ONE KIWI WOMANS LIFESTYLE BEFORE TRANSFORMATION You Can Do It Too!
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ntroducing Kiri Symonds, read how amongst everything that was going on in her life, through support she was able to find solutions & not excuses to get the body she wanted through the MKnutrition health & fitness regime.
What did you do before you started this life changing transformation? The weigh had slowly creep on over the past year with my partner hardly home due to work and full on stress and pressure from my studies and family life. Exercise and nutrition went out the window. I never ate breakfast, little lunch and dinner and then... Packets of chippies or popcorn in bed or couch watching TV. Up to early hours in the morning writing assignments so Mountain Dew and lollies were my best friend up to two litres a day to keep me up and going.
What was your inspiration for the changes you have made?
I had seen my partners friend (Acacia) going through this MK journey and thought I wonder if this would work for me. My partner and I had set a date for a wedding this January and I wanted to look good for my wedding and also get fit. So decided to join up as a gold member. My first weigh in was an eye opener. I was like how did I let myself get this way.
Grilled Banana with Yogurt & Coconut Instuctions 1. Preheat a sandwhich grill to high heat & spray lightly with cooking oil spray.
2. Cut the banana in half length-ways keeping the skin on, spread the honey over the cut side of each banana. 3. Place the banana halves inside the sandwhich grill for 3-4 minutes or until tender. 4. Meanwhile, mix together yogurt & protein powder. 5. Transfer the bana to a serving plate, the yogurt mix on top and sprinkle with the coconut.
What did you want to achieve, what have you achieved & how did you do it?
I wanted to get fit, be healthy & set good eating habits for myself and my family and also look good in my wedding dress. I set 2 mini goals through out this journey:1. Run 2km without stopping by the end of the 12 weeks as I wasn’t a runner but wanted to do triathlons. 2. Do my first triathlon with my 7 yr old daughter which was 1.5km run, 5km bike and 100m swim. At the start went with a hiss and a roar and I loved learning new recipes and new ways of doing things with exercise. At first the gym was so scary, I didn’t like going to the gym with lots of people but after two weeks I was like nah get rid of that attitude and own my space and what I was in their do to was get them gains. Then I started back at Massey full time studying and then the pressure to balance everything started to hit me. At first study’s took a back seat but then found the right balance for my life. I completed another three triathlons with my daughter. Achieved my goal to get over 300Kg in our Gold member’s 200kg challenge.
How hard was it to follow the MKnutrition diet and exercise recommendations?
The food was hard at the start to eat due to quantity as I was not a big eater. But the weekly plans were always tasty and after second week got easier to eat. Food prep was key to keep on par with each meal each week. And quickly got that under control. Towards the end I started to train towards my other goal for running 2km non stop. After two mornings of running/ walking 4kms I did it. I ran 2.3km without stopping. I wouldn’t have got their if it wasn’t for the building blocks MK had set up for me in the first 10weeks.
For more info, visit MKnutrition.co.nz
AFTER
“I am very proud of myself and where I am today. It took a lot of hard work not just physically but also mentally! To be able to understand my body and how it works best is the best feeling ever!”
How have you managed to stay on top of things especially with your partner being away?
My daughter and son have been my rock. They have been my training partners at the gym, swimming, and cycling. My daughter and son saying, “Have you gone to the gym today mum?”, “Mum I’m liking dinner this week”. And when I think about it. What a great example I’m setting for my children. Including them in my journey with food, exercise and also training. I feel proud that I was able to set this example for them so hopefully as they grow up their make the right decisions for themselves. I have also gain a new support whanau. When I was low I would come to our page and read peoples post and they would pick me back up and get me going again. Thanks to Matt, Tee, Leila, and Acacia for the support you have given me while I go through this. Setting me on the right path for life, a new way of thinking, eating exercising, and how to enjoy life with my family.
At any point did you give up? No, but when partner was still away overseas and then finding out he was push out by another 4 weeks argh (8 months in total)! Being a solo mum was starting to take its toll a little with more sports and activities on for my kids and mentally, the stress of life was starting to make me think I couldn’t do it. So my head started playing games on me, but with the support and guidance of the MK whanau and my support person, my brother Tama, I kept my head up and pushed through my demons and look where I am now.
So what next?
So now at the end of the journey all my short term goals have been achieved and I have signed up for MK6 to continue the journey. Ready to set new goals and smash them too! Bring on MK6 on Oct 5. I now attended regular body pump and body balance classes along with our MK fitness programme, and I completed my next goal of running 4km without stopping and attend regular body pump & body balance along with our MK fitness programme. No going back to where I was; only looking forward to a healthier future.
Is your partner back now? One more thing I achieved was surprising my partner at the airport. He had been away from 8 months overseas and he had not seen any photos of what I looked like since he left.
I picked him up looking 15kg lighter than when he last saw me. He said he had to double look to see if it actually was me picking him up. He was so surprised but proud of what I had achieved while he was away.
PHOTOGRAPHER/EDITOR - India Bartlett Thanks to Kiri Symonds & MKNutrition