I’ve been heavily overweight pretty much all my life – save for a brief portion of my early-mid 20’s where I spent 2-3 hours a day at the gym 6/7 days a week; I needed that much exercise just to counter my eating habits. Given I don’t have that kind of time these days with all the other commitments I have I’m pretty resigned to the fact that I’ll never be near an ideal weight. I’ve tried the diets, I’ve tried the meal plans, I’ve tried the meal replacement shakes – yeah they all work, I can shed kilo’s easily on them – but they never last and inevitably my love of the wrong kinds of food put me back where I began.
I don’t see myself as the poster-guy for success at a gym because my weight is still a struggle, but what I do get out of my relationship with the team at Transition is a vastly improved fitness level that’s allowing me to do things I would have never thought possible.
I did the 4K HBF run for a reason last year in just over 24 minutes – a time I could never have imagined was possible. I’m going to do it again this year but will be carrying my 6yo son on my shoulders this time.
I did the 5K swan valley mudfest with my dog last year – which I’ll probably do again this year.
I became a member of the fire and rescue service which is not something I could have imagined being possible 18-24 months ago yet here I am, an active firefighter with the energy to get through the tough jobs and keep up with the rest of the team.
I’m now a regular blood donor – where previously my lack of fitness ruled me out due to blood pressure and a high resting heart rate.
Most importantly I’m able to run around and play with my son – not just sit on the side-lines and tell him to play by himself because I don’t have the energy or fitness to keep up.
Although I have not achieved an ideal weight, Luke, Rachael and the team have done me a huge service by giving me back a life to enjoy. I may not paint the perfect before and after photo but I still got the results that I really needed – and I don’t think any photo can show that.