Anjie Connor

Four years ago I walked the Auckland half marathon. In December 2007 I struggled to walk up to my kids’ school.

By the middle of summer I was so sick of carrying so much weight; of my rolls of fat rubbing on each other; of the excess sweat; of being embarrassed to wear togs in public; of not being able to play properly with my kids; the list goes on and on…

I needed to take action.  I knew from past attempts to lose weight that I needed to exercise as well as diet.  I had had several attempts at Weight Watchers and I was now seriously considering Jenny Craig.  After thinking and talking about the situation with my husband and my GP I decided to join a gym.  I decided that I needed to prioritise the exercise aspect of my weight loss programme and that the diet stuff would then happen more easily.

I made an appointment at Les Mills to speak with Anne about joining the gym.  She asked me lots of questions about my goals and the areas I wanted to focus on.  I decided that I would really like to have someone support me on an ongoing basis as I needed to be accountable to someone and knew that I had a habit of opting out after about 6 – 8 weeks on my past ventures.

Anne put me on to Kat who has actively helped me to totally change my life. I lost 10kg in 12 weeks – that’s about two dress sizes.  The last item of clothing I purchased before joining the gym was a size 20 pair of jeans.  The day after my 12 week weigh in, I went out and bought a size 15 pair.

There are obvious changes in my physical appearance, including my posture, and the quality and quantity of food that I choose to eat.  But there are also much less obvious changes which have taken place in my head.  Less obvious to others, that is.  But very obvious to those who know me well!

I now see the changes I have made as a permanent part of my life.  And that excites me.  I no longer have a sense of urgency about losing weight.  I’m not looking for a quick fix, I’m working towards a sustainable, healthy lifestyle which supports my new look and goals.

I really look forward to my sessions with Kat.  I know that I am going to get an uninterrupted hour to focus on where I’m at and what I need to focus on for the next week.  We set achievable goals and brainstorm solutions to problems.  And all this is done while I work really hard and sweat and burn calories and tone my body.

Kat has helped me to devise an eating plan which meets my needs.  She is always helping me to find solutions for my individual barriers.  She sends me texts messages which remind me that I have someone working with me on my mission.

The money is a commitment but it didn’t take me long to feel like I was making a valuable investment for my long term health and well being.
When I’m working out by myself (following the programme designed for me by Kat) I hear her voice in my head encouraging me, refining my technique and telling me to push myself harder.

anjie.connor@greenbayhigh.school.nz