Submitted by Russell on
As part of our new blog on all things fitness, we thought we'd share this great review written by Lynn, one of our valued clients, and someone who really 'took the bull by the horns' and got herself fit and in shape, with Kula Fitness. These are her own inspiring words from start to finish:
My Kula Journey
Reality hit on my 35 birthday. If I’m honest, I’d know for a while that I was starting to pack on a few pounds but being a busy working mum of two young children I’d not put myself or my health first for quite a while. I was happily pretending that everything was all fine and it was a natural part of ‘getting older’.
So last birthday my mum bought me a skirt which I’d been coveting for a while. A size 14. My ‘normal’ size. With a bit of squeezing and breathing in, I got in it but the reality was I’d never be able to sit, eat or breathe in at as there was no space. I needed a bigger size and a refused to buy it. It was returned to the shop and the credit note came home with the promise to myself that I was going to get back into a comfortable 14.
It was at this point that I first made contact with Russ and Emily at Kula. The Facebook message was sent and an appointment made to pop in for a visit. I’m not going lie, I was nervous. I’d tried going to the gym before a few times and had never stuck at it. I’d been to yoga and pilates classes pre children but it was so easy to find an excuse not to go after a busy day at work and with children to feed. As a teacher there was also a pile of marking to do and sitting on the sofa was just much easier!
As soon as I arrived at Kula I knew Russ and Emily got it. Training sessions could be booked around normal life and if childcare got in the way, they could come too. Signing up last June was one of the best decisions I ever made! My goal was to get back to being a comfortable size 14 (with secret aspirations that maybe a 12 was possible) I didn’t have a clue what that would mean weight wise but if the clothes fitted I would be happy.
My first training session nearly killed me. I think I managed to hold a plank for 10 seconds and everything hurt the next day (and the day after that) but it felt good. The more I trained the easier it got. Not that Emily didn’t make it harder! I loved every minute of my training sessions and still do.
Once my general fitness increased and the 10 second plank had become a minute and 20 seconds and the weights being lifted gradually crept up. I was introduced to the squat rack (something I would never have believed was possible!) and Emily took me on my first full 5k run. Before I knew it, the first size 10 top was purchased with the credit note from the ‘birthday skirt’. I had smashed my clothes size target and somehow 3 stone has disappeared. If I’m honest its not the weight loss that I am most proud of (although its definitely a bonus!), it’s the fact that I can now walk up the hill to my house at speed without it nearly killing me, it’s the fact that I can pick up and run with my 5 year old. It the fact that this has become a habit and I’ve stuck to it.
The reason why? I’ve had the most amazing support from Em and Russ at Kula. There are days that I’ve walked into training on the verge of tears after a rubbish day at work and the boxing gloves have come out and some serious stress relieving has taken place. There are days that I leave training wondering if my abs are hurting due to the exercises or the fact that Em and I have laughed the whole way through training. It’s knowing that you can confess to eating cake (yep real chocolate loaded, buttercream filled cake) and you’ll be told its ok, your human and if you don’t treat yourself every so often you’ll go mad. They have absolutely got your back and want you to succeed and I can’t thank them enough for their support.
It certainly isn’t always easy (getting up for training at 6am on a Monday morning is hard, I’m not going to lie about that!) but has it been worth it? Most definitely!
