Claudia Vera

I joined Vision Personal Training Surry Hills because I was unhappy. Unhappy with my weight, my appearance and the hopelessness I felt about ever being able to turn things around. I also had to lose weight in order to fall pregnant.

I was desperate and needed something to help me to take action. My wonderful mate Jen was about to start at Vision and got me set up with my brilliant Trainer. I haven't looked back! Training in the Studio is like exercising amongst mates. Every single time I've stepped in there, I've been received with such genuine enthusiasm that you can't help but look forward to training sessions. You're made to feel like the most important person in there and that you and your goals matter. It didn't take long to feel like part of the family. The Trainers take you under their wing and the familiar faces and stories of other members become supports within themselves - everyone seems to want the best for you.

My Trainer has been PT, nutrition coach, mentor, motivator and psychologist all in one. Her knowledge, waking the walk and balance between tough love and sensitive guidance has been key to my success to date. Before starting at Vision, I used food and eating for many different reasons. Good nutrition has been and continues to be my greatest challenge but learning about nutrition - attending the seminars, reading articles on the VVT site, completing my food diary, being mentored by my trainer - turned eating into a mindful action to fuel my body. I now had the skills to take control of what was going in to my body and the accountability to own those decisions. This has not been easy but it has been absolutely vital to achieving results and is my anchor when I stray away from good choices. It really isn't rocket science.

My motivation was to ensure my body was going to be the best incubator for a new life it could be, to give my baby the best start and that I am modelling healthy behaviours and setting up an environment of good nutrition and an active lifestyle for my daughter. I want what I have learnt with Vision to be part of her normal, not just an add on.

Many of the things that challenged me are commonplace - limited time and energy due to work, commuting, long days etc. So I refused to allow these to become an excuse and instead turned them in to positives. Early morning training became a good excuse to travel in to work with my husband, beat the traffic and get in to the office before the chaos of the day. My trainer's flexibility meant that an inconsistent schedule was no excuse not to train.

I was also pregnant but I used this to drive rather than distract me. I knew that every session and every day I hit my macros were a source of nourishment for my baby. It felt good to know that by helping myself I was helping her at this critical stage of development. I was also living the benefits that clean eating and an active lifestyle have on your energy levels and mental health - two major areas to keep on top of during my pregnancy particularly given I suffer from anxiety. Training with Vision has taught me how to fuel my body, how to train it effectively and efficiently, how to take responsibility for my decisions, how to be better organised, how to be more disciplined, how to pick myself up from failure, how to take back control over my mind. I increased my strength and fitness and though I've not yet reached my weight loss goal, I've set the necessary foundations to do so.

I fell pregnant and carried a full term pregnancy successfully - this may seem a strange thing to consider a result but for someone who is overweight, has fertility issues and had previously lost a pregnancy, this is a big deal. Despite being a prime candidate for gestational diabetes and depression during my pregnancy I suffered neither of these thanks to my training and nutrition.

As far as future goals, the sky's the limit. It really is. I used to think of losing a certain number of kilos as an end point but it is only the beginning. I get excited about achieving my next goal not just in and of itself but more so now because I get to dream up new goals that I would never even have dared consider before. I look forward to seeing what more my body is capable of. I'm quietly confident there's still a lot more in store.

Before my question to myself was 'can' I make it happen? Now it is 'how will' I make it happen?