Three weeks ago, seven Kent Sport members were who were chosen for the Fit 4 the Beach challenge started their gruelling six weeks of personal training to see how far they could push themselves towards their summer health and fitness goals. Here is some feedback from a few of the participants – read on to see how they are getting on:
Rebecca Kovacova, student
The first three weeks proved to be tough. The road to fitness is not an easy one.
I tend to go to fitness classes, but the gym sessions with Oli diversify my week. I am learning that the gym is not that bad and can be very beneficial. My routine works out the whole body and every week Oli adds a few new exercises with the minimal use of the machines. I am realizing that the gym is not only the machines and is open to any fitness level.
I am very happy to be a part of Fit 4 the Beach, but I wish I have noticed an immediate progress. I think I am slowly approaching one of my goals, improved cardio. I can run little longer than before, which makes me happy. Hopefully, after the six weeks of training, I will be set to continue my way to better posture and stamina.
Mariah Young, staff
I’m no stranger to the gym, but find it rather difficult to walk the five feet from my desk to the treadmill.
It’s been an uphill battle, figuratively and literally, trying to get into a routine. Life just seems to get in the way and makes it rather difficult to ‘find the time’ or ‘the energy’ to let loose on an X-Trainer. But I’m getting there.
I had my first PT session with Darius last Thursday and it took me approximately 48 hours to be able to climb a flight of stairs – without straining.
Darius has been an enormous help in motivating me. Just the odd email or Facebook post asking if I’ve worked out. It’s amazing how much a guilt trip can get you going.
Fit 4 the Beach has given me the structure I need to keep moving and to try new things. As much as it pains me, I absolutely love having a 1-2-1 session. It isn’t easy, pushes me beyond my usual routine and hurts. A lot.
I hope to kick it into high-gear in the next three weeks. This is far from over!
Fritha Hassell, staff
Week 1 – this was a bit of a washout thanks to a cold that took us both out, but at least I had some health snacks thanks to my weekly shopping lists from Sarah
Week 2 – creeping back to health and grateful for more healthy eating tips (but I will never eat dried meat!). Waiting for the wobbly thighs to catch up with my more toned arms though…
Week 3 – starting to see changes and even my husband is eating tofu! But I’m a bit cross that the lovely outfit I had for a wedding today is hanging off me 😉
But this morning my outlook changed a bit. It was tough, I’ve got a trapped nerve in my shoulder (my ‘thing’) which is agony and I didn’t really sleep properly because of it. I’d planned to have a workout however and with a busy life at the moment I knew I wouldn’t get another chance so I went, reluctantly. By the time I got to campus I’d decided to keep driving and come home, and then settled on just doing the cardio – but NO weights (it’s tough being a true gemini – the two of me argue in my head all the time!). Of course once I got going I managed to work through the whole programme. And far from making my shoulder worse I found the more I did the better it felt. I remembered Sarah’s article The purpose of exercise: ‘It is vital if we want to continue to function normally without risk of injury or disease.’
*lightbulb*
I’ll admit I was in this for the beach body – to rid myself of wobbly thighs and feel proud to wear a bikini on the beach. But it’s not about that anymore. I’m terrified of ‘falling apart’ as I get older and am determined to do what I can to avoid or delay it! In her article Sarah says ‘it’s your whole commitment to an all rounded better life’ and I like the sound of that far more than competing for the biggest thigh gap selfie!
So what I’m saying is, I’m converted, and there are moments I feel a bit like a lab rat but I’m starting to be as interested in my progress as Sarah clearly is – I can tell when she’s thought of something to try because she starts eyeing me up like a science project! So at the half way point I want to say thank you again for this, and for making a good match with Sarah and me.
Putting my epiphany aside, I do also have the happy side-effect that I am starting to look good too 😉
Naomi Evans, alumni
The last three weeks have been a challenge, but I am loving it! (Except the versa climber. There is no love for that.) There have been days where stairs became a serious risk as my legs did not want to support me, and a couple of slip ups on the healthy eating front, but I feel good and far more motivated than with anything I’ve done before. If I leave the gym having only done one class, I actually feel like a failure. (Probably the reason I keep hitting my online booking limit, oops). I even love my gym homework – hula hooping!
Jeni is one of my favourite people ever, I’m so happy she’s my trainer. Our training sessions are tough, but she’s a great motivator so I always manage to push harder when I normally would have given up. I just need to work on cheating less during squats and lunges…(sorry Jeni!).
I’ve even been introduced to ‘the pit’, which always seemed so intimidating but actually isn’t bad at all!
To find out how the intrepid Fit 4 the Beach participants progress through the rest of their journey, follow @UniKentSports on Facebook and Twitter.
If you want to find out how to achieve a healthy lifestyle, don’t hesitate to chat with members of the Kent Sport fitness team; and visit the Kent Sport website to find out about fitness consultations.