Category: Weight Loss

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!”

Humans of HIIT Mental Health Weight Loss

Pete McKinnon

“I have always had a bad relationship with my weight, I was always a big child and grew up thinking it was in my genes and bullied. However looking back I realise I just wasn’t very active, I didn’t play football or run, I played a bit of basketball and other than that I concentrated on my art.

Moving into my late teenage years into my 20s I went out a lot, drank too much and when I went to uni I ate too much pizza! To be honest I don’t think I ate too badly. It was the portion sizes where I was going wrong.

I met my partner Emma in 2009, at that point she was on a weightloss journey and it motivated me to do the same, I went to the gym I looked at what I ate and I lost 7st. However, less than 2 years later I put it back on again, because I wasn’t in the right mental space of mind. I was being told I looked Ill, or people said they preferred the old me! I worked as a regional manager for many years, meaning I was always out and didn’t really plan my food properly and didn’t have time for exercise (well I didn’t think I had time!) and this led to me getting bigger.

Roll on a number of years and we get to March 2019, my mum had developed Cancer and my partner Emma was being tested for Cancer. It made me look in the mirror and I did not like what I saw…..25 and a half stone and ridiculously unhealthy. So I changed….

I decided to walk my dog for an hour a day at least, I looked at my food and I increased my water intake.

I used MyFitnessPal to track my food and set myself a goal. The weight started coming off, I felt healthier, my mind was more at ease and my confidence grew. I set a goal of 7stone in a year for my birthday and I achieved it by the end of 2019.

My journey continues to develop as I push myself more and more, the weight loss started slowing down and I knew I needed to do more. I sponsor Guide Dogs for the Blind, and they text me about a new fundraising event called #100forguidedogs, and it was based around running, cycling or swimming and it came at a time that I was thinking of starting the Couch to 5k running program. So I used that as a motivator and started running to raise money.

I have now completed not only a 5k, but I regularly run 10K and recently completed my own half marathon. I am now into a new stage of my journey, introducing cross training to bring in new exercise to support my running but to also lose fat and build muscle.

To date I have lost just over 9stone, 13” around my waist, 8” around my hips and 12.5” around my chest.

I feel more confident, I have a newfound respect for exercise, I enjoy running and I enjoy my food.

It isn’t all about diets or crash courses, it’s a lifestyle change, I still eat a pizza takeaway or fish and chips but it’s all in moderation.”

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!

Family Humans of HIIT Male Running Weight Loss

Brian Schembri

“6 years ago, I had a hard time keeping up with my kids playing in the backyard. I was tired and out of breath. I decided I needed to lose weight and I began running. I ran my first kilometer, and I was so tired, that I could not move off of the couch for half an hour afterwards. However, I kept at it, and began going for longer distances. I lost almost 50 pounds, and have since run many marathons. My goal one day is to qualify to run in the Boston Marathon, and I also want to complete a full Ironman. The most interesting thing that has happened to me on my journey, is how it ended up encouraging so many others, including my three sons. All three have run in various events now, and they are all continuously training for a better lifestyle.”

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Tamara Olaniyan

“I had a relationship with fitness but it was sporadic. I took fitness seriously in spurts: when I needed to enlist in the military. Before that, I ran track in high school but not seriously. When I was discharged, my health took a nose-dive. I did not feel good about myself and when things didn’t go well, I turned to food. Food was my very best friend. I joined a gym because I didn’t like how I look and how tight my clothes fit. The bigger I bought my clothes, the more I was buying bigger clothes since I outgrew my clothes within months. At my heaviest, I was 210 pounds.

Getting stuck with a year of personal training was the “best”, overlooked mistake I could have made. Two awesome women personal trainers assisted me on my journey. I learned the same way I made time to engage in other activities, I would have to learn to schedule and prioritize fitness. When I started putting my exercise workouts on my calendar, I became more accountable and made less excuses for working out. Even now with gyms closed, I use the weights in my house, download a fitness app on the phone, and get my workout in. Either way, 6 days a week for at least 45 minutes, I am going to engage in some type of HITT, strength training, or cardio. I give myself one day of active recovery and rest. For fun, I like to run races. I see it all as a great way to help with my depression and anxiety and to allow myself “me time” when I will not allow myself to be disturbed. I allow myself to be selfish during my workout times.

What has really inspired me is seeing other women who have embraced weight training, like my former personal trainers. I always thought if women lifted heavy weights, they would look like “She-Hulk”. I learned later it’s not the case. My hat is always off when I see other women doing their thing in fitness, especially women of color. It’s a great feeling and maybe it will open the door for others to put health and fitness in the top 5.”

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Lauren Gift

I was relatively active throughout my childhood. I played soccer and a lot of driveway basketball. I stayed out from morning until night and ran around the neighborhood.

I didn’t really struggle with weight as a child or even a teen. I did however gain a lot of weight my first pregnancy at 21 years old. Being young I was able to get the weight off relatively quickly but definitely not in a healthy manner.

I then went on to have three more kids and every child it was more and more difficult to shed baby weight so I kind of lost motivation and gave up.

In 2016 my oldest son was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes at age 8. It was a huge roadblock for us and completely unexpected. Our world was turned upside down and suddenly my child was forced to have shots all day long every day in order to live. We had no choice but to pay close attention to food labels in order to count carbs for him to know how much insulin he needed.

This was a very eye opening experience. Not only did it get me paying attention to labels which I hadn’t previously done, it got me thinking more about health in general. This was the start of my new lifestyle.

I decided to join a network marketing business for health and fitness which lasted a few years and in that time I created some bad habits. Truthfully, I’m still thankful for the experience because it got me where I am today. It was a stepping stone on the path to where I’m at.

I now do ZOOM workouts in the morning with a few of my girl friends. We get up early and workout “together” virtually. My choice of workout always involves weights. I love lifting and feeling strong. It gives me a confidence I wouldn’t otherwise have. Plus, cardio is hardio. It’s definitely not my cup of tea and that’s ok!

Working out with my friends virtually is my favorite part of the day. I absolutely love motivating and helping others. We all deserve to feel great about ourselves. We need to treat ourselves with respect and love and what better way than through health and fitness?

I’m not done with my journey and still have a ways to go, but I’m closer today than I have been in a long time. That’s because I made the choice to just do it and you can too. Change is hard and uncomfortable but being uncomfortable is part of the change.

You can’t have a lifestyle change without changing your lifestyle. You’ve got this! I believe in you.

#humansofhiit #soccer #basketball #football #weightgain #pregnancy #weightloss #diabetes #networkmarketing #business #health #fitness #lifting #gym weightlifting #cardio #zoom #workout #journey

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Gemma Davis

Having spent the majority of my 20s overweight and unfit and I decided I didn’t want to spend my 30s the same way.

I wasn’t really sure where to start with getting fitter. Initially I started with a bit of running and a friend suggested a personal trainer – David Wells (@davidjameswellspt). Working with Dave I’m using equipment and doing exercises I never would have found on my own.

Importantly, no matter what mood I turn up to train in I always leave feeling like I can take on the world! I’ve loved seeing what my body can do and learning about what I need to best fuel it.

But the biggest change is my confidence. As someone who has always struggled with their body image the thought of running, in public, in shorts (!) would have terrified me 6 months ago.

Being fit and healthy is such a big part of my life now. I can run 5k and do push ups. Both things I never thought I’d be able to do. I can’t wait to see what is next on my fitness journey and what else my body can accomplish!

We’re looking for more stories! Link in bio to submit yours #humansofhiit

#weightloss #unfit #fit #fitness #fitter #fitfam #running #personaltrainer #trainer #trainers #exercise #confidence #body #learning #fuel #mentalhealth #health #healthy #5k #pushups #fitnessjourney

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Zara

Post author By Alex Cole
Post date July 17, 2020
No Comments on Zara

I started educating myself about fitness and nutrition about 3 years ago, and even then, I have experienced many highs and lows.

In the past, I have weighed so much less than I have now, constantly counting calories, eating low carb, weighing everyday. You name the diet, I will have tried it, and those “diets’ only lasted for a few months. I have learnt to just do half hour of training each day, whether it be putting on my running shoes, or doing a HIIT workout at home.

I’m still on a journey, no where near the goal that I want to be at, but I have learnt to embrace who I am and give myself a bit of self love. No longer am I hard on myself if I miss a training session or if I decide to have a few gins and a slice of cake.

Life is for living. We can be so critical and judgemental of ourselves, that we end up trying to be someone else and losing the true value of having our own identities.