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So, my alarm is set for 6.45am, I have a new pair of workout leggings (had to be done) and I am feeling motivated! It doesn’t happen often so this was pleasing. When the alarm first tore me from slumber, my body’s first reaction was a resounding “nooooooooooooo!” but I ignored it and rolled out of bed and into my very comfy leggings. The house was quiet which was unusual and I enjoyed a peaceful cuppa before logging on, nervously, to my first session. Just seeing Jo’s smiling face and hearing her say “Good morning, good morning, Facebook LIVE!” immediately made me smile. And you know what? It was ok! I didn’t feel like I was going to collapse and nor did I feel like I needed to lie down afterwards. The opposite in fact. I felt light on my feet and full of energy. The kids were completely confused by my bright and breezy disposition at 7.45 and looked at me suspiciously as if to say “Who are you and what have you done with my mother?!”
And so it continued, I found myself actually LOOKING FORWARD to working out – yes really. Every workout is slightly different meaning that it never gets boring, and there are always various different options to certain exercises so you can choose the right level for you. That’s definitely one of the things I love about this course, is that it feels very personal to ME. I get to see and feel what works better with my various joint ailments (RSI in right elbow and shoulder from photography, dodgy knee from tearing a ligament 7 years ago, stiff spine from a car accident in 2007 etc), and if one of them is playing up I know I will still get a huge benefit from doing the classes without making anything worse. I now have various kettle bells, hand weights and activation bands in my possession – which still amazes me to be honest!
For me this wasn’t completely about eating differently -I just thought I needed to eat less – what came as a nice surprise was that I was so inspired by everyone else in the group posting pictures of their delicious, nutrition packed food on our group chat that I couldn’t help but be motivated to join in. With Jo’s course there is no “bad” food, nothing off limits, because it’s all about finding out what your body likes and doesn’t like, what fills you full of energy as opposed to feeling bloated and lethargic. With her helpful talks on everything from hormones to holistic therapy, and loads of nutritional information which comes in little pre-recorded Facebook posts – so it never feels like information overload, I have found myself eating healthier and healthier! I’ve discovered that my body is not a huge fan of gluten or milk. I used to drink gallons of the white stuff thinking it was good for me but these days I just have a drop in my tea, but a latte is a definite no no! I still have granola in the morning, but I make it myself in a big batch and it tastes sooo much nicer it’s a complete no brainer, and I have it with coconut and almond milk. It’s delicious and fills me right up.
The main benefit for me, apart from the increased energy, is that I feel more in control. If I really want a pizza, I have one, I just know that I will feel like I’ve swallowed a football for a good few hours afterwards! And I now have it with a big salad, which means I eat less pizza and I know I am getting some good nutrition in there which will please my inner self. And that’s what the focus is on – it’s absolutely not a diet of any kind, it’s just about finding ways to pack as much nutrition into my day as possible. The effect being that I don’t get starving at 10.30 anymore and have to reach for the biscuits because I am still quite nicely full thank you!
Now I am not saying I have turned into some fitness, healthy-eating goddess who leaps out of bed in the morning and only eats highly nutritious food because that really is not the case. Only this morning I had a cheeky sausage roll when I met with a friend, but the difference is that in the past I would have thought “Well I’ve ruined it now I may as well have the cake too”, whereas for the rest of today I will only eat highly nutritious food – and not because I feel I have to, but because I WANT to – my stomach has that familiar post-gluten heaviness and all I want to eat is the good stuff. If you’d told me, I would say this a year ago I would have laughed in your face, but there we are. And it’s all down to Jo. She is so very supportive, on a personal as well as group level, and she makes it FUN. And she is just a normal working mum like me, so I can really relate to her, rather than having some super fit pumped-up ab-ridden goddess who only consumes tofu and vegetables which would just make it all feel very unattainable.
As I said in my last blog, I don’t weigh myself anymore because I know how easy it would be to fall down that slippery slope, but my clothes fit better, they don’t scare me, and I don’t feel the need to undo my top trouser button of an evening. And more importantly, I FEEL so much better. And people have started to comment – the friend I met this morning said “wow, you look amazing!” which as you can imagine gave me the most wonderful inner glow.
I worried that once the world opened up again, I would struggle to fit in the classes as I often have to start very early if I am photographing a nursery, but that’s the beauty of it – if you can’t do it live, you can catch up on Facebook whenever suits. I didn’t think I would have the energy to do a workout after a nursery shoot as photographing 100 toddlers is quite frankly exhausting, but actually I now feel less exhausted afterwards and I know that if a I do a workout it will stop by back seizing up the next day! I have the biggest smile on my face when Jo says “What are you?....YES you are AMAZING!”
I am now on my 8th season of ‘Lift Lean’, it doesn’t feel like a hassle or a chore because I know just how much benefit I get from doing this course. So, I will not be giving up any time soon.
If any of this resonates with you, do give Jo’s courses a try. You can be anywhere in the world – we recently had someone join from Portugal – as it is all online. To read more, click here:
I would love to see you there!