On the 14th of March this year I had my first personal training session with Anthony. I regularly go to the gym and although at the time was pleased with my workout programme I thought I needed a point in the right direction with my abdominal exercises and a little encouragement. I’d already explained this to Anthony over the phone so when I arrived at the gym we were able to get straight into my workout.
Anthony demonstrated 3 different exercises he thought would suit me and which he thought would achieve the results I was looking for, he explained each one and explained how they all worked a different part of the abdominal muscles which needs to be done to complete the look I was aiming for and to create a strong core. Anthony told me I needed to do these exercises 2-3 times a week to achieve my results. I honestly thought I probably would not stick to it, as I’m usually quite lazy with abs.
In the first week I did the exercises and found them quite difficult but as the next few weeks went by I’d got my technique perfect and started noticing a big difference. I could feel how strong my core muscles had become. Anthony regularly asked me if I was getting on ok and always gave me lots of support. On one particular occasion I asked Anthony why some days my stomach felt very lean and trim and other days I felt very swollen and bloated, Anthony told me this could be because of my diet and asked what my diet was like. I told him I was very embarrassed because it was so bad, I told him that I seriously thought I’d got a sugar addiction as I constantly craved sweet things and that I was eating a 400g chocolate bar every day and sometimes I even had to get up in the night to eat chocolate! I explained how I did not sleep very well and that I often woke up feeling very groggy, I thought he would burst out laughing but he told me this was quite common with my current eating habits and that I just needed to understand more about nutrition and what works best for my body.
On the 4th of April Anthony gave me a questionnaire to fill in about my lifestyle and eating habits and asked me to be completely truthful. It took me a few days to complete the questionnaire as I had to answer how certain meals made me feel etc, I gave the completed questionnaire back to him and we made an appointment to discuss my results and the plan of action.
On the day of my appointment Anthony had put together for me a file of my results which he had worked out from my answers, he talked me through it and explained why I had been feeling like I had been and why introducing the foods he was suggesting would make me feel better, sleep better and would stop the constant fluctuation in my weight. Anthony told me I needed to increase my protein and cut down on carbohydrates and processed food and start getting the correct ratios of nutrients at each meal time as instructed in my file. This he said would balance out my blood sugar levels and stop me feeling hungry all the time and craving chocolate. I must admit I was not convinced I loved chocolate and could not imagine going a day without it but I was determined to give it a try I completely trusted Anthony.
The first few days were very difficult as I’m not fond of meat or fish which are big providers of protein and I don’t eat eggs but Anthony had given me a very extensive list of many different types of proteins which I experimented with and Anthony told me not to eat anything I did not enjoy so it became much easier than I first anticipated and within as little as a week I felt like a new woman. I felt lean and strong and I slept better and also felt wide awake and fresh in the mornings. Even my hairdresser said my hair is in the best condition it’s ever been in!
I truly believe that Anthony completely changed my attitude towards the way I look after myself and he’s certainly changed my life around for the better!
Becky S
Barnsley Personal Training Gym 