I really love training Tracy. She most definitely keeps me on my toes. When she gets tired boxing sometimes she misses the pad and hits me... she insists this is an accident?! I'm not so sure...
Check out what we did to get her in great shape
Last year a routine check-up with my GP showed that my blood pressure was on the high side. With a family history of heart disease and stroke I was keen to see if I could reduce it. “Well done you” said my GP today as my results show a significant improvement. I have spent the rest of the day grinning from ear to ear. What was the key to my success? I met Steve. Steve trains a number of my work colleagues in the office gym and I bumped into him shortly after my first visit to the GP. We sat chatting for some time talking about me, my health, lifestyle and what I wanted to achieve for myself. He was positive that making a number of small changes to my lifestyle and diet would bring my blood pressure down.
So what did I do?
1. Cut the caffeine from my diet.
Coming from a family of tea-aholics I was dreading this. How would I cope without my morning cuppa. Astonishingly this was really easy to do. I tried a number of different herbal options and have settled on redbush tea without milk. I found the weirder the ingredients the worst the taste. I do have the occasional coffee but go for the decaff option when available.
2. Train weekly with Steve.
I can’t say it’s the highlight of my week. I don’t have the self motivation to repeat the torture on my own but at least I am honest with myself and Steve. Steve has a strange obsession with lunges and rollers but I am starting the see the benefits from a vanity point of view with more shapely shoulders.
3. Taken up Yoga.
Now this is the highlight of my week. A lot of lying down in a darkened room doing nothing. After a hard session with Steve on Wednesday, yoga on Thursday takes away any muscle pain.
4. Improved my diet.
I’ve always been a carb lover whereas Steve is a meat-man and suggested a similar diet. Buying lots of lovely organic meat and fish was nice at first but the bank balance started to suffer. My husband and I decided that if we had to choose between organic meat or organic veg we would put animal welfare first. I’m a believer in supporting British farmers so I will buy British ahead of organic but still buy good quality meat and veg.
I enjoy cooking so it was an excuse to go out and buy some new cook books that fitted Steve’s ethos. One of them was so good that I bought a copy for Steve for Christmas and he’s started cooking from it too.
Could I have done it on my own?
Possibly, but probably not. As a working wife and mother I am always putting others first. With Steve he puts me first. If I’m having a bad day he will cheer me up. It’s not about radical change but small tweaks that together make a big impact.
