Erin Bouda

My trainer once told me, losing weight is easy. It's a piece of cake... (just don't eat the cake). The hard part is all the other stuff you have to work through before you make any progress. The hard part is reprogramming your brain. It's waking up after a big weekend and starting over again. It's committing yourself to a healthier lifestyle every single day. The hard part is figuring out why you turn to food when you're happy... or sad... or just indifferent. It's trying to stay positive when you've worked your butt off and haven't lost a single gram. It's tapping into your most vulnerable sense of self and figuring out why you feel fat and why you don't want to feel like that anymore.

While most people can lose weight (it's simple maths) you need an incredibly strong support network around you to help with all that other stuff, and that's where the Vision Personal Training team come in. I was nudging 90 kilos when I first inquired at Vision Bondi Junction. I was doing shift work (2am starts). I had just found out I was insulin resistant, a pre-diabetic, and my thyroid was virtually inactive. I had never lifted a weight, and my knees swung out when I ran a little bit like a duck (for about 20m before I was puffed out). I'm telling you this because I'm not some kale-munching gym-junkie crazy - and if I can do it, anyone can. The Trainers at Vision Personal Training Bondi Junction stop at absolutely nothing to see their clients succeed. When I first started, I wasn't getting the results I wanted, my trainer asked me to text him a photo of everything I ate... That simple. I was in such a bad place I literally couldn't be trusted to make any of my own food choices, and he went above and beyond to help what I thought was a hopeless situation. Together we made small changes, we identified the things I was good at and we capitalised on them. Slowly, I began to make inroads.

My journey looks nothing like the next person, but that's the whole point. I've lost around 15 kilos during my 18 months at Vision Personal Training, it's a slow burn but it's so much better than no burn. The Chinese proverb goes "the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now" - so what are you waiting for? I still can't believe in my relatively short time at Vision Personal Training how much my whole attitude towards exercise has changed. I'm hooked. I've even become one of those people who pack their runners when they go on holiday. That said, some days it's enough of a win just to make it to the gym. I'm sure you don't learn this at PT school, but the vision trainers somehow know exactly when to push you, when to go a little easier or when you simply need a 'time out' and a chat. They aren't just trainers, but dieticians, physios, coaches, shrinks, mind readers, motivational speakers, and your biggest fans.

Through Vision Personal Training, I've learnt the road to success is never straight, but you don't need to go it alone... and you sure as hell don't need to take the spare tyre. So if you're waiting for a sign, this is it!