Maureen lost almost 10kg and half her body fat with ATP Personal Training, and learned to love cooking along the way!
Maureen needed something positive to focus her energy on. She understood that joining ATP would mean some strict time management as well as juggling work and social time, but she committed to the process and the results speak for themselves! We spoke to Maureen about her amazing transformation:
Why did you first start out at ATP Personal training?
Two of my friends were clients actually and had been going through the program themselves over the past year. Seeing their progress, I asked them “what are you doing to look so good?”
In the beginning when they told me about it I kept thinking “that’s too much for me, I don’t need to go that extreme in order to reach my goals,” and wanted to do it by myself. But even though I was working out regularly, I never seemed to get the results that I wanted in the gym. Therefore, I eventually signed up and realised it wasn’t extreme at all.
Which old habit did you feel made the biggest difference to your lifestyle when you changed it?
Changing what I ate was challenging, especially as I was never into cooking at all. It took a couple of weeks to get into my new routine, from buying the right groceries, to monitoring my food and making the time to cook it 3 times a day. It isn’t about ‘finding’ the time, you have to ‘make’ the time. It’s so easy to eat out, but then you really don’t know what is going in the meals you eat and it’s often loaded with extra calories.
How did the lifestyle focused D.N.A coaching (Daily Routine, Nutrition, Activity) help you reach your goals?
I think finding my daily routine was the most important thing for me. At first it felt strange, organising my job around the gym and preparing my meals, but it turned out to be doable and actually made me establish some new priorities, like arranging fewer late-night work calls so that I could ensure I got enough quality sleep.
How has your life changed since signing up with ATP Personal Training?
Before I joined ATP, I had been working out for years, doing both weights and cardio, but I always felt a little intimidated to walk into the free weights section of a commercial gym. Working with my ATP Coach has taught me how to do everything with the correct form – it took a while, but now I feel confident to be able to walk into any gym’s weights room and train, which feels great.
The other huge difference that my friends have noticed is that now I voluntarily cook dinner, which never would have happened before!
“Mindset wise it's given me the push I needed to turn my initial goal into a lifestyle I'm proud of and that I can sustain.”
What has changed from day one to today, in terms of fitness, mindset, physique and health?
I’ve seen a big improvement in all areas. I’ve lost almost 10kg and my body fat is down to 16% from 27%. I have a lower resting heart rate and much better quality sleep, and I’m now able to run faster and for longer than I have in years. Those are of course just numbers, and I also feel like I have a lot more energy overall, and feel healthier. Mindset wise it’s given me the push I needed to turn my initial goal into a lifestyle I’m proud of and that I can sustain forever.
What has surprised you about the process?
I never realised how important a lot of the smaller factors were, like drinking enough water, getting my daily steps in and making sure I aim for 8 hours of sleep at night. Adapting to this new routine was a challenge that I didn’t expect! While I was learning to build my daily routine I found I was quite antisocial, as thinking about food and exercise was taking up any free time I had. But I loved that I could see the direct impact my efforts had on my body and mindset. I felt good when other people noticed changes in my appearance too.
I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the speed at which I saw my body change too, although perhaps what surprised me more than anything was that I somehow made time to cook 3 times a day!
“I had always thought going to the gym was such a chore, but now it has become an important (and enjoyable) part of my day and I feel more energized when I do it.”
Maureen’s top 5 tips for success with ATP Personal training:
- “Find your own routine when it comes to grocery shopping and cooking and stick to it. Consistency is key!”
Whatever you choose it is so important to settle into a clear routine. This might mean scheduling a weekly shop on the weekend and arranging a top up delivery midweek.
- “Find lower calorie substitutes for things you really enjoy (such as soy or bean-based pasta).”
You don’t have to give up on flavours or textures that you really enjoy, with a bit of effort you will be able to to find lower calorie equivalents for most items.
- “Go for a walk during telephone/ Internet meetings when you don’t need to present anything.”
Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) is one of the largest contributors to your daily calorie output. Boost this by being more mindfully active throughout the day.
- “A small treat a day will keep your spirits high and will help stop you from overeating at a later stage.”
Lose the all or nothing mentality around food. Don’t demonise food groups and individual foods, the chances are that this mindset will lead to sporadic, uncontrolled overconsumption.
- “Don’t underestimate the difference that drinking enough water and getting enough sleep can make.”
Focus on getting the basics right and you’ll feel so much better. Sleep and Hydration are two of the biggest levers that you can pull on a fat loss diet, they’re also very simple and the cost nothing.
*Results will vary from individual to individual
**Results are based on each client’s circumstances.
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