I have achieved so much

julie_richardsonI hit 40 and noticed that my life dynamics had changed; my daughter was at an age where I was not needed 7/24, my husband worked shifts, so there were times when I was just twiddling my thumbs.  Secondly, the organisation which I work for ran a health and wellness clinic, and my cholesterol reading came back to high.  This was a surprise to me, as I thought I had quite a healthy diet, although I didn’t do any exercise – along came Club Zest.   I later discovered through attending one of Club Zest’s slimming programmes, that my diet wasn’t that healthy at all.  At the end of my programme I knew what I should and shouldn’t be eating, and guess what, it wasn’t a diet, I just needed to understand food, hence a healthy eating programme.

I had attended gyms in the past but never stuck them out. I either got bored or felt that the gym I had chosen was not for me, although I could never put my finger on why that was.  I then heard of Club Zest, an all ladies gym.  Club Zest provided me with an option to sign up for classes or attend the gym.  This option was definitely what I needed, as sometimes at the end of a long day I don’t always have the motivation to do a gym routine, but I know if I am signed up for a class, it firstly means I will go, and secondly the class trainer always gets the best out of me – they are excellent motivators.

Through Club Zest I have achieved so much:

  • I now participate in running races – before I joined Club Zest I would have never thought I could run, never mind enter races; I started slowly, I could only run for 2 minutes at a time, and that wasn’t easy; but I gradually built my time up with the help of my assigned trainer; I received an assessment every 8 weeks and each time they upped my goal, little tinkers!  But they knew I could push myself further, and yes they were right,  I have never looked back;
    • Social Life – I have had the opportunity to meet some inspirational people.  People who have shown me that life is for living, and through exercise you have a lot more energy to fulfil your goals and dreams.  I have also made some wonderful friends, people I would never have come into contact with if I had not been a member of Club Zest.   We regularly meet up to let our hair down.  We go out for some great meals. On those days I work extra hard so I can have a wonderful desert – my weakness, banoffee pie and carrot cake!  Guess what, my cholesterol is now down to an all time low even after the wonderful deserts;
    • Charity Work – Club Zest provides you with the opportunity to be part of organised charity events.  We have just completed a charity bike ride.  I had not been on a bike since I was 16, but not only did I finish the race, which was a personal challenge, but I loved the experience.  But I could not have done this without the support of the Club Zest staff and their members.

If I was to ask myself, “Do I have any regrets about joining Club Zest” then if I was being truthful I would have to say yes.   I wished I had joined Club Zest a lot sooner!”  I am healthier, more confident about myself, and like I mentioned above have made some great friends,  So don’t make the same mistake as me, join sooner rather than later, don’t miss out like I did. And yes, I now know why I didn’t stick to those gyms prior to Club Zest, I didn’t feel like I quite fitted in, as I don’t like lycra, I like the fact that it’s all girls, and everyone is so supportive and friendly and the staff cannot do enough for you. Hope to see you soon!