Shauna Donovan- dropped 55lb of fat!!

After being stuck in a rut for a number of years, Shauna finally had enough of eating junk, feeling run down, tired all the time and generally unfit.

As a teenager Shauna was heavily involved in sports such as basketball and rowing snd even went on to claim an All-Ireland boxing title!

But as the years went on and life got busier, Shauna started neglecting her health, fitness and wellbeing for too long and it was getting her down mentally, physically and emotionally.

“My lifestyle was terrible and it was stopping me from doing the things I wanted to. I work long hours in a demanding job and my days off work were spent sitting on the couch where I’d just watch t.v. and eat take-aways, chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks and watching tv.

I was constantly cranky, couldn’t get off the couch when I wasn’t working and I was hitting energy slumps that I just couldn’t get past. I even struggled to walk up small flights of stairs. I had no energy to do anything and this had me feeling pretty low.”

 

I was smoking as well and all this just made me feel so crappy, robbed me of the confidence to do the things I wanted to do and really stopped me from enjoying life. My days just felt so bad and this fed into my bad habits even more.”

Shauna had tried on and off for years to ‘get skinny’ like so many of the girls she knew without ever addressing her lifestyle which was the main area that needed to be focused on if she wanted to make longterm change.

“I knew that I needed to exercise, eat better, etc. but because I had nobody supporting me and holding me accountable it was too easy not to do- sure who’s know. This mindset was keeping me where I was and I was only cheating myself. I finally made the decision to get my lifestyle together and commit to making the changes I needed to. I got in touch with Steve.”

As you can imagine, Shauna’s lifestyle had led her into a nasty rut and she had a bit of work ahead of her. It was time to commit and build the healthy and active lifestyle that she said she wanted.

“I initially just wanted to lose weight and ‘be skinny’ but soon realised that I needed to shift my focus towards developing healthy lifestyle habits as this was where my main problems were coming from and the cause of why I was feeling so stressed out and run down.

To be honest, when I realised where I was starting from I thought I was never going to get to my goals because I didn’t think I had it in me. I thought I would give it a week or 2 and then quit when I had to face up to changing some of my habits.”

We agreed on some simple goals with Shaua that were manageable and could be added into her lifestyle without too much effort. This was key to Shauna’s success as overwhelming her would definitely lead to her straying off track, getting disheartened and quitting. This would be another failure added to her history of health and fitness attempts and make it even harder to do the next time she tried.

How wrong Shauna was about her ability to meet these challenges head on and overcome them!

“I started off doing 2 gym sessions a week, drinking a bit of water and going for a walk when possible. Bit by bit, as one new habit became easier I added in another such as a bit more veg, a piece of fruit or focusing on eating a healthier breakfast. I also set myself a goal of dropping a dress size over within the first few months.”

“Before I just seemed to be plodding along in a rut of work, sleep, eat, repeat with no goals. So far I have dropped 2 dress sizes, quit smoking and have much more confidence. My energy levels have massively improved and I’ve completely transformed my association with healthy, nourishing food and exercise.

I still have nights out, enjoy my favourite treats, go to festivals and all the things I love but i enjoy them so much more now as they don’t have the negative impact on me the way they use to.

Changing my lifestyle has given me a new lease of life where I have the energy and confidence to do the things I want to do. I feel like I’m moving in the right direction and that I’m in a good, manageable routine with my healthy lifestyle. I just feel way better in myself now because I have proven to myself that I’m capable of achieving the goals I set for myself.

The guys in the gym make it feel like a family rather than a gym. The support from the coaches both inside the gym and outside and the motivation from the other clients who are achieving their own goals keeps you on track and engaged and makes it an enjoyable atmosphere to be in.

My biggest challenges so far have been working around long woking hours and learning how to change my mindset. I found it hard early saying no to partying every weekend and not eating as much junk but now I’m in a routine that is much more enjoyable and beneficial.

I caved a few times at the start but now when I see and feel the results, I just can’t justify putting in the work during the week only to end up crashing on the couch at the weekend with junk food and mindless tv. This just robs me of my time and drive to get up and do things. I’ve raised my standards of what is acceptable for me.”

We asked Shauna her advice for anyone who can relate to her story and is serious about changing the quality of their life.

“Stop thinking about just get up and do it. You’ll be glad you did it once you get into a routine and stick to it.”

Shauna, you have truly transformed as a person over the past few months and our team are absolutely delighted to have supported you in taking back control go your health, fitness and quality of life. You listened listened and implemented the advice we gave you and overcame a lot of challenges along the way so your results are truly deserved- a huge well done from its all!

If Shauna’s story has inspired you and you’re ready to get started on your own journey, click the consultation picture below and let’s get talking.