"I found strength which I never knew existed and confidence which I never had." - Hayley

I’m 26 years old and live in Aberdeen. I recently moved here from my family home in Aberdeenshire. I love cooking and one of my favourite things to do is to have friends over, cook them a meal and spend time together.

I have been overweight for the majority of my life. I had been experiencing lower back pain for a while, even after going for a short walk. I was at the nurse one day for a routine check-up and what she said wasn’t good. I knew I was overweight, but my blood pressure was sky high and my BMI was through the roof.  This was the moment I knew I had to do something. 

The thought of going to a gym scared me.

I’ve generally been quite adventurous and have tried lots of different foods, but I think it was portion control that was the issue for me and I tended to snack a lot during the day. I attended a weight loss induction at PureGym. I met my now Personal Trainer, David, there and he was very helpful in helping me figure out ways of getting started.

When I first started I trained a couple of days a week

At the height of my journey, I was attending the gym five plus times a week. I’ve had to take some time away from the gym for family reasons over the past few months, so I’m looking forward to getting back to the gym and into my routine again. I love the aerobics classes and the circuit based classes. Anything that makes me sweat! 

Classes are great fun and a good way to kick-start your week.

My PT, David, has been absolutely amazing. He’s made me realise what I am capable of if I push myself. He’s helped me find strength I never knew existed, a confidence which I never had, and a desire to try new things at the gym. He certainly puts me through my paces, but it’s great to have someone pushing you to achieve your goals.

Leg day is my favourite day of the week, and my proudest moment so far has been achieving to parallel squat 110kg. 

My advice for people looking to lead a healthier lifestyle

• Find what’s right for you and don’t be afraid to try new things! 
• Recognise that sometimes, life gets in the way and sometimes it's out of your control. 
• Take the time you need to find your feet and start again when it's right for you.

Since starting at PureGym I have lost roughly five and a half stone

My friends and family have all said that they notice a positive change in me. Shopping for clothes is also so much easier! I’ve tried several techniques with my diet, including carb cycling, but what I’ve found now is that I'm still enjoying the same foods I ate before, just in moderation. I’m a big foodie and I love to cook, so I knew cutting out foods completely would be a no-no! Everything in moderation! 

My top tips for losing weight

• Try not to focus too much on what the scales say - focus more on how you are feeling. 
• Plan out your meals. Where weight loss has worked best for me is when I have a plan. 
• Finally, you still need to enjoy life, so have a balance that works for you!

I’ve made some great friends through the gym 

We all work together to get us to the end of our workouts. Having someone to go with definitely helps. I have found that my motivation dips if I don’t go with someone.

My advice to those struggling with their fitness goals

There is always tomorrow! If today didn’t happen, just try, try again! Start small, even if it's just introducing 10 minutes a day. We all have a spare 10 minutes a day, so fill it with something that gets you moving!

Running has always been a dreaded task for me, so my next challenge is to learn to love it and maybe this year take part in a 5k...maybe even a 10k!

 

How will you bring your incredible in 2018?

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