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I decided to apply for the Body Fit Christmas Crunch Challenge because I was only losing ground trying to lose weight and get fit on my own. A year a half ago I had one hip replaced, and if I didn’t do something soon, I would be looking at replacing the other hip and the knees as well. And it seemed the weight kept creeping up, and the bigger I got, the less I wanted to do. I didn’t like how I looked, so I avoided going out and gave up on most activities. It’s easier to just stay at home and give in, right?
I also have a stressful, sedentary job as an accountant and work a lot of hours. Time was going to be an issue, and also served as my excuse in the past. Everything took priority over me. My adult kids and husband were worried about my health, and it was past time for me to start getting serious about it too.
I applied for the Challenge and was accepted.
The meal program was well laid out, and easy to follow. Choices were limited, but for me that was ok. It made the food planning and prep easy.
The exercise part of the program involved working as a group with a trainer twice a week, and then working out on our own 3 – 4 times a week. There were 3 transformers in our group. This setup was quite motivating; we worked well together and none of us wanted to let the group effort down. We could talk with each other and the trainer about any issues or successes, and support each other along the way.
The first four days on the meal program, I wasn’t hungry, but my head pounded and I was exhausted – I couldn’t concentrate. As this began to ease, I realized I was sleeping better than I had in a very long time. Workouts continued in earnest, and old injuries began to resurface, raising concerns as to whether or not I could continue. But with the help of my physiotherapist and modifications to the workout program by our trainer, my body got stronger and began to handle the workouts better.
With the time of year, there were Christmas parties and dinners which I attended, but these did not present the challenges I thought they would. There was always support to help with planning ahead what I would eat, and how to cope. And there was always lots of encouragement to stick to the program and stay the course so i would achieve the results I wanted.
I plan to continue on in the program. The structure, the encouragement and knowledge of the personal trainer, and the group support have combined to make this the most successful program I have been in (and I’ve tried a lot over the years).
Elaine Watson