This is my story (well a snapshot really):
It’s fair to say I was a fairly active kid. I grew up playing outside, anything from hide and seek, climbing trees to street cricket ... if there was something going on, I wanted to be a part of it. I played netball, baseball, even gave ballet a crack, although that was fairly shortlived (I’ve never been a girly girl, and the tutus just weren’t me, plus I didn’t have the discipline or concentration span for it J )
It’s funny though, although I played sports I never saw myself as particularly good at them as I’ve got average coordination (as evidenced by anyone who saw me in my one and only step class participation). I kept at it though; I love to play even if I’m not the best on the field. I’m competitive by nature, and love to be outdoors.
As I grew older, I started to play squash with friends, then started playing touch footy. I played that for a few seasons and absolutely loved it, until I tore the meniscus in my knee, effectively sidelining me.
I’ve always had a customer service aspect to my jobs. I started at McDonald’s which instilled in me the work hard ethic. I moved on to the cinemas where I did everything from sell tickets, to clean cinemas, I even was a projectionist for a time, running up to 6 movies at a go! After being there for 8 years I moved on to IBM for a job in IT. I started off on the helpdesk, resetting passwords (turn the caps lock off people!), then into a project management office role, where I was a liaison between customers and vendors. I’d always wanted an office job, just to see what it was like, my very own desk and phone and computer, I thought man, that’d be the life!
It was at this point in my life that I found out what it was like to be at a desk for 8 hours a day. I had never really thought about my nutrition, and this combined with sitting on my backside each day, then going home and sitting on the lounge watching telly, brought about a few changes. Most noticeably I managed to put on 15kg over the space of a few years. I became unhappy with my body, unhappy with how I felt, how I looked, and started to have a more negative outlook on life, which not only affected me, but my home life. I started to think that this would be what my life would be like from now on.
Until one day I was watching the American version of The Biggest Loser. The main female trainer on there, Jillian Michaels, opened my eyes to what I was doing and what I was settling for. I saw her help people transform themselves, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. I wanted some of that action! This was only solidified when we got our own version of the show, and I saw Michelle Bridges do the same.
I joined a gym and got a personal trainer. It took a while for me to get started, for me to truly change my lifestyle, but once the switch had been flicked in my head, off I went. Healthy eating became the norm, I was exercising 5 days/week. I lost the 15kgs, and have been able to maintain a healthy weight now for a few years.
By this point, I’d had enough of the corporate lifestyle and desk job of IBM. It just didn’t suit my personality. I’d seen how much my life had changed from having a trainer and focusing on my health, and I wanted to pay it forward, help others do the same.
So, I completed my Cert III and Cert IV at AIF, chucked in my day job and became a trainer at Fitness First. I’ve been there for just over 14 months and am now looking to diversify, and embrace my love of outdoor fitness.
