WellFit’s May 2013 Star Client Interview : Adam!

Our WellFit Personal Training Star Interview for May is Adam.

What an AWESOME success story!!!

1. What is a typical day for yourself?
   I wouldn’t really say I have a “typical” day, as it varies depending on what day of the week it is. I probably have 3 typical days each week though:
   1.  Weekday, with a group training session:
      I get up at about 7am, and eat breakfast straight away. Then once I’ve packed my food for work for the day I will drive to work for a 9am start. I work at a computer all day every day, so there isn’t much of a story to tell for this part. Then at 5pm I will drive straight to the gym from work for my group training session. After that, I go home and eat dinner at around 7pm, after which I will sit on the lounge and watch TV until about 9:30pm, and then go to bed and read for about 30 minutes before going to sleep.
   2. Weekday, without a group training session:
      There are only potentially 2 changes here from a day with a group training session. If the weather is fine, I will ride the bike to and from work (12km each way). If it is raining, I will drive between work and home, but I will do an hour workout with some free weights and a gym mat after dinner.
   3. Weekend:
      I don’t generally plan what is going to happen on a weekend, so I could end up shopping, or I could end up at a friend or family member’s house, or I might just stay home and watch movies or play games. Regardless of whichever one of these happens, I always set aside about an hour to go for a run on my own on at least 1 day, generally early morning about 30 minutes after breakfast (unless it’s raining, in which case I do another indoors workout at home), and an hour to go for a walk with my wife on the other day.

In terms of my eating, I try to keep that as consistent as possible, regardless of which day it is. I always eat breakfast as soon as I get up, and it is always 2 Weet Bix with ½ a cup of Lite Milk. Then for morning tea, I will have a piece of fruit between 10-10:30am. Lunch is always a Mountain Bread wrap with some deli meat, tomato, cheese and pepper, which I eat between 12:30-1pm. Afternoon tea will be either another piece of fruit, or perhaps some yoghurt or 2 Vita-Wheats, which I have between 3:30-4pm. Dinner is generally about 7pm, and varies every night to keep things interesting.

1. How long have you been consistent with a healthier lifestyle?
   I have maintained my healthier lifestyle ever since I signed up to WellFit 4 months ago.
2. What was the moment when you decided that you wanted to change your lifestyle?
   I made the decision to change my lifestyle after attempting to lose weight for the entire year of 2012 and basically failing. I kept seeing small results, but then something would change and all of my hard work would be undone. I was attempting to lose weight for my wedding in March 2013, so when it got to the start of 2013 and nothing had changed in 12 months, I decided it was time to seek some help.
3. What were some of your challenges at first?
   My main challenge was the change in diet. I was already a fairly active person when I signed up to WellFit, so the exercise wasn’t a challenge for me, I just didn’t eat well. I’m not saying I didn’t struggle with the exercises that I was given, but it certainly wasn’t a challenge for me to remain motivated to go to the gym or do extra workouts at home on my days off.
4. What do you notice has changed about the way you go about your day?
   There is a lot more consistency in my every day now. I virtually eat off a timetable now, rather than snacking when I get a bit hungry. I also no longer find it tedious to count the calories of everything I eat, nor do I find it necessary for most meals, just the foods that I don’t eat very often. I also find myself looking for an excuse to get a bit more active every day, to the point where I actually feel a bit guilty if I don’t do any exercise for a day (even if my body hasn’t had a rest for 2 weeks or more).
5. What are some of your favourite meals?
   If I had to choose 3 meals, they would be:
   1. Curried Vegetables:
      Potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, broccoli, peas and corn kernels all boiled in a saucepan, then combined with a curry sauce and served on their own on a plate.
   2. Corned Beef:
      Cooked in brown vinegar and water, with a couple of cloves, and served with an assortment of boiled and/or baked vegetables, and sometimes with a bit of gravy over the top.
   3. Chicken Parmigiana:
      Cooked with chicken breast instead of chicken schnitzel (as a healthier option), and served with various baked and/or boiled vegetables.
   4. How do you maintain a balance in your lifestyle?
      There are a couple of key factors that have helped me maintain the balance in my lifestyle:
      1. Having the option of riding to work has probably been the biggest contributing factor. It allows me to get my daily exercise on a day when I don’t have a gym session, and then I get to spend quality time with my wife in the evenings rather than using that time after dinner to do some exercise.
      2. I don’t sleep in on weekends. This actually has 2 benefits that I’ve found. It helps to maintain the consistency in my eating and sleeping habits throughout the week, and it also allows me to fit in an early morning run before my wife has even woken up, hence giving us the rest of the day together to do whatever we want to do.
      3. Maintaining balance has been made a lot easier by the fact that my wife supports everything that I am doing. She is eating healthier with me, meaning she has made plenty of sacrifices just like I have, and she also exercises with me occasionally when I do a workout at home or go for a walk, hence combining activity time and social time.
      4. What advice would you give to someone that is inconsistent with their results and habits?
         I would probably give 4 pieces of advice. These are the things that helped me change my exercise and nutrition habits for the better:
         1. Never tell yourself that you can’t do it, or that it’s too hard, or that you aren’t motivated enough. Saying these words will only make you start to believe them, which will in turn affect your behaviours and habits accordingly. Telling yourself these things makes the problem seem like it’s out of your control, when in actual fact it is perfectly within your control. Realising this helps you become more consistent, as you begin to make the right choices to help you achieve your goals more often.
         2. Changing an old habit and/or starting a new one is not easy. It takes some very hard work to turn a new behaviour into a persistent habit. The hardest part is actually getting things started, but once you have achieved this, building momentum in the right direction becomes easier. So don’t give up because it got too hard, otherwise you will never make it. It’s supposed to be hard. Pushing through this will help you become more consistent in the long term.
         3. Always have a backup plan. This way if your regular routine doesn’t work out as planned, you won’t be thrown off track. For example, as I have said earlier, I ride to work some days, but if the weather doesn’t allow me to ride, I know I’ll have the time that night to do a workout at home. Or if I can’t get to the gym on my regular day for whatever reason, I always know I can go on Saturday morning to make up for it, as I never make a plan for 8am on a Saturday morning in case I do miss a weekday gym session.
         4. The last piece of advice I would give is to make yourself accountable to someone other than yourself. It is a lot harder to let someone else down than it is to let yourself down. This may be a gym buddy, or your partner, or a personal trainer. Just someone who will see you on a regular basis and can make sure that you are still remaining consistent, and who you have to answer to if you’re not.

          

         WellFit Personal Training would like to thank Adam for being a fantastic client and congratulate him on his continued success into the future!

         We would love the opportunity to share your journey with you too, giving you life balance and achieving your personal goals. We pride ourselves not only on the results we deliver, but we aim to bring REAL happiness to our clients in the process.

         For a Free 1 hour consultation (inc. a 30 min. private training session), contact us today.