Fitness and health has impacted my life in more ways than I ever expected.
I needed to make a change after the loss of my beautiful mum to cancer.
As well as this, I was having to recover from surgery to my lower back after a serious work place accident had caused paralysis down my right leg.
Things happen in your life, that put life into perspective and give it a renewed sense of meaning and purpose. Until things go wrong you don’t always realise this, and then something happens to you that makes you take a long hard look at yourself!
For me it made me realise how my health, energy, vitality and wellbeing are the back bone of my life and existence!
It was important for me to make my health and wellbeing a priority in my life. I needed too, especially at this point. At this time I was overweight, unhappy, grieving the loss of my mum, went through a long term relationship broke down separating and my ex partner committed suicide.
Through this pain I realised I couldn’t afford for my mind, body or spirit to break down through my actions. The price of neglecting my own health and wellbeing was too high. I was miserable, I knew now was the time to make a change. To step up, make myself a priority. To find myself and most importantly to find happiness within myself.
I realised no one can make me happy. I needed to make myself happy and that only comes from within me!
I decided to join a gym. I needed a gym and I paid for a personal trainer. To help with my rehabilitation after my back surgery as well as changing my mindset and helping me to achieve some real personal goals.
I decided to take action and make myself a priority and to live life by mum’s values after she left us. Look after myself first before I turned my attention on anything or anyone else.
My initial goal was to lose weight. I didn’t have a number in mind, all I wanted was to look in the mirror and to be happy with what I saw within myself. A specific number on the scale couldn’t define as a person. What mattered most was how I viewed myself. I knew I was never going to be a Victoria’s Secret model. That’s not what I was after. I just wanted to feel good & most importantly be happy!
I started to build my life around the things that allowed me to feel happier, more positive and energized about life. The gym and training delivered that for me. Everyday I would wake up, work on my own wellbeing and that meant going to the gym.
My main challenge when it came my health was finding time and believing I was capable of achieving this. I needed to nurture my mind, body & spirit.
Having a personal Trainer and exercising everyday, sometimes twice a day made me change my values, it made me accountable & it gave me the discipline to make my health, and subsequent well being and happiness my number one priority.
Making money, going to work looking after my dad it all feel a distant second or third. I came to the realisation that I was of no use to anyone until I could give myself this time. Giving myself time to grieve and look after myself was what I needed to do. I just needed to give myself time everyday to change a few simple habits, get into a new routine, and these helped me feel stronger, better and more connected within myself.
The experiences, challenges & special humans I have met along the way has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I never thought I would be this happy again. Fitness & health has given me so much more than I could ever have imagined.
The challenges I have faced over these times haven’t been easy but it was definitely life changing. Events that I participated in were well beyond my expectations of what I thought I could ever do.
😀 Losing weight becoming happy with myself
💪🏼 Completing in PowerLifting comps for 3 years
🏋️♀️ Doing my CrossFit comp
🏃♀️ Spartan Races
👟 Fun runs & City2Surf
👣 35km bloody long walk
🏊♀️ Ocean water swim and Aquathon
I’m the fittest I’ve ever been in my life. I’ll be the big 40 this year, it makes me so proud to feel happy & healthy on the inside and out. Our health is a gift to yourself, money can’t even buy.
I’ve realigned my values, for me now to be successful means that I am fit, healthy, energised and positive.
This is now where I’ve found my calling in life. I feel like it is now my obligation to give this gift of fitness & health back to others so it can help them in mind, body and spirit. I’m a personal trainer now and being able to assist others in achieving this same level of happiness that I have found makes me excited and is certainly one of the reasons I get so much joy from what I am lucky enough to do every day, help others become the best version of themselves!
To find out about how you too can be inspired by coaches like Jen who are passionate about helping you be your best, get IN TOUCH with our team