A Life Changing Encounter

I lost all the weight I needed to lose to get my confidence back and get myself healthy, and I gained the muscle and strength I needed to be fit and strong (both particularly important to me). I learned how to make healthy choices but more importantly I learned how to make them my normal way of life.

I found the workouts stimulating and challenging in a good way and found the meal plan easy to work with and easy to follow. The part that made it all so much easier than any time I’ve tried to get in shape was the constant support and understanding and no nonsense approach that Sondra has to being a coach.

Supportive is an understatement. She keeps you on track….you need only listen to her and follow her lead to achieve your goals.

I reset my body…..energy levels restored, no more headaches, no more afternoon lull that left me needing a cat nap or a healthy dose of afternoon caffeine most days, better sleep at night and taste buds that now crave beautifully fresh, healthy foods without unnecessary additives. I feel young and energetic and, probably less importantly but noteworthy, people around me have noticed these changes so much so that even months after losing the weight I am still asked frequently about my eating and exercising and how I stay so healthy and in shape.

Personally, although all of the above was my goal and was definitely necessary, my biggest achievements to date are the lessons I’m teaching my beautiful children. Life long lessons they don’t even know they’re learning and things that are not a privilege but a right for them to learn. And as an added bonus they have a happy, confident and super energetic Mommy!

I also want to highlight a few things I feel new (and even current) clients and basically anybody struggling with their weight, fitness levels and lifestyle choices can benefit from hearing…..things I learned along my journey with this remarkable human being.

You are worth the effort! You are worth every second you fight to stay healthy! Even when you feel guilty that you are taking time away from other areas of your life (like your kids) to do food preps and gym. Even when you have to rush to fit it all in or make sacrifices along the way. You are most certainly worth it!

You are definitely strong enough. If you want it you can achieve it. Don’t listen to that inner voice, or any other voice for that matter, telling you that you can’t. Don’t beat yourself up about it if you go off plan or skip a gym session. This isn’t a 100m sprint to some random finish line…..there will be good days and bad and there will be struggles sometimes and other times it feels like a breeze. Learn to roll with the punches and dust yourself off with enough enthusiasm to soldier along with a smile……you got this!

Surround yourself with people who inspire you, motivate you, support you, look up to you……these are the people who will enrich your journey and help you achieve whatever goals you may have, and you’ll probably surprise yourself at how you can enrich the lives of others and help them along their journey too.

Words are definitely not enough but I’ll say them anyway…..’Thank you Sondra for being who you are!

How I Cheated To Get Fit

They got chatting and this journey began.
She was a personal trainer, and a totally inspirational woman.

After seeing the transformation in my wife, I thought I would sheepishly ask if there was anything she could do for me. I have always been within an average BMI range and never considered myself overweight. I was just starting to notice that age and lifestyle were taking a toll on my body.

I met up with Sondra and I signed up for a 16 week meal and exercise plan. I was expecting to be hungry and tired for the next 16 weeks, and had mentally prepared myself. That wasn’t the case….

To my surprise, the meals were easy to prepare (even for a total novice in the kitchen like myself) and super tasty! What surprised me more, is the amount of food I was allowed.

The exercises were easy to understand and didn’t take up a massive chunk of my day. Being a stay-at-home dad with 2 small children is challenging enough without having to slog it out in the gym for hours on end (especially during a 3 month school holiday).

After 2 weeks I went for an assessment and the results were staggering. I had lost weight and gained muscle mass!! The photo comparisons showed the changes and I was excited as to what was to come. I thought to myself that surely it was a fluke, as it seemed like cheating, being able to eat real meals, always feel satisfied, and relatively little effort to fit in the exercises (especially seeing as I didn’t think I had much to lose).

The results kept coming and I still feel like some kind of wizardry was going on.

All I had to do was eat what I was told eat and do the exercises I was told to do .

The concept is really simple…you literally just do what you’re told to do by someone who knows what they are doing and is good at what they do.

Sondra was amazing and kept in contact for the full 16 weeks. We gradually upgraded the workouts as I got fitter and I really started to enjoy the challenge of the exercise.

I’m not saying it was easy, and I definitely had to put in the effort, but I felt like a passenger on the journey of being molded by my trainer. The weeks have flown by and now I don’t even recognise my old self.

I have more energy, more self confidence and a much better outlook on healthy living. The best part is that this is no longer a 16 week program. It’s become the way I live, the way I eat, the way I view food. It’s become normal….simply the way I do things now.