BESTFIT TV Couple Transformation

SIMON AND VICTORIA ARE MIDWAY THROUGH A 10-WEEK TRANSFORMATION AND THEY’RE ALREADY FINDING THEY’VE TOTALLY CHANGED THEIR LIFESTYLE BY TRAINING HARD AND EATING CLEAN…

In our last issue, we met Leeds-based couple Simon and Victoria, our first ever transformation duo. They run their own business and have a young family, so it’s fair to say their fitness journey had taken a bit of a back seat. Both were looking to eat and train better in an attempt to lose weight, change shape and feel more focused at work and at home. Five weeks in, here’s how they’re getting on…

We’re at the halfway stage of your 10- week transformation, how has it been? Tell us about the first few weeks…

Victoria: It was really tough to begin with. I don’t think we really appreciated how unfit we were. At the beginning I was apprehensive, but I was also like: ‘it’ll be fine, don’t worry’, but we really struggled with the fitness test in the first week. It was a huge eye-opener!

As an example, we had to run around a running track and that was the bit I really struggled with. I couldn’t mentally figure out how I was going to do the rest of the training after having found running around a track so hard. I was so pleased Simon was there to do it with me because he gave me confidence. I would have found it much harder on my own. I think I still would have done it, I don’t want to let anyone down, but it would definitely have been much harder. The PTs gave us a lot of support in those early weeks and that really helped too.

I also found I was quite body conscious at the gym in those early stages. I’m not vain as such, but I just thought about all that weight just jiggling around in front of all the people in the gym.

Simon: I’d agree with all of that. Those first few weeks were a mixture of excitement, doing everything for the first time, but also anxiety of worrying about whether we would fit in at the gym. The main thing about doing it together was that when we were at home, we would talk about the gym and that definitely wouldn’t have happened if we’d done it on our own, and that really helped. We were able to stay focused on our training and on our food, and it was that communication that helped us in the early weeks.

Did you anticipate the amount of planning you needed to do to organise your week?

Simon: It’s certainly not something we’ve done much of before. Now, we sit down on a Sunday night and actively talk about what we’ll eat during the week and when we’ll train, and we’ve never done that in the 15 years we’ve been together.

So what happened after your fitness test?

Victoria: It was quite brutal to begin with, going from nothing to three personal training sessions a week, plus classes and more. It was crazy. But the hardest thing was the nutrition. There was a lot of advice to take in, so we just decided to keep things simple. I know it sounds obvious, but we just focused on eating as clean and as healthily as possible in weeks one and two. After that we were getting more and more advice about carbs, rainbow plates, micros and macros and though we found some of that lingo hard to understand, we just took some of the bits we did understand and built our own new routine.

Simon: The nutrition side was definitely the toughest part of it. When you go to the gym you know what you have to do, how long it’ll take and how it will make you feel, but you also know that all of that work can be undone in the kitchen… and sometimes unknowingly! There were several traps we kept falling into and that was down to a lack of education.

It sounds like you’re definitely more knowledgeable about nutrition now, though…

Victoria: Definitely. We’ve got more to learn, but I’ve gone from eating toast, sandwiches and pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner respectively throughout the day, to having eggs for breakfast, chicken and salad for lunch and chicken and veg in the evening. I didn’t trust the advice we were getting at the start of the process but I’m glad we stuck with it because it really has changed our lifestyle.

I think the lightbulb moment was when you see the evidence in the scales or in the inches you’re losing, that’s when you know that the training and nutrition is really working. Simon was a lot better at it at the start and was seeing good results, so I had to give myself a bit of a kick up the bum.

Simon: I think the main thing was that we would often skip breakfast and instead load up on coffee. And then because we were working and putting the kids to bed, we’d eat late, and sometimes load up on the meals we missed by making up for it in the evening. It was ridiculous if you think about it. Oh, and we should have taken out shares in Skyr protein yoghurt, because we seem to be getting through buckets of the stuff!

At which point did you get used to the training, do you think?

Simon: Surprisingly quickly actually. At the start we were worried about how we were going to make one gym session, let alone three or four, and that was because we run our own business and we have two young kids. But once the sessions were put in the diary we just had to work around it, and after two or three weeks it just became the norm. It was a big change for us because time has always been an excuse, and there we were spending six hours a week in the gym. It was a shock how well we adapted. Work did take a bit of a back seat and that is something we need to figure out at the end, as we’ll need a better balance, but there were times we actually worked better because we felt better.

You’ve been using Power Plate. How have you found that?

Victoria: That’s been one of the main pieces of equipment we’ve used. I’d never used one before and though I’d seen them in the gym, I didn’t fancy seeing my bits wobbling around! Even when I first stood on it I was a bit apprehensive, but it’s amazing how quickly you get used to using something like that. We used it in our sessions to help build up strength and to activate our muscles. It was great for variation and I loved using it.

Simon: We also used it to warm up and cool down, in particularly with accessories like the Piriformis roll, so it’s been a pretty crucial piece of our training so far. I would definitely recommend anyone to ask their PT how they can incorporate it into their own training.

Of the training you’ve done so far, what have you enjoyed most?

Simon: The best thing is, we’ve had a lot of variation. That’s mainly because we’ve had different PTs at different phases, but they’ve all got their own ideas and that has kept us fresh. I’ve started running, too, and I really enjoy it, swimming too. At the end it’ll be about continuing to do the things you enjoy rather than the things you need to do. You have to enjoy your training, so you need to become a bit more selfish about what you really love doing.

Victoria: I’ve really enjoyed spinning. I never thought I’d be capable of doing a spin class, but now I’m obsessed by it! I also like doing weights. Before this transformation I was the kind of person who’d do a bit on the treadmill, a bit on the cross trainer… but now I’m weight training and it’s totally taken me out of my comfort zone. Now, though, I can go to the gym on my own and use all the equipment and do so in a way that I can mix it up, so HIIT one session and something else the next. It all comes down to knowing what you need to do, and you definitely need a PT to help you get that education.

WARM-UP

PIRIFORMIS WARM-UP

As well as the Piriformis roll, which reduces tension and can reduce pain, Simon and Victoria used resistance bands to activate the glutes. Simply grab a band and squat and hold as part of your warm-up.

SHOULDER TAPS

BOX JUMP WITH HOLD

PRESS-UP WITH CHANGE IN HAND POSITION

REVERSE LUNGE

THE EQUIPMENT: Power Plate

As a global leader in whole body and targeted vibration training and therapy, Power Plate products and protocols are used around the world by professional sports teams and fitness pioneers as am innovative, time-saving and results-driven way to improve fitness and wellbeing. Power Plate’s whole body and targeted vibration training and therapy helps users prepare faster, perform better, and recover quicker. It makes them feel better by stimulating natural reflexes, increasing muscle activation, and improving circulation. Power Plate delivers accelerated health, fitness and wellness results, whatever the fitness level or training style.