Thin by Thirty

So I’m sure a few of you have been intrigued by the hash tags #thinby30 or #road2elite. This blog serves to clear up any confusion and to shed some first-hand feedback of the ‘journey’ thus far. I have always backed my ability to transform and bring out peoples innate abilities, but would I be able to make Keri Miller the A-list celebrity that her vibrant personality so obviously commanded… or further still would I be able to unleash the J-Lo within, waiting to burst out into song from a Miss Stacey Norman?! The proof is in the pudding – well in this case, the lack there of! I will be keeping you up to date with the THIN BY THIRTY journey and you can be the judge!

Before any program it is essential to set your desired goals. These have to be SMART (specific, measureable, attainable, reward-based and time frame). It is also essential to understand that a fitness program or regime is not a 4 or 12 week cycle, but rather a lifestyle choice. That is why I always accompany the assessment feedback with a Motivation for Continued Progression  article. After much laughter and a few ‘eeeks’ – Keri and Stacey’s goals were set in stone (only to be changed when I surpass their initial wishes). Flat stomach – tick, Stop smoking – tick, Goal weight – tick, Look like J-Lo…. Does better count???  

Here is a month 1 recap from Keri Miller

My name is Keri Miller, since I can remember I’ve struggled with my weight. It seems that my last 29 years have been filled with yo-yo diets, exercise fads and recently, spanx!

Women are prone to body issues, and I’m not exempt from this rule. In September this year I came to the realisation that I was going to be 30 in April. And I have gone through my youth, thus far, unhappy with my weight and uncomfortable in my clothes.

I had had enough. I roped in my friend, Stacey, and together we began our fitness challenge.

I have called my challenge: “ THIN BY 30”. This is my story… so far

It’s been 4 whole weeks since I first stepped into 180 Training. And in just 4 weeks, I have literally seen my life and body change.

I met Chris Seymour, and the dreaded kettlebell in the beginning of October this year. I sat down with Chris and before I knew it we were in a back room, I was on a scale, and he had callipers pinching my tummy fat. I wanted to die. Here’s this 8 packed machine of a man, literally playing with my fat. I was told that my body fat percentage was 34.87!! I was horrified. Surely not! Had I let myself go this much? Without a glance of judgment, or a negative word,  Chris took me back onto the gym floor and I had my first gym session there and then.

This is where I met the dreaded kettlebell, which I now refer to as the kettleb*tch. (But I’ll keep it clean for the purpose of this piece).  That was day 1.

On day 2 of my Thin By 30 adventure, I woke up more sore than I have ever been, ever! “How is it even possible?”, I thought to myself. I only did 30mins of gym yesterday. Two thoughts crossed my mind 1)How was I going to manage this? Was it going to be another fad I would quit after a week? And 2) wow, this guy is good! 30 mins and he hit all my muscle groups. Impressive.

I pushed myself, getting myself to the gym as often as I could. Once there, training was actually a pleasure, surprisingly. I started to love the group classes, k-blitz (kettlebells) and core-rectional (core training) became my Tuesday regular. Every other day I would train with Chris and he has this cool way of getting you to push yourself harder than you thought possible, 5 squats became 15, 2 push ups became 20, and the kettlebell was sworn at a little less each day.

In my second week, I stumbled upon the boxing class, and have found my new love. I can honestly say I have never enjoyed exercise as much as I do when I get to throw punches at the same man who makes me squat while holding a kettlebell. By now I think I can see a difference in my clothes but I don’t want to get my hopes up.

Week three arrives faster than I thought it would have, I haven’t missed a day and so far, so good. By the third week I can already feel my fitness levels have increased and as much as I’m not actually on a diet, I see how my eating has changed. My body is craving good foods and LOTS of water. I’m still too scared to go near a scale.

Week 4 arrives. I’m so nervous this week, it’s my first assessment on Friday. I know I’ve been training hard but it is hard enough? More than anything, I want this to be a new way of life for me, not a fad. I have never been in a gym environment in the past that was this positive and enjoyable. And I can promise you this much, I HAVE NEVER BEEN ONE WHO LIKED TO GO TO GYM. In fact, I could use the word, despise, when referring to most forms of exercise.

Assessment Friday finally arrived, and my nerves are just going off the wall. Chris has called me into the room to get my ‘fat’ assessed…. *holds breath*…

Keri, he says, Well Done.

you have lost…

7.71% BODY FAT!!!!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah…. I’m so happy I don’t even know what to say. I cannot believe that THIS has happened in just 4 weeks.

This weekend was one of the best weekends I have had in a  very long time. I am so proud of myself. And so incredible thankful to Chris and his team. But we still have a long road ahead of us… another 4 weeks and it’ll be assessment Friday no 2.

Hold thumbs (and kettlebells) for me…

Stacey’s month 1 recap to follow!