[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” padding_top=”10″ background_color=”#ffffff” border_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Hi there guys!
Well, it’s been a pretty hectic 4 months, but I am back into the swing of things now.
The reason it’s been so hectic is that I recently made a very brave move. I decided to leave my comfortable life on the Gold Coast of Australia and take an opportunity to make a new life in Queenstown NZ. I am always up for a challenge, and the idea of living in the most beautiful place in the world was one I just had to take on.
I had an opportunity offered to me by some good friends of mine that I met in Australia. They were opening a Snap Fitness in Queenstown NZ, and they asked me if I was keen to join them in their new gym venture in this beautiful Central Otago town. I said yes of course, and here I am!! It is now open and it is just buzzing!! And I am having a ball down here! If you have never been here… you need to! Put it on your bucket list! It has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world! I love it! It’s full of the most spectacular scenery, it’s always buzzing, and the place has special energy about it.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”transparent” position=”center” up=”5″][blockquote text=”A new challenge, and a new adventure.” show_quote_icon=”yes”][vc_separator type=”transparent” position=”center” up=”5″][vc_column_text]Now aside from this being a brave but exciting move (and somewhat cold), what I really want to discuss in this particular blog is how not only how much did the scenery and temperature change, but so did my lifestyle, and as a result… my body! For a 20 something year old experiencing this situation… it’s not too much of a problem, but for me, in my industry, and being 50… this was a bad situation. And I had to take control of that and change some things.
Now my life back on the Gold Coast was really a rather cruisy. Besides my personal training business, which involved training clients from the gym on a regular basis, I taught a number of group fitness classes, and I managed to find time to train myself at the gym, or crossfit 4-5 times a week as well. I was able to fit it all into my schedule… no worries. Now I could have stayed there, and continued to coast along… but quite frankly, I really wanted something new. A new challenge, and a new adventure. I also wanted to move back to NZ to be nearer to my family. Then I had this awesome opportunity presented to me. Queenstown!
[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”transparent” position=”center” up=”5″][vc_single_image image=”15374″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”large”][vc_separator type=”transparent” position=”center” up=”5″][vc_column_text]Along with the move to Queenstown came a few changes. There was a change in the work I did, for the first few months, I wasn’t based in a gym, like I had been used to, and a change of lifestyle. All of a sudden, there was no time to train regularly so my muscle mass decreased, and my body fat increased! It was too dark in the mornings so I couldn’t go for an early morning jog before work, and I couldn’t get to any group fitness classes let alone teach any. So as you can imagine, my body really didn’t react well to this change in fitness regime at all. And to go along with the lack of efficient workouts was the lack of routine in my nutrition. Although I wasn’t eating pizza, donuts and chocolate, I definitely wasn’t eating the right macronutrients or timing my food properly.
As a result… you got it. I put on weight. And I am ashamed to say I was 3 kg’s heavier than I was on the Gold Coast. Which may not sound a lot, but on this 5ft nothing body, it was enough to make a difference! And the hips don’t lie! Imagine that! I have always been so disciplined with my body that this totally floored me and I struggled with how I felt about myself. I have discovered also, that being in my early 50’s, it is much harder to lose this extra weight than it was a few years earlier.
So if you are reading this, and you resonate with it, and you are thinking… OMG, this is me to a tee… Then I know exactly how you feel. But don’t fear… it is not the end of the world and you can still be exactly where you want to be. It is completely ok!! You can pull it back, trust me…I have done that, but you have to know what to do, when to do it, and what not to do!
There are so many more things going on with our bodies as we get older. What we could get away with in our 20’s, 30’s and even into our 40’s, is not so forgiving now.
When time is scarce, and you are having trouble finding a spare 45 minutes somewhere in your day to exercise, do some at home. This is what I did a few mornings a week when it was too dark outside to run, and I simply did not have the time to go to the gym. Complete a circuit of burpees, pushups, starjumps, situps, dips, air squats and lunges. Just keep going until the 30-minute mark is up![/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”transparent” position=”center” up=”5″][vc_separator type=”transparent” position=”center” up=”5″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#ffffff” border_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]This is a list of what I think are the most important factors to consider and follow when you are in the same boat as myself here with your body and getting into shape.[/vc_column_text][ordered_list]
- Weight training. And I don’t mean throwing a few 2 kg dumbells around for 20 reps… I mean lifting some real iron. Build that muscle! It will not only make you feel better, and look better, but it will help turn your body back into a calorie burning machine.
- Nutrition. You need to be spot on with your food. Those carbohydrates need to be eaten at the right time. Early in the day or straight after a good weight training workout.
- Alcohol. Yes, sorry girls. I don’t mean that you should avoid it, but be mindful that the effect of alcohol on our bodies is much more significant now than when we were younger. A glass of red wine won’t do too much harm, however a bottle of white wine or bubbly is just going to undo all the hard work you are putting into it.
- Cardio training. Don’t over do the cardio. It is actually counterproductive to do hours and hours on the treadmill or cardio machines, you will only end up burning your muscle, which is your fat burning machine.
- Relax! As our hormones are completely turned upside down… stress can cause the adrenal system to become overworked and fatigued, which in a nutshell has a terrible effect on the way our bodies deposit fat.
- Hormones. Play a massive part in what happens with our bodies and our body shape. And that is a blog in itself!
[/ordered_list][vc_separator type=”transparent” position=”center” up=”5″][vc_column_text]So, I will say, that life is always dynamic and ever changing, and we have to learn to change along side it. It is a subject very near and very dear to me and I will be bringing you more information and ideas on how to overcome this ‘hurdle’ we are experiencing. I will say, don’t fear, don’t give up, just stay with me because we are about to change everything!
Keep smiling!
Chrissie
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