IT'S with great delight that I report on the progress of this year's Bendigo Community Health Services 12-Week men’s health challenge. The men are off to a racing start!
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I’ve got a remarkable group of men that include the Addy’s own Nathan Dole, Ewan Grant from 3BO FM and Andy Hoare from Andy’s Earthmoving.
In total there are 20 new recruits involved in the program that will span the winter months of 2015.
It is my job to whip them all into shape through exercise and healthy eating advice.
And I have to admit, upon first impression, I thought it was going to be a tough gig.
I had a list of 13 tradies, a couple of corporate men, a journo and a radio host.
All I could think about was that I’d be up against meat pies, sausage rolls and convenience food!
I was sure that my love of lettuce leaves would go largely unnoticed.
However, by the end of week three, I have had to add my words to my salad and eat them too.
These men are one dedicated bunch.
Session after session they have turned up and worked hard.
I suspect there is a little competitive spirit among the crew – and my studio has seen some sweat, I can tell you!
The outline of 20 odd bodies lay on my floor, a salt lake of glory, awaiting the swift head of my mop every Wednesday at 8.30pm.
And I couldn’t be happier. I am truly proud of the group already as they work towards better health and wellbeing.
Andy, Ewan and Nathan all have a goal to lose weight and so far they have reached a combined weight loss of about 17 kilograms in just three weeks. Amazing effort!
And according to Ewan, “It hasn’t really been all that hard so far”.
His expectations of the program were that he would find it difficult.
That I would have him eating next to nothing and working him so hard at PT sessions that it would kill him.
He walked out after his first PT session and was pleasantly surprised that he could still, indeed, walk!
And to date, he has continued to walk away at the completion of sessions.
In fact, Ewan has improved his fitness so much in a short three-week span that he has gone from being too out of breath to talk during exercise – a radio host lost for words – to having a complete conversation on this very topic while rowing several kilometres on my cardio rowing machine.
Still breathing and talking... and walking, so it seems!
And that’s the thing about making lifestyle changes to improve your health – they don’t have to be extreme.
Real food can be on the menu, lettuce jokes aside.
And exercise does not need to leave you in a position of not functioning afterwards. All good things in moderation, as they say.
Well done Bendigo Community Health Services on yet another great group of men.
I’m positive you will see this year’s recruits achieve their healthy lifestyle goals.
Thank you for giving us all this opportunity again.
Stay tuned Bendigo, and be prepared to be inspired.
Amy Holmes is the owner of Shape Health and Fitness. You can follow her on instagram @amy_shapehealthandfitness or via the Shape Health and Fitness Facebook page
