AN AMAZING THING HAPPENED...
After increasing health issues, in late 2017 I knew I needed to do something about my fitness. Even though I hated exercise, I had joined a couple of gyms over the years, but just felt embarrassed due to my size. So nothing lasted.
I even tried exercise at home — walking or running around the back yard, but I wasn’t consistent and it wasn’t working as I didn’t have anyone pushing me along and encouraging me.
Then the High Performance unit at The Fit Lab was recommended, as a serious way of kick-starting a consistent attack on turning my fitness around. So, in mid January this year, I nervously joined their eight-week program.
Did I mention I hate exercise? Now I hated Corey who, as one of the trainers, oversaw my program. He introduced me to the weights and cardio programming. That was hard work! When I began, one of the first things they do is find out how fit you really are. I couldn’t even do one vertical push-up. That’s standing and leaning forward against a horizontal bar and pushing yourself back. It’s the easiest one — not down on the floor like a real push-up.
But I quickly noticed an amazing thing. Every session (three times a week), I was always surrounded by either super-fit athletes or fellow gym members like me. Some of these men and women play for professional teams, or are record-holders in their sporting field. Yet they just included me as one of them. When I would start to get exhausted, they would call out encouragement, and even cheered when I broke through to a new personal best (like when I achieved my first full vertical pushup!). It really is like a little family, and they just absorbed me into their circle. I noticed they do it with everyone — no one feels ‘out’. It wasn’t what I expected. And it certainly motivates you to keep going. Even though everyone is doing their own programs, everyone encourages everyone.
I’m now coming to the end of my third eight-week program, so how am I now going? I can do 10 push-ups down on the floor. I’m easily lifting
9kg dumbbells above my head. My cardio is so much better (yes, I still hate the exercises).
But it’s the numbers that are most interesting: I’ve lost
11kg and more than 40cm off my waist. I can bench press 32.5kg — a 44.62% improvement. My back squat lift shows a 57.89% increase.
In the midst of this, I joined the Brisbane ‘Climb for
Cancer’, where entrants run up an 810-step spiral staircase.
I did a trial run for this on the actual staircase, wearing normal ‘going out’ clothes complete with handbag so I wouldn’t stand out.
On race day I ran all the way up in 13 minutes. Ok, the winner did it in half that time, so I’m not setting the world on fire, but I used to have trouble climbing any stairs.
There’s something more I didn’t expect. I’m more confident — not just in the gym, but going out. My thinking is clearer. I’m even friendlier. I work hard, but I walk out of the gym feeling great.
I can honestly say that in the last 24 weeks I’ve turned my health around. I’m no longer on medication for Diabetes, my cholesterol has lowered and my visceral fat has reduced significantly. I cannot recommend the Fit Lab Health and Fitness Centre enough.