All the Gear but No Idea!

Metcon 3s, lifting gloves and an Under Armour hoodie.

Ray has probably been dreaming of buying me this Xmas present combo for the past 8 years. Luckily for him he has never dared do it…. until now…

Yes, my New Year’s resolution is to stop eating all the leftover chocolates, don my new fitness gear and take part in the first Transformation Programme of 2018!

Now, you might think that because I’m married to a CrossFit-obsessed fitness fanatic who owns his own gym and watches videos of complete strangers lifting weights in his spare time (???) that I’m similarly athletic. Well, you’d be wrong.

In the past I’ve gone through phases of running (boring – I run out of things to think about) and I’ve tried CrossFit (due to my ‘strength issues’ Ray made me use a PVC pipe instead of a bar, pretty embarrassing!) but I’ve never had the grit and determination to stick to a fitness programme for longer than a few weeks.

Added to that, I’ve spent the last 6 years either pregnant or breastfeeding so my fitness level is absolutely zero, and the heaviest thing I’ve lifted is my double Bugaboo Donkey.

So there’s my starting point. A total weed with zero stamina.

Before January last year I would never have dreamt of going into Ray’s gym in this state – the regular members were mostly advance-level athletes and I would have felt far too intimidated to join the normal classes.

But that was before the Transformation Programme.

In Jan 2017 Ray put together a group of absolute beginners and coached them through a high-intensity, progressive programme which gradually built their strength, fitness, skill and, most of all, confidence. And the results were absolutely incredible! Something about the group dynamic and the structure of the programme just worked, and those previously fitness-phobic people were able to achieve things they never thought possible.

And so the Transformation Programme was born.

In the end over 100 people completed the Transformation Programme in 2017, but they didn’t just complete it – they got fit, they got strong, they lost weight and they made lasting friendships. So if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.

I’m excited and nervous about starting the course, but I know it’s my best chance of getting fit and losing the baby weight so I’m going to give it my best shot.

To make sure my motivation doesn’t waiver half-way through I’m going to post photos and blogs as I go along. Please follow me and offer (kind) words of encouragement! I’m hoping some of my fellow Transformers will do the same so that we can all share our journeys and stay on-track.

The programme starts on 22nd January – less than two weeks – so watch this space!

by Nicole Pharoah