking only to warm up before doing some serious work. On the Sage side of the Millennium Bridge there are ornamental lights set into the pathways and Laura is using these for me to shuttle between. I might have kidded myself that I was getting fitter but this was serious work for an old body and after the allocated half an hour I was totally shattered.
We Nordic walk back to me home (Nordic stagger might be a more accurate description), stretch off and I trundle in the direction of the shower! Within half an hour I am on my way to work and feel quite de-motivated, which is unusual. I think this is because I am so weary that the thought of a day at work ahead of me is quite daunting.
I soon perk up though and put my negative thoughts down to the recent changes brought about by losing weight, etc. For one I am colder simply because I have less fat on my body and where previously I would have cuddled a large latte I now only have (yet another) green tea to look forward too! Also, I am far from being an athlete and my body is struggling to cope with being this tired. However, I do have the weekend to look forward to and I know deep down that I’ve achieved much more than I expected too in only four weeks!
Saturday arrives and we make our way to Superdrug! We are being weighed on Saturday this week because we intend to go out on Saturday night and don’t want weigh in heavy on Sunday!!!
I weigh in at 16st 6lbs! Only a 1lb loss this week and this is obviously disappointing but 16lbs in five weeks (four with exercise) is still motivation enough.....
