Roisin has been training with us for over 3 years and is one of our most consistent clients. She has 3 children, is heavily involved in playing classical music and, like all mothers, she has a lot of commitments and responsibilities. You guessed it- Rosin is a super-busy mother!!!
Roisin had been super active, fit and healthy throughout her life through her music, gymnastics and horse riding but as her role changed to that of a mother and time just wasn’t as freely available as it used to be, she found herself neglecting her personal health and fitness to the detriment of her physical and mental wellbeing.
“Taking on the role of being a mother had a big impact on me. With my time not being my own to the same extent as it used to be, my health and fitness completely bottomed out. I found it hard to justify and even felt guilty and selfish at the thought of taking a bit of time for myself. Even with my husband, who had been training with Steve for a few years, encouraging me to start, I just couldn’t justify it in my head and also didn’t feel like I had the energy to put in any bit of effort.
If i didn’t even have the energy to go to the gym how was I ever going to find the energy to actually put into the training session?
I had also previously been to gyms but my experiences in them had really turned me off the idea. I never got any support, nobody showed any interest in me, I didn’t see the results I wanted to see and I was left to my own devices which I found so boring and a waste of my time and money. I also found that this approach made me aggravate niggles and injuries in my body.”
The challenges that Roisin talks about above are very common concerns that we here from our female clients on a regular basis. Guilt and selfishness associated with taking time for themselves. Fear and a lack of confidence due to bad experiences. A perceived lack of time, energy and motivation to get started. Meeting Roisin where she was currently at in life, putting a workable plan of action in place and a having support network were the 3 big areas we focused on in order to overcome these challenges and move Roisin forward.
“My husband had started with Steve a few years beforehand and his main goals were to lower his stress levels (the recession had kicked in!) and have the accountability to make sure he didn’t neglect his exercise routine- he only had a small amount of time available to exercise each week and he wanted to maximise it! He assured me I would be taken care of and not injured and that the benefits would really benefit me
I eventually made a start because I hit the point where I just didn’t want to feel the way I was feeling any more. I was feeling unhappy, dissatisfied and cranky and I knew this wasn’t the person I used to be or wanted to continue being.
Everyday things such as carrying the shopping, running after the kids, lifting them up, etc. were far more challenging than they needed to be and I’d poor sleep quality. All these this added up to me not handling the challenges and demands as well as I could of.
Getting to this point in my life had snuck up on me and I wanted to change it and the obvious solution to that was to start exercising even though I hadn’t the motivation to do it.”
Quick note: Roisin has hit upon a very powerful point above that served her well and will serve you well if you commit to practicing it- sometimes the necessity to do something needs to overpower the motivation to do it.
“My first 6 weeks in the gym were the hardest I’ve done so far even though the amount of work I done was ridiculously low and not physically demanding. The challenge was turning up consistently, getting over the guilt of taking time for myself and opening my mind to the future benefits it would bring.
My sessions back then are literally what I warm up with now or do as an easy session if I’m not feeling 100%. Since joining I now have a 3rd child and have added a third gym session each week to my routine even though I’m busier now more than ever and have a lot more stressors to deal with.
IT wasn’t all plain sailing and I’ve had to work through some challenging times including when my son was diagnosed with autism. This can cause huge stressors in families and the stress a mother is under has been compared to the stress that combat veterans experience.
I’ve also had to develop the mindset that it’s ok for me to take time out to for myself to focus on keeping myself fit and healthy which benefits those closest to me much more than if I neglect these things.
A big result of this is that I handle the stressors in my life so much better than before. If you met me today you wouldn’t think that I have the stressors in my life that I talked about.
I eat well, have more energy and don’t let little things don’t get to me (well, usually!!). I’m much stronger than I used to be- I carried my son around Disneyland on my shoulders for 45 minutes- i couldn’t have done that for 1 minute before!
When I’m out and about life is just easier. Carrying shopping is easier, running after the kids is easier, carrying heavy things has become easier and I feel the carryover in so many areas of my life.”
We asked Roisin what she likes most about training with us.
“I’ve been in many gyms over the years and what makes Steve McGrath Health & Performance unique is that there isn’t a thousand people competing for attention and making you feel left out. When you come in it’s for a very focused hour and the coaching you get is very skilful and the quality of coach is one of the most important things for me.
It has helped to reduce, manage and improve niggles and old injuries. For example, I had a hip issue that my consultant said would benefit from some gym work and and this was built into my program with huge improvements as a result.
I was in a poor place with my health and fitness when I first started but having the support and guidance to take small steps has brought me a long way. Having a coach there made it much easier for me to do as my program is constantly adjusted to workaround how I feel on any given day. If my shoulder is painful from practicing a lot of violin or if my energy is drained from the kids being awake all night, my program is adjusted to reflect this and that is a huge benefit for me.”
Roisin’s advice for anyone in a similar position and is on the fence about getting started:
“I was in your position. I was extremely tired, wasn’t very motivated to get started and really didn’t want to join another gym and waste my money. The
staff and clients have created a really fun and unique atmosphere. Everybody knows everybody else and everyone does a great job of supporting each other in the gym and outside. I really find the online support group really useful. The banter is great and it keeps us all up to date on how everyone else is progressing which motivates everyone even if you haven’t seen them for a while.”
Roisins story is a great example of the huge benefits that any busy mother can get from a consistent health and fitness routine. If Roisin has inspired you to take action then we’d love to help you to start moving forward.
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