Category: Female

Grija Vijayan

“I’ve always been juggling with weight ever since childhood. They say it could be due to my paternal side genetics, but I am not a big believer of that. I was quite petite in my earlier days until puberty hits. I knew the only way to get rid of all these excess weights is by getting active. I did. I played badminton during my school days and I loved being in the athletics team. Maybe inspired from my mother who was a state level sprinter back in her days or my dad who was a badminton player at that time. Just from their stories I knew what I wanted to be. Everything was going just fine until that one day I had to bid goodbye to my active lifestyle forever.

I was involved in a car accident on the way to school. I must say it broke my heart more than my leg. I had to miss school the whole year, but my mom stood by me. She was getting studying materials from my school, so I don’t miss out anything. I know one thing for sure. My parents don’t play when it comes to education. Everything else seems secondary. I began to lose a lot of weight after the accident involuntarily. I had to learn to walk all over again. Being able to run was the last thing on my mind. My life was in chaos.

After a few years, I tried to get back into running but it didn’t work out like I wanted. I was all over the place and I couldn’t get back to the track like I’ve wanted to. I had to quit altogether. It was hard to see others living my dream, but I’ve realized that it was not my place. So, I tried focusing on some other activities that could help me to stay active and get my mind right. I started playing netball and badminton again in high school. I’ve also started dancing and getting myself comfortable with yoga in college.

I still struggled with weight even after college and post-graduate studies. The stress and pressure that comes with school were enormous. It was extremely hard to stay active when you have deadlines waiting on you but that wasn’t an excuse for me. I’ve mastered the art of trying to get things done before the deadlines and it helped me out big time. I was never a procrastinator. That quality helped me out to keep up with my workouts and maintaining my active lifestyle up until now. I’ve even started blogging a few years back to help others who are in the same boat as me.

Healthy lifestyle is something that I preach often on my blog and all of my social media handles because I wouldn’t be where I am without it. I’ve even lost over 20 pounds just by changing my diet and tweaking my workout routines. My mom is still my biggest supporter and inspiration as much as I am to her. She stepped up her game when she started running again after a 40-year break. I couldn’t be anymore proud when she became a legit marathon runner in her late 50s. I will always look up to her and help others to get active through our stories.

Everyone’s journey is different and unique. It doesn’t matter what you do to maintain your active lifestyle. What matters the most is how true are you to yourself. Scales don’t always tell you the ideal weight that you want but if you know you’ve done everything right to get where you are today, you better believe that you are making a difference. Strike a balance in your life physically and mentally. Stop being so hard on yourself when you don’t get the results you want. If there is something, I’ve learned over the years dealing with weight is to not give up.

Love yourself and your body even when you are extra pounds heavier or lighter because you are the same exact person that everybody loves and wants to be even if they don’t tell you.”

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Natalie Moore

“For as long as I can remember I’ve loved dancing, sport and just generally being active. Throughout my childhood I was a member of dance schools, netball teams and athletic clubs, and in turn, I never really worried about needing to make a conscious effort to be fit or healthy or watching what I was eating as it was just a natural consequence of my chosen lifestyle.

However, once I moved from education to my first full time office job, I soon realised that it was now more of a struggle to find the time to get to a dance class or the gym, and instead of spending most of my time running from activity to activity, I was sat at a desk all day.

During my early 20’s I was gaining weight and starting to be a lot more body conscious, and in turn losing confidence. I attempted to get myself back to the gym time and time again, but I was perhaps unrealistic about how quickly I’d see results. I noticed that even when I was training hard and eating well, my body wasn’t really changing at all, around this time I was also constantly unwell and felt exhausted. After months of testing from doctors, in 2016, they finally diagnosed me with hypothyroidism. An underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) is where your thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. Common signs of an underactive thyroid are tiredness, weight gain and feeling depressed.I finally had a connection between the weight gain, the struggles with motivation and understood why I was finding it hard to lose weight.

Treating hypothyroidism can be tricky, with small increments in medication made in 3-6 month periods, until your body hits the optimum levels. This meant that for a while I was still feeling a bit rubbish and struggling with my motivation to find my fitness again. In late 2018 I was finally feeling back to myself and decided I needed to get my act together, so in January 2019, I went on a “New Year, New Me”, well more like finding the “Old Me” campaign. I decided to find myself a personal trainer/coach and committed to three sessions a week, I also took a look at my nutrition, but instead of just cutting carbs or sugar or following a fad diet, I decided to track my calories and macros as advised by my PT.

Within just a few months I was starting to see huge progress, and once I saw the progress I had all the motivation I needed to push on. Within just over 6 months I’d lost 24.5kg in weight, I’d dropped 29cm off my waist and 20cm off my hips, but most importantly I’d found my happiness and confidence again. I’d also rediscovered my love for exercise and dance, and decided to qualify as a Zumba teacher and started teaching at my local gym.

Just over a year into my new found fitness regime, the world was hit with COVID-19, which meant lockdowns, gym closures and all sorts of mental challenges to deal with. I was determined to keep going with my fitness journey, and despite having access to limited equipment at home, I’ve still managed to make progress. Making the most of the world of the internet, teaching Zumba over Zoom, joining Our Parks classes and training in my spare bedroom or garden (weather permitting). I’ve also reminded myself how important it is to just get outside and walk!

My journey hasn’t been easy and neither is it over, I’m constantly trying to improve and make progress, not necessarily because I want to look a certain way, but because I want to make sure I’m keeping myself fit and healthy!

A couple of things I’d like to pass on….

Don’t rely on the scales as the only way to track progress, take before, during and after photos, and listen to those compliments that your friends give you!

You can always make time to be active and exercise – it’s great for both your physical and mental health

Stay away from the fad diets, still eat the things you enjoy, just make sure you track them and keep some balance!”

Female Humans of HIIT Mental Health

Shahna Anstill

“I have danced since the age of 7, once I started intense dance training at university, age 19, I began doing more bootcamp sessions and conditioning along with my dance training. As a dancer the industry can be hard, you’re taught very early that to get jobs after you have graduated, you need to be a size 6/8 as they judge you on your appearance.

I was luckily already a size 6/8 but I developed an unhealthy relationship with food for about 2 years. This was because I was scared of putting weight on and not getting jobs after graduating. In my third year of university I tried to educate myself more with how nutrition will complement the exercise that I was doing, I fell in love with learning about this end after working abroad for a year dancing as well as leading activities like stretching and water aerobics, I took further action to gain qualifications to become a personal trainer.

I help loads of people with their health and well-being, but my main focus now is to also to help the dancers that need to be educated on how to fuel their bodies right, to get the most out of their training but to also fuel them for their long days of rehearsals and shows after graduating when they do get their jobs!”

Covid Female Humans of HIIT Mental Health Sport

Amy Mackenzie

From a very young age I have always been incredibly active. Growing up I was like most normal kids, swimming lessons, bike rides and trips to the playground. But there was something not so normal compared to others. From the age of 4 I started acrobatic gymnastics. Like many other things it started as a hobby, training once or twice a week. However, as the years went on. It seemed that gymnastics was ‘my thing’, and I was destined to progress and succeed in the sport. By the age of 10 I was training up to 18 hours a week and competing internationally. By the age of 12 I was training 24 hours a week, I had represented my country and was now touring the country performing in the acrobatic troupe Spelbound. Of course this time of my life was such an incredible experience, and something I will forever be so proud of. But of course it comes with a hell of a lot of hard work.

I continued to train these huge hours, until the age of 16, continuing to perform and compete for my country. I decided to step away from the sport at the age of 16, as the demands of the training became too much. Of course by 16 my body was desperate to go through puberty so managing my weight, (which is something that was hugely important in a sport like acrobatics) was tough. I was training 20+ hours a week and running for 1-2 hours everyday to keep my weight down. I just needed a break.

When that break finally came, for a long time I refused to do any sort of exercise. I just wanted to sit and eat chocolate and I think for the first week I had retired that’s exactly what I did. It was great for a month or so, it was still a novelty to just sit and watch telly without knowing you had to get in a leotard later on. But as time went on I began to lose myself. I had no idea who I was without gymnastics. What else was I good at, I had no idea. I had never done anything other than gymnastics. About a year after retiring I got a personal trainer at my local gym. At first it was okay, I had a coach telling me what to do, which was something I was used to but I just didn’t feel as strong as I used to. It felt like some sort of punishment. Of course my body wasn’t in any sort of shape that it used to be when I was training, that was something I found incredibly difficult to cope with. Because of this I went into panic mode. I stopped exercising again because everything I did just didn’t feel good enough. I wasn’t seeing any physical changes or improvements so I felt there was no point.

Another year passes and finally my path crossed with the right people. Those incredible people being my current dance teachers. They coach me, support me and have taught me that I am talented and successful away from gymnastics. I now dance 11 hours a week and get to condition my body as well as perform without such high stakes.

March 2020, COVID-19 hit and the dance school had shut, I wasn’t working so it’s safe to say, my anxiety was through the roof at the thought of not doing what I knew I was good at, burning off the anxious energy dancing usually takes care of. So day 1 of Lockdown, I made it a goal of mine to workout everyday. I had managed to get hold of a spin bike so I was spinning everyday along with endless amounts of home workouts.

Now reflecting back on lockdown and where I am currently at, I have finally realised that for me exercise is so important to keep my mental health at bay. The physical changes my body have made are a bonus. Happiness is the most important and that is what exercise gives me. The fact I feel happy, makes me feel strong, not how many press ups I can do.”

Covid Female Humans of HIIT Mental Health Running School

Priscilla Lagally

“I was a very active child back then. I join every single sport in school because that makes me happy. My fitness journey started when I was 18 years old. I worked out every single day (not joking), I was obsessed with it. But it was not a healthy lifestyle for sure. I lost weight because I was barely eating. I skipped breakfast and only ate a small amount of food. It was crazy! So you can say my relationship with my fitness was a roller-coaster ride.

There’s times that I’m too lazy to workout because of work. My work is from 9 – 6 or I even work extra hours. It is hard to stay motivated because I’m too tired to exercise – all you want to do is eat and sleep – so that’s what I do and I stop exercising for a few years.

I started to exercise again when my friends asked me to join an Ultra Marathon. It was my first time joining so I had to prepare myself, so I started exercising again, going for a run after work and controlling my eating habits – that was 2017. Exercising helps me to relieve stress too, that’s why I love running.

My goals when it comes to fitness is that – I just want to stay healthy in a good way. It needs to be balanced. I still have a long way to go to achieve my goal but with a little bit of motivation and commitment – I will get there someday.

Honestly, my lifestyle right now is not organised because of this world pandemic. But I started to work out again because I know that is what I needed – working out will help me to be healthy and also it is good for my mental health – obviously gaining weight makes me feel bad about myself but I’m working on loving myself first. That is the most important thing to do.”

Covid Female Humans of HIIT Pregnancy Running School

Kristin

“I was the kid who HATED gym class growing up. I did the minimum to get by. But I’ve always been a girl after a challenge.

When I was 21 I decided to start a Couch to 5k program. I ran some races and was sporadic, until 2011 when I decided I wanted to train for a half marathon. Like I said, I’m a girl after a challenge (so why not jump from a 5k to a half, right?). In 2012 I ran my first two, and only timed, half marathons, 5 months apart from each other.

After that, I was hooked and I continued to run intermittently. Around 2014, I started trying to conceive, which proved difficult, and in 2015 we turned to IVF, so I was required to stop running. It was worth the pause when my twin boys were born in 2016.

After that, running was put on the back burner, between becoming a mom and going through nurse practitioner school. I still enjoyed exercising, and thought it was a great way to release stress and have “me” time. I turned to home workouts instead, out of convenience.

Fast forward to 2020. My boys are older now. I’m a nurse practitioner.

We are in a pandemic. While I had continued to exercise, I found I missed running. It was one of the one safe things I could do during this scary, stressful time. So I bought some new running shoes and started running diligently again, 3-4 days a week.

Then I signed up for my first marathon. Remember those half marathons I ran? In 2012? Yeah, I hadn’t run that long or far in ages. My marathon is in April 2021. I’m hoping it’s live, but even if it isn’t, I am grateful for the training experience I have had so far. I’m officially halfway there, and I am amazed and proud of what my body can do.

I run and exercise for myself. It’s my time alone to just turn off my brain and move my body. But I also do it for my boys, who see me and tell me they want to exercise just like me. One of my sons has even gone on some runs with me, and I hope that will be something we can do together for years to come.

I have recently started a new phase in my journey: coaching. I want to share my love of running and exercise with people who may be a little nervous to begin, but have a “why” for getting started. It’s not always easy, but it will always be worth doing, and nothing makes me happier than cheering people on and helping them reach their goals.”

Female Humans of HIIT Running

Sarah Sorbek

“Never take your health for granted.

It can disappear in an instant. I grew up as an athlete – competitive gymnastics followed by competitive swimming. I then got into racing triathlons in 2003 at age 19. Sadly in the beginning of 2004 my health started declining very quickly, and for 4 years I had no answers. Finally in 2008 I was diagnosed with endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, and eventually adenomyosis.

I had to take 10 years off from sports of any kind, and I was barely able to be active at all – some days even walking was a huge challenge. I fought hard for 10 years to get my health and quality of life back, and I looked forward to racing again! I refused to let illness take over my life permanently.

I’ve happily been back to training and racing since late 2013, and loving every minute! I’ve also started trail running which I love, and I’ve done a half marathon and will be doing my second on Christmas Day! Friends and family ask me why I push my body so hard, and my answer is always, because for 10 years I couldn’t.

I will keep pushing as long as I can, to prove to myself I’m still capable.”

Female Humans of HIIT School Weight Loss Workouts Classes

Bethany Rose

“Since as a young girl I guess I had always been quite active and when I got into middle school I joined up to the cross country group and loved it! I joined army cadets at 13 and the discipline really helped me to be better and more efficient in deciding what I wanted to do with my life in the future, I left at 16 and then exercise went down hill and gained a little weight when college started.

Exercise means life to me and really saved me from my own depression, I had found Bodypump from LesMills at my local gym and it completely changed my perspective on ending everything right there and then and kept me going. After feeling the drive and motivation from the group exercise class it just grew and grew and grew and now I’m a qualified Bodypump instructor myself and run my own HIIT bootcamps 2-3 times a week and learning to become a holistic nutrition advisor. Before all this I had just left London, I was a smoker, never drank, found comfort in food everyday and started becoming even more aware of the fact that I had anxiety all my life. I wasn’t happy and just felt so sorry for myself and enough was enough. Exercise is my way of channeling my insecurities of being different from the rest, to feel strong, to stay focused and committed but to also live my life, to feel and be better than myself, to see the bigger picture and to know that if I feel sad, worried or even having an attack that exercise is my number 1 pillar.

When SAS who dares wins came around I was totally hooked and my passion for exercise got even bigger and soon enough I got myself onto Ant Middletons mind over muscle day camps and got to meet him myself. I still wear the wrist band we all got given from that day and wear it everyday to remind myself that I can do anything I put my mind to and to seal the deal even more… I got it tattooed. HIIT training and Bodypump is the love of my life and I can’t see myself quitting any day soon.”

Female Humans of HIIT Personal Trainers Weight Loss

Hannah Rehel

“I was that girl that walked by a mirror and turned her head away because she would cry every time she saw herself. One day I got fed up with crying and feeling sorry for myself so I started working out with these little home guides from online and counting my calories. The weight started to melt off although counting calories wasn’t sustainable and the workout guides were becoming easier by the day. This is when I found Beachbody! It was a life change. It’s like the Netflix of fitness and it also showed me how to establish a healthy balanced diet. When I use the word diet I do not mean I’m on a diet. I mean diet as in what I eat. I used to associate the word diet with restrictive and terrible habits now I see it as fuel for my body. If I have any advice for anyone wanting to start their fitness journey here’s some tips:

1) ditch the scale and start taking pictures and measurements because the scale LIES

2) diet is knowing what to eat and not what you cannot eat

3) move that beautiful body of yours for at least 30 minutes a day! If you can’t workout that’s fine to just go for a walk!

4) trust the process because it’s so worth it in the end!

I have lost over 20 pounds of fat and definitely gained lots of muscles! We need to realize that muscle weighs more than fat so that’s why I say the scale lies because it’s not taking into account how much heavier muscle is compared to fat 🙂

I’m now a coach for Beachbody and have an Instagram page – @hann__24. I believe in creating healthy habits and moving our bodies to ensure a happy healthy lifestyle!

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Elaine Smith

“I am old now. I have struggled with mental health all my life due to an unhappy childhood. I was anorexic at 15 and experienced suicidal thoughts from 13. I had issues with my body image.

Exercise wasn’t big when I was young and my adoptive parents weren’t interested. I was bullied at school so only took up sports in my twenties, netball, hockey and yoga. I enjoyed the buzz of exercise and the camaraderie of team sport. I found I was good at sport. I brought my children up to be sporty and my husband was mad about cricket and football. I taught full time, hiding my mental health problems and found any exercise gave me a release from negative thoughts and made me feel positive and able to carry on. I first joined a gym and did exercise classes about 25 years ago. I have tried everything from kick boxing, running and aerobics and they all helped with me having a positive mindset and feeling better about myself. I am now used to HIIT, gym workouts, walking, jogging and now have Personal Trainers as well. The Townsend Twins train me.

I was finally diagnosed with all my mental illnesses in May 2019 but have had breakdowns since 2001. I have been on medication since 1996.

I started to increase my exercise regime after my diagnosis. Once I could start cutting back on medication I was able to exercise more. I find getting my heart pumping from HIIT classes gives my mood a huge lift and makes life bearable. I do Metafit and am proud I can do burpees. I also have a mini trampoline. During lockdown exercise has been my lifeline. Without exercise I wouldn’t still be here. Exercise is a huge part of my life and I work out several times a day everyday. I started posting on Instagram in the summer showing how exercise helps me manage my mental health. I am not great at some things but none of my photos are doctored and I post honestly. I now have over 800 followers.