HOW I GET FIT DONE
Mum-of-eight Sarah Layzell, 43, thought there was no space for fitness in her hectic life – but heart-rate-raising killer classes have given her a whole new outlook
How one reader, a mother of eight, finds time for fitness
As a teenager, I competed in the World Irish Dancing Championships, and at uni I played football, so I never thought of myself as unfit. I had my first child when I was 22, followed by seven more over the next 16 years, and between pregnancies, childcare and my kids’ schedules, I fell into unhealthy habits. I’d relish the few hours I had to myself once the kids were asleep, going to bed late but waking up early with them, and the lack of sleep meant I craved sugar and processed carbs. I’d play football or rugby once a week, and use that to justify my awful diet – I’m talking entire cakes in one sitting.
As an undiagnosed coeliac, I was chronically fatigued, and also unhappy with the way I looked. I’d try all sorts of faddy diets to lose weight – including one that involved a day of eating only bananas and another day of just steak and tomatoes. My coeliac diagnosis came just before my 40th birthday, and with it, a complete nutrition overhaul. I switched to a Mediterranean-style diet with lots of lean meat, fish, dark green vegetables, Greek yoghurt and goat’s cheese.
I was determined not to gain weight – as often happens when your body starts to absorb nutrients from meals – and signed up to a boot camp for mums. Working my body hard was enjoyable there – I realised it was good fun to push yourself and get results. A friend introduced me to Orangetheory Fitness, where I train now – you wear a heart