FITNESS & WELLNESS
Virtually Fit
By Ashlee Starratt
We all have our rituals and routines that help or hamper us when it comes to healthy eating and exercise. Some are sustainable, others not. Finding the time to fit in fitness is rule number one when making the commitment to creating long-lasting lifestyle changes. QH logs online to try out Absolute Health & Fitness's new Online PT program. The results? Well, they're what you make it.
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ince moving to Qatar in 2012 I've (complacently) watched my weight balloon up to nearly 30 pounds (15 kilos) heavier. Sure I could blame it on the lifestyle, my job, frequent restaurant reviews and media dinner events, how much I hate the gym, how it's too hot to go outside and walk etc., etc. But at the end of the day everything comes down to choice, doesn't it? And I chose not to do anything about it. I was happy using food as a stress-reliever...content to be a pathological, emotional eater and whatever other de rigueur label might fit my bill. But after looking in the mirror and feeling gut-punched over what I saw, I knew the proverbial light-bulb was
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sputtering to life. What it illuminated was a young woman who seemingly had it all, yet was miserably unhappy deep down where it matters most. My reflection – bloated, swollen, fatigued – only reflected the inward stress, anxieties, anger and frustrations that were boiling over in my daily life. It was time to get a grip – and a firm one. I've never enjoyed going to the gym. The most I would do is flounder around on the treadmill for half an hour then call it a day. I now think this was because I needed guidance – I just didn't know what I was doing. Yet, that voice in my head would pipe up, giving me permission to take the easy way out. I couldn't afford the monthly expense of a personal trainer. My job didn't allow me to go to the gym at regular times. I was too tired to wake up early and exercise; I was too exhausted to work out late at night. Where was the happy medium? The inner willingness that was not afraid to at least reach a compromise? After a year fraught with health issues and two back-to-back surgeries, I knew if I didn't find it soon I was never going to. And that scared me. A lot. So when I was approached by Absolute Health & Fitness about seeing if their new Online PT program could help me, I bit the bullet and signed up. The best way to describe the service is like having all the knowledge and resources of a personal trainer at your disposal but without the one-on-one sessions. In this program, you lead to succeed. They give you the tools and the support, but the work and effort is up to you –and how badly you want it.
I guess that's true about any personal goal – fitness or otherwise. But for me, having someone to first assess me and tell me what I should be doing and how I should be doing it took a huge chunk of trepidation out of the gym for me. I started my Online PT program with Absolute Fitness's Jonny Parr coming to my house to do a health and fitness assessment. You will have to fill out detailed forms about your fitness and health history and then Jonny or one of his AF colleagues will run you through a series of exercises to gauge your cardio conditioning, upper, lower and core strength, balance and endurance. He'll also take your vitals and check things like pulse rate, blood pressure and body-mass index. Based on your assessment outcomes the AF team will then draft a three, six or 12-month fitness plan that focuses on getting you to your goal –whether it's weight-loss, muscle-building or training to improve your cardio. I was given a username and password to log into the Online PT program section of the AF website where I could view my assessments, download my fitness and meal plans and view online videos and tutorials of the exercises prescribed for me. I really liked having this online library at my fingertips. If you can't have a trainer standing over you in the gym, it's the next best thing. Jonny and his team were always on call to help at any time of day or night – if I was confused about a certain exercise, if I had concerns or questions about my regimen or meal plan they would be quick to help answer them over the phone,
via Skype or What's App. Jonny would take the time to always check in to see how I was doing, keep me motivated and to tell me not to be too hard on myself when I couldn't complete a circuit or if I missed a session. So, 'How did I do?' is the question on everyone's mind. Did it work out? Was it sustainable? Yes...and no. But not for the lack of services from Absolute Health & Fitness that's for sure. Remember those key tenets I mentioned above about wanting something bad enough and everything coming down to a matter of choice? Well they were my initial motivators...and my also my setbacks later on. My regimen had me exercising three days a week with two different workout routines that alternated each day. As the weeks progressed the repetitions increased as my endurance built up. The first month of the program I followed them to the letter and was seeing results and I loved the freedom of the program to allow you to workout wherever, whenever. I struggled with my customized meal plan however – I felt it was just too restrictive (although it probably wasn't – instead my body was just not used to the drastic cutback in calories) and due to some issues with my blood sugar I asked Jonny to revise it slightly, which he was happy to do. However, for me the meal plan wasn't something I ended up being able to stick to. Instead I followed my own revised eating habits and an alkaline diet which was easier to wean myself on to. Did this ultimately affect my end weight-loss goal? Maybe. Maybe not. What I do know for sure is that the meal plan that was prescribed cut out too much too fast and I wouldn't have had the willpower not to go running for that bag of chips when the carb cravings became unbearable. Instead I preferred a plan that was more incremental.
Absolute Health & Fitness's Jonny Parr
I began to fall short on my workout routine just before I was due to go on holidays. With the crunch of production deadlines and the pressure of planning a trip, (not to mention suhoor invites each and every night during Ramadan) I found myself making it to the gym less and less and, ultimately, my focus slipped completely. Jonny was kind enough to tailor my workout routine to adapt to what I had access to while on holiday, but for me it wasn't enough. Somewhere along the way I lost my focus and I stopped wanting it badly enough. Maybe it was the vacation mode mindset –and that's okay. I will keep going and get back into it. If I've learned anything through this experience it's not to be so hard on myself. Once I can learn to forgive myself for setbacks then the faster I can pick up, dust off and try again. And so can you. In a nutshell the Online PT program from Absolute Health & Fitness would absolutely be an ideal choice for the seasoned or intermediate fitness enthusiast who is highly self-motivated and can sustain their routines with little oversight or direction. Workout newbies on the other hand might get more benefit from the one-on-one guidance
that sessions with a personal trainer can offer. Either way you've taken that first step in the right direction towards taking charge of your health – and the options offered by Absolute Health & Fitness are truly top-notch. Everyone's journey to fitness is a deeply personal trail; it's all about finding what works best for you and, most importantly, what you know you can stick with. n
ONLINE PT PROGRAM Cost: • 3-months: QR 1,500 monthly, or QR 4,500 total • 6-months: QR 1,250 monthly, or QR 7,000 total • 12-months: QR 1,000 monthly, or QR 12,000 total Contact Info: Call 3385-2696, email jonny@absolutehealthandfitness.org, or visit www.absolutehealthandfitness.org.
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