Written by Olivia McCormick, Administration Manager at Willis Street Physiotherapy
“My goal over Christmas and New Year was to keep healthy and get an early start on those new years resolutions by taking a good chunk of time off work, staying in Wellington, keeping away from the boxing day sales, going to the gym lots, eating healthier food and looking after myself.
That did not happen at all, in fact it was the complete opposite.
Christmas day was the usual family catch up that always seems to be the most hectic and tiring day of the year, but it is always nice spending time with the family. The drive from Wellington to Kapiti was fine until we reached Plimmerton and realized what was meant to be a 45 minute trip turned into 2 hours because we left the house too late and hit the wall of traffic.
You say to yourself you will just eat one plate of roast meat with the side of delicious potatoes and salad, or just one plate of BBQ food.
Nope, the chips and dip come out, followed by the cheese and crackers (my biggest weakness), followed by all the chocolates that were in your presents.
Once you are about to pop and have washed it all down with a nice cold beer or glass of wine thinking that there is no way you are going to want to eat or even look at food for the rest of the year…… The pavlova, ambrosia, trifle and ice-cream with fruit comes out.
I ended up staying in bed until noon on boxing day trying to recover from my food hangover, and personally thinking there was no point in getting out of bed. All I would do is head straight to the shops for the boxing day sales. For the first time ever I was just too tired to leave the house.
Fast forward to the 3rd of January and I had been off work for 2 weeks, and was feeling pretty guilty that I hadn’t done anything that I wanted to do in the time I had away from work. With one week left until my first day back to the “real world” I decided to hit the gym and do a leg workout.
I began by warming up on the bike for 20 minutes then it was off to the line of leg workout machines. I was incredibly wobbly (and looked like a drunk person) while doing walking lunges and started seeing stars after doing some dead-lifts. I pulled a muscle in my groin on the thigh abductor machine due to not stretching well before hand, also by thinking I could lift at the same weight I had 5 years ago – obviously my body has deteriorated slightly over the past few years.
Now, writing this, just two weeks since my first day back at the gym I feel amazing. I am going 3 times a week, alternating leg workouts, arm workouts, and then a day of core and a bit of cardio (and a sauna as a treat).
I have also begun walking again and over the last week I have walked on average of 8-10km a day, which isn’t very far when you think about it, maybe 1.5 hour walk around Oriental Bay after tea with my flatmate.
I have seen Carl Hammington recently (personal trainer at Willis Street Physio) who has gone through all the good things that I am doing (which is very motivating) and together we are working out the best program to keep me going and staying motivated so that I can fit into a bikini this November when I travel to Thailand. He has said the next time that I see him (in 4 weeks) I should have lost 2kg which will be such a body confidence booster this time of year.
This week I have also seen Felicity Leahy (Naturopath/Nutritionist at Willis Street Physio) just because I felt like I needed that extra push with my nutrition.
Over the last week I have cut down on my sugar intake (no more desserts, home baking, chocolate bars or red bulls) and have force fed myself tonnes of fruit and veggies.
Because I don’t eat breakfast at home, I tend to snack on junk food around 10am at work. I now make fruit salad using all of my favourite summer fruits like strawberries, blueberries, melon, cherries and pineapple which I eat at my desk mid morning.
For lunch I walk home (luckily I live 3 mins from work) and I have a simple salad consisting of spinach greens, feta, cucumber, capsicum and cherry tomatoes.
Felicity noticed that there was not enough protein in my diet and have given me some good ways of including it in every day life.
For snacks throughout the day I eat things like hard-boiled eggs, nuts and seeds and am also going to start putting chickpeas into my salads as I don’t really like to eat too much meat protein.
I live with three other flatmates who are luckily very good cooks, and cook really healthy food thankfully, so my dinners always include the perfect amounts of protein and a ton loads of veggies, and if its my partner cooking you can expect lamb chops, a big fat juicy steak or a delicious curry.
Although I am only in the early stages of my new years resolution to lose weight, tone up and get bikini ready for November. I wouldn’t have lasted more than a week if I didn’t have a supportive team around me (extra thanks to Carl and Felicity to making sure I am on the right track).
I find having someone to walk with you, or having a gym buddy makes all the difference, they push you that little bit further and make you go that extra mile so if you are a bit of a lazy person like me who thinks the gym is a daunting place, grab a friend and go for a walk to botanical gardens, around the bays in Wellington, or drive out to reserves like Percy’s Scenic Reserve in Lower Hutt or the Orongorongo track in Wainuiomata if you are into bushwalks.
If you have a gym membership and haven’t been in a while just remember that the hardest part of going to the gym is getting there, once your there you will be fine.
If you are finding the gym boring then pop in and make an appointment with a personal trainer, you can also call Willis Street Physio and see Carl Hammington and he can work out a plan for you.
And if you are struggling with your eating habits I highly recommend coming and seeing Felicity Leahy. She is absolutely amazing.
Check out their profiles on the Willis Street Physio website www.willisstreetphysiotherapy.co.nz
If you want to book to see either Carl or Felicity call the admin team at Willis Street Physiotherapy 04 834 8313
Barefoot and Soul 