Linda’s Story

Linda says that finding Lifestyle changed her life!

When we are in the process of changing ourselves for the better, the ‘before’ picture is not necessarily what people want to dwell on. It’s a reminder of what we’d perhaps prefer to forget. I have a different attitude: I don’t EVER want to forget that picture. It keeps me grounded and accountable but it also reminds me of how far I’ve come.

The person I used to be had no energy, no motivation and no desire to participate in anything more strenuous than watching TV. I had moved to Wellington from Sydney and, aside from my Kiwi husband, I was pretty much alone. I missed my family, I had a fairly mundane and sedentary job and I was miserable. Food was familiar, easy and available. I had moments when I wanted to lose weight and I’d start a diet or go walking – but these were pretty much solo tasks; no-one to diet with, no-one to exercise with (except an occasional walking buddy), and no-one to push, encourage or guide me. It was easy to find excuses and to rationalise NOT doing the right thing. The pattern repeated: yo-yo dieting and ineffective exercise.

About five or six years ago I joined Lifestyle. I had been heavier, but when I joined I still weighed around 85-90kg. Even then I didn’t ‘get it’. I thought the gym was a quick-fix solution, and that this diet and exercise regimen would occur over a finite period of time and then all my problems would be solved.

Then something shifted in my thinking. I realised it was about so much more than losing weight. Until that hit me, I was never going to reach my goal: not simply to lose weight, but to be fit and healthy. I was getting fit for the first time in my life and it felt great.

The name says it all; ‘Lifestyle’. It has to be a way of life. Before joining Lifestyle I peaked at just under 94kg. I ate vast quantities of the wrong foods, I had no energy, I had very few friends in NZ, I had no social life, I had never competed in a sporting event, and I was deeply unhappy. Not long after I joined Lifestyle I developed a love of the group exercise classes, particularly Ride and Muscle Express, even though I found them physically a huge challenge. I loved the social aspect of group exercise and made lots of friends, and my husband saw the change in me and he joined Lifestyle too.

With the help and guidance of the group exercise instructors, plus the Results Based Trainers in both personal training and team training such as Drop a Dress Size and BoxSquad, over the past 5 years I have not only reached my initial goal of losing lots of weight, but I have also competed in several cycling and running events including a duathlon, I do a 10km run most weeks, and perhaps most surprisingly (to me), I quit my ‘day job’ to study personal training and I now work as a Fitness Consultant at Lifestyle. It says something about my experience here that it inspired me to retrain for a career in fitness. I’m going home to Sydney early next year where I’ll further my studies as a Personal Trainer, but for the first time in forever I love my work and I have made so many wonderful friends here.

When I meet new members struggling to lose weight and get fit, I can look them in the eye and say “I’ve been where you are”. I hope my experience helps them, and maybe even encourages them, knowing that I understand what a struggle it can be. Come and say “hi” next time you see me in the gym. I’d love to meet you if I haven’t already.

Linda Head