Walking Fit in NZ

Ok, so getting started!

If I had to tell someone now how to take the first steps from getting off the couch to starting exercise it would be as simple as saying – find something you love!

Again, a cliche, but if you love it, doing more of it and getting better at it will only increase your enjoyment. For me, it’s walking! Not just humdrum walking through the city, but bush walks, hill walks, trekking etc! I have an adventurous mind, I need constant distraction or challenge.

Walking up steep hills and feeling the burn is tough but the end results – particularly if it’s a great view is SOOO rewarding. A totally overwhelming feeling of conquering something and being in control.
I remember I started with small hills and short walks, they were enjoyable but nothing like the day we went on a walk and somehow took the wrong track, we ended up climbing this massive mountain with so many stairs one would think it was leading to heaven, half way up my partner said ‘don’t worry, lets turn back’ but I was hell bound (or heaven) on getting to the top. We carried on for another hour and a half. I remember this overwhelming feeling of happiness, just complete joy for conquering something I didn’t think I would/could have done. I couldn’t stop smiling and I took a picture of me all sweaty and in baggy horrible workout clothes. I can still picture the view and taste the sweet juices of triumph.

So my advice is, find something you love. Walking is a good start because you do it every day anyway! There is so many options, cycling, boxing, swimming, running, do not be bound by your conscious, take control and be the master of your own body.

When I started, it was from pure hatred of myself. I loathed who I had become and the effect it had on my life. I found I didn’t want to do anything, I shuddered at the idea of going out in public. It controlled my life and I absolutely hated something else being in control. I am slight control nut but it was an overwhelming power dictating my life that I just did not want.
My confidence had gone after putting on around 10kg, it got much, much worse from there.

So, the exciting part – making the leap of faith!
I took a teaspoon of self-prescribed concrete (not literally) and contacted a few personal trainers. I did some research on them, who they were, what they experienced and got a feel for the sort of person they were.
It wasn’t an easy decision admitting to myself and to some stranger that I didn’t have control anymore and that I hated who I had become but it was SO FREEING!

I was nervous, regretful, angry, confused, frustrated and felt so defeated at the same time. I have a very big problem of keeping to myself, this was going against every barrier I had set in myself, but the rewards were definitely worth it.

I am the sort of person where if it’s not my best, I will beat myself up psychologically to a point where I live in a constant frustration with myself which affects the people around me. As a child, I was unwilling to communicate about myself to anyone, quite the opposite of the rest of my family. I was the opposite of anti-social but people would never know what was going on inside my head and I never asked for help. Admitting that I wasn’t capable of losing weight myself was so difficult for me that it stopped me for some time about doing anything about it. I couldn’t even face up to my own reality of how bad I had let it get that I lived in denial.

Taking this leap, going to see someone for help, feeling defeat and disappointment consumed my thoughts the entirety of the time leading up to my first meeting with my trainer.
It is no understatement to say I was ecstatic walking out of there.
She was brilliant, she was supportive yet not too soft. (Another one of my pet hates is comments that are too soft and mushy – cannot handle this!)

If you haven’t contacted a trainer and are scared to do so, honestly, make the leap because it changed my life. Do, though, make sure you pick the right fit. There are plenty of self-obsessed assholes that are not all they crack out to be. Make sure you meet and do your research – realistically – what do you have to lose? Seriously…

 

 

 

In this blog, I am going to talk about my experience with weight loss and getting fit.

There’s not going to be some beauty cake shit slapped on top, so, this is it from a real perspective of the highs and lows of my journey.

I haven’t always been a big girl, I put it on quickly over a couple years recently and started last year with getting it back off.

It was no trouble putting it on, but it’s not all carb-less cakes and protein shakes getting it off!
I think this is where the biggest misconception is about weight loss. If you want to keep it off – do it right! The right way, in my opinion (both unqualified and potentially bias), is to increase exercise and eat right and healthy. As cliche as that is, there is no machine, pill or other advertised crap that is going to get you the results both long-term and short-term like getting off that ass and moving it!

Some brief reasoning is;
Not eating at a healthy rate – yes, you can play starvation stations and not eat enough. This will get you results but is it healthy or maintainable?
Say you may make it to your goal weight, but will your skin be firmer than it could have been if you worked out? Will you put it all back on when you increase your intake after your body is used to so little then it goes straight back on?

I’m no trainer, scientist or nutritionist but it doesn’t take a genius to work out why so many put it back on after using the starvation method. Plus this method is NOT FUN. Not eating is boring as hell, and if you are a foodie, just bugger that. I’d rather eat a muffin and do a walk afterwards than be served an empty plate!

I’ve done the starvation thing and it went straight back on, whether that was my lack of will power or just because it wasn’t healthy, well anyone can judge. My experience is with hiring a trainer and really getting fit has been better than anything I’ve tried.

This time around I hired a trainer, I work out at home and I choose what I eat.
At rock bottom, I started with less self-confidence than a mute parrot, I have felt my confidence change my life in this past year like I couldn’t  have imagined.

I can’t promise anything from this blog, no motivation starter, no secret to success but what I can promise is that it is a real view, the ups and downs, it will be erratic, unorganised chaos that will just babble out onto the keyboard.

 

It’s a good question really.

My name is Sarah, I am young (under 25), I suppose I’m not your average youth. I have no interest in facebook or social media, I can sew, bake, cook and spend less than 1-2 hours daily communicating to the outside world, whether that be through channels such as phone calls, txt messages or social interactions. I consider myself reasonably isolated but I do prefer it that way as it means I can focus on my study at this particular stage in my life.

I am a farm kid, love the outdoors, hard work, smell of old books, leather and horse. I have a couple dogs who mean the world to me as does my partner.

I have never written a blog and don’t really expect this to be of any particular use other than staking a claim to some portion of the internet.

This blog is about my experience of getting fit and losing weight.