This article has been written by one of my clients….
** KEY POINT ALERT **
“This is a way of life for me now and it may take me years to get to my dream body,
but I will get there and in the mean time I love the body I have”
Wow ^^^^^
I asked Chrissy to share her journey with you because I have witnessed part of this journey and
I think she is a shining example of how women can get in great shape
When they follow solid principles in their health and fitness.
What You Should Know:
- She didn’t think it was possible 20 months ago
- They will ask you what you have been up to
- She left the gym to get in this shape…..yep away from the hours of boring cardio on the treadmill……
- She had tried all the fad diets and failed too……
LIVING Proof that doing resistance training wont make you bulky…a HUGE myth!
CHECK OUT HER STORY BELOW v v v v v v v v v
I would never have thought it possible 20 months ago that I would be able to complete a Tough Mudder let alone Rock Solid Race, Blast Mud Run and Rat Race Dirty Weekend (20 miles, 200 Obstacles) but I have. Also that I would be able to eat every 2-3 hours, never go hungry and not have to watch my weight. Friends I have not seen in a while tell me I’ve slimmed down and look great before asking what diet I am on. Then I get the surprised look when I tell them I lift weights and eat a lot of healthy food. Supposedly, lifting weights will make women bulky. In reality it is ridiculously hard work for any woman to get bulky from lifting weights.
It really is a shame that this stigma exists. In truth, for women, resistance training is a fantastic tool for getting into shape and you don’t need to kill yourself with hours of cardio. What woman doesn’t want that? This is why 20 months ago I ventured out of the gym and endless hours on the cardio machines and into resistance training and the shape of my life.
I will be 38 soon and this year marks the second year of my adult life that I have not been on a diet. You name it and I’ve tried it, Slim Fast, Cabbage Soup, Atkins, Slimming World. All of the diet fads that have been out there since I left school I have tried, and failed at. Lost the weight gained it back. It’s a vicious circle that I was stuck in for the best part of 20 years. During my teens, twenties and early thirties my weight fluxuated continuously despite the fact played football, to County standard, and spent endless hours in the gym.
I have slimmed down to go away on holiday before by spending hours in the gym and almost starving myself honestly believing that it was the only way to achieve a bikini body. Problem is that it cannot be maintained and the weight eventually creeps back on. If I’d known then what I know now from a training and nutrition point of view many things would have been different. I retired from football in 2010 but kept up with the gym and some running alongside fad dieting and poor nutritional choices.
My turning point came in early 2013 when we went out with friends. I spent ages trying to find something to wear going through my whole wardrobe. As everything felt tight and uncomfortable I eventually opted for baggy jeans and a baggy jumper. After a trip to the ladies and a look in the mirror I realised that not only did I not like what I saw but I also was also unhappy. I broke down in tears a while later and we left early. I guess it was only a matter of time before something had to change I just didn’t know what.
In September 2013 and a friend of mine is talking about a HIIT programme on Facebook. Intrigued I look it up and decide to order it. Maybe this was what I needed. All I knew is that it was all based around bodyweight resistance HIIT training combined with clean healthy eating. As it was a 2 month commitment I decided that the best way to approach it was to get it done first thing in the morning without fail so I could not make excuses after work about being too tired. I set my alarm for 6am that first Monday morning. This was the first big change to my routine as I have never been a morning person but I counter balanced it by going to bed earlier.
I am not kidding when I say my husband laughed at me that first morning when my alarm went off.
I believed I was of a decent fitness level but that first workout with all it’s push ups, burpees and resistance moves had me crawling across my living room floor for my water bottle at every given rest break, it was hard but I loved the fact that it was done before my day had even begun. I completed that workout the best I could and the following 62 days spurred on by the changes I could feel in my body, my increased strength, the fit of my clothes and my re-established confidence.
I started eating a good breakfast everyday and preparing food and snacks in advance to keep in the fridge and to take to work.
Preparation became key along with drinking lots of water. Calories have become friends, not foe.
The next step was a progression from the first 60 day programme. These are a similar but more intensive and require the use of dumbbells and resistance bands. I had three sets of light dumbbells and I added two heavier sets. 60 days later and I’m addicted to weight training and can’t quite believe these emerging toned arms, legs and stomach actually belong to me. The only way forward now is a full 90 day weight training programme.
All of my workouts are done at home, I never go to a gym and I prefer it that way. I had to buy a weight bench, curl bar, plates and some adjustable dumbbells which I keep in the corner of my living room.
It was very hard to believe that doing weights alone and eating even more food than I was would ever yield any kind of results but I was very wrong. My waistline continued to shrink and the tone and definition that I started to get over the following months was unbelievable and I was seriously enjoying the training. Weight training is now a way of life for me and I now get up daily at 5.20am to train. I tend to keep the weight training as a constant factor but I add HIIT cardio in for a couple of weeks every few months to keep my body guessing. I’m always looking to increase my weights and challenge myself.
In August I joined Matt’s Blast Mudder (TEAM TRAINING) Wednesday night training and have been going ever since. I went with a fear of not being able to do the exercises but found myself at home and comfortable and able to utilise my new found strength and confidence.
I have gradually and slowly changed my diet over the last 20 months. I now always eat breakfast and make it the best meal of the day. Water has become my drink of choice and I drink it all day.
I do use vitamin, mineral and fish oil supplements daily and also daily Lean Greens, a Matt recommendation. Little things like taking the skin off of chicken and stopping eating bread made a huge difference. I tend to change something almost every week.
This week is more white fresh fish for my lunches. I have gradually replaced white potatoes, rice and pasta with wholemeal varieties and I use quinoa a lot. Cheese has been replaced with low fat cottage cheese or low fat cream cheese.
Tea and coffee have been replaced with decaf green tea and tulsi tea. My main source of vegetables are greens and mixed peppers.
Fruits are all berries with the occasional banana. I have eliminated sugary snacks and processed foods and I now snack on boiled eggs, berries and low fat yoghurt, nuts or a whey protein shake with almond milk.
All these little changes have finally built up to a whole new nutritional lifestyle which has given me a new lease of life and really helped my training. Also I never get ill anymore and have not had a day of sickness since November 2013. Preparation has become key. I always make sure my fridge and cupboards are stocked accordingly and my lunches and snacks for work are always prepared the night before. I still have a lot to learn about nutrition and I do still enjoy treats, couldn’t live without them but I try to exercise moderation, although it doesn’t always work!
I have had Body Fat Analysis done by Matt and from Feb 2014 – Dec 2014 I dropped 2.7% Body fat and it’s still dropping. I also lost 3.5 inches off my hips and 3 inches off my waist in that time. It doesn’t sound much but I wanted to establish a lifestyle I could sustain, enjoy and see results from.
This is a way of life for me now and it may take me years to get to my dream body but I will get there and in the mean time I love the body I have. I never get stuck for anything to wear anymore and am now on my third new wardrobe since starting my resistance training journey.
So……..Lifting weights makes women bulky?………False, cupcakes make women bulky”
——- I couldn’t have finished that article with a better closing line ——–
If you need to kick start what could be a life changing journey then you can MONDAY……
If you wait for the perfect time to start you might be wasting a lot more time.
http://www.mattluxtonhealthandfitness.com/6weekbodytransformation
This is just for ladies I must say…….The MANSformation programme is in the making 🙂
Matt 🙂
Matt
Owner of Functionally Aware Fitness Personal Training
Voted The UK’s Most Innovative Fitness Entrepreneur 2012
International Best Selling Author of The Fad Free Fitness Formula
Author of The Hot to Trot Cook Book and The Equestrian Athlete Plan
Email: Info@fa-fitness.co.uk / Phone: 07841 136302
