I joined the David Lloyd in December 2007,
having just found out that I was pregnant with my second child. The obvious
choice would have been to not join a new club given my situation and not
knowing whether I would be able to justify the membership. However, I was
encouraged by the sales rep at the club to get in the hands of a personal
trainer and work out at a slower pace, ensuring I would not take any risks on
overdoing my training. This convinced me and I was keen to discover the likes
of being taken care of by a professional trainer.
I was introduced to Julia and explained my
situation to her. She immediately took on board my needs, my weak points and
above all made me feel very comfortable with her. I have always been keen on
keeping fit, though I never knew my true potential till she pushed me and
encouraged me to try out workouts that I never imagined I was capable of doing.
During my whole pregnancy she guided me so
smoothly that at times I never even thought I was pregnant. Once I started to
get heavier we slowed down my pace and started working on stretching more and
getting a more mental preparation for the time of birth. During my fourth month
I suffered an asthma crisis when travelling abroad and I came back with a fair
amount of fear in my mind, questioning if it was safe to continue working out.
Julia approached this fear very cautiously and explained to me it was entirely
up to me and we could take it slowly without any pressure.
I went on training till I remember one day, now
almost in my eighth month she told me that I had lasted this long at the gym
thanks to my dedication and perseverance. I would like to add to that her words
of encouragement and a unique way to always make me feel like I was making
progress, even on my worst days.
Once my daughter was born, she suddenly took
reigns of my body and we both realised how much work needed to be done.
Undoubtedly I did feel energetic, only thanks to the fact that I had not
stopped for 9 months, but as she would say “you need to feel like you are at a
level of 9/10 now”. During my pregnancy we never crossed 5 or 6/10. I
understood at this point how tactfully she had managed to keep me within the
safe realms of realistic fitness standards for a pregnant woman. Her upmost
concern at all times had been the baby!
We commenced with body pump classes at 7.30am,
which was the only time of the day I could give to the gym then with a new born
who I was nursing. Looking back I don’t know how I even found the motivation to
come to the gym so early on such cold mornings. During my time with Julia she
actually discovered that I may need to wear insoles as I had a tendency to
injure my knees caused by incorrect treading of my feet on the ground. This
changed my life as I realised I could do so much more once my knees and feet
stopped hurting as much.
With time we brought back my cardio levels and
within less than a year after giving birth I was running and actually
considering mini marathons. I give most of the credit to Julia, again for her
constant push and silent dedication she gave to me, even during group classes.
As time has gone by I have discovered a fitness
level in me which cannot be matched to anything I have ever felt in my whole
life. I am 32 years old but feel like I am in my 20s. Julia has turned my life
around a full 180ºC .
After this pregnancy it’s not just the weight loss I have valued but more the
energy and vitality I have gained. This has enabled me to run two races, attend
spinning classes and do advanced Pilates with an ease I cannot explain! The
treadmill has become my best friend and going to the gym has become a drug
which I actually miss when I let go for more than a week. Julia finds
innovative workouts for me to follow and I never get bored of them.
People ask me where I find the time to go to
the gym with two children to take care of, a home to manage and work part time.
I have learnt in the last two years that you are nothing if your health is not
with you. Being in the hands of a trainer has given me my health back and
bettered my quality of life. Despite having a background of asthma I have
learnt that such obstacles simply need to be controlled and not allow them to
control you.
In simple terms I consider my personal trainer
an investment which has given me high returns without any extra interest or
risks incurred!
Julia was my first ever trainer and at this
moment in time I would not give her up for anyone else.
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