Why Personal Training has made the difference | #AD

Starting a fitness journey is actually quite a scary experience – when you are going from zero fitness to trying to get on board that fitness train it is quite daunting and I am sure that I am not the only one who feels this way. Well, today I am sharing what has happened to date and where I am at.

As you may remember I have spoken about getting fit here and here before on Floralesque well I think that this time when I mentioned it here – I have had a complete mind-set change. In the past, I jumped on the fitness bandwagon and then promptly fell back off it. For the very first time, I am genuinely am excited about it and feel like I can actually get there.

Three things I think have changed how I am looking at my lifestyle:

1. Seeing how happy my close friends are doing 5k’s, 10k’s and even full marathons – you can see the elation about finishing and although it looks torturous at times when they are doing it – there has to be the excitement before the race and also after celebrating to keep them going back.
2. I want to complete a few fitness challenges next year and have already signed up for them. I will discuss them in detail in a future post but needless to say, I am both excited and TERRIFIED 🙂
3. I started personal training with Jess from FITTSteps Training.

Jessica is the trainer behind FITTSteps and when she offered a ‘Blogger Bootcamp’ through the Into the West Blogger Network I thought sure why not apply for it – it was for 4-6 weeks of complimentary personal training and classes. It was very shortly after this post and to be honest, I thought it would be a good kick start to getting fitter. But what I didn’t expect was the impact that meeting her has had on all aspects of my life.

When I first met Jessica I was nervous – was she going to be a monster on a trainer that makes you do 100 burpees while balancing on a beam and throwing back the protein powder and only eat boiled eggs and spinach? Or would she be easy to work with and take into account my vegetarian needs? Well, thankfully it turns out that she is just amazing – and just makes you want to eat better and train.

So what happens at your first personal training sessions?

Well, of course, there are the dreaded measurements… with Jessica that included a check in on the scales and also measurements of hips, arms and thighs. This is not as bad as it sounds and to be honest probably took all of 3 minutes to complete. She is very non-judgemental and I find her quite easy to talk to which, to be honest I think is half the battle when trying to find a personal trainer.

Also, bear in mind – this is a starting point. If it all works out then you will not be back to where you are again. So don’t feel down when you see the numbers – feel positive – you won’t be seeing those numbers again.

The first training session is tough. I won’t lie – I looked like a tomato leaving the studio but I also felt weirdly accomplished – like this was the first proper step. And I have gone to other trainers before and normally I leave cursing at how sore I will be in the morning 🙂

During your first session, you do get pushed further than you normally would as your trainer needs to see what you can do, the weight that you can lift etc. That way she knows how far she can push you and what your limits are. At this stage – don’t be afraid to say to them that the weight is too heavy and ALWAYS tell them if something hurts – you should not be in pain while training (shaking muscles don’t count as being painful!).

What is the plan now?

Well, Jessica will kindly be training me for the next 4 weeks – I will be doing personal training with her as well as going to her classes. I am excited to share what classes she has on offer and what exactly happens in them with you. And on top of that, I will be swimming twice a week and doing some core work at home. None of this feels overwhelming and it also fits in with my busy lifestyle.

And I think that is key – that you work life, personal life and fitness life need to be able to balance all togeather. I like the flexibility of the classes and certainly with the PT sessions to be able to pick a time that suits both of us is great.

Results so far?

Well after 2 weeks of just focusing on stopping drinking fizzy drinks and cutting down on sweet treats as well as following Jessica’s diet guidelines – I am down 7.5 pounds! And I am delighted as I have not felt deprived or hungry and her food plan makes sense to me. It is not all boiled eggs and spinach – it focuses on proper, tasty food and although getting over the sugar crash was really difficult (more on that later) – I am feeling super positive about the next few weeks.

Jessica’s studio is based out in Craughwell, Galway and I can honestly say that if you are looking for a change then there is no better place to go. Jessica is inspiring but also honest which is sometimes just what you need. I would highly recommend that you check out her website for all details and Facebook as she posts some great motivational posts on her Facebook to help keep you on track.

Here is her current class timetable and I am looking forward to sharing my journey over the next few weeks on Floralesque!

** Update April 2018 **  this post is now considered Sponsored Content according to the new ASAI Guidelines and has been noted as #AD as required.