Fiona Athersmith

I have battled my weight since childhood! My weight always fluctuated considerably although always on the heavier side and before joining Vision it was out of control. Basically, I looked after everyone else but myself and I comfort ate mostly because I had a very stressful, high powered job working long hours and doing lots of travel. Suddenly I got to an age where I realised I had lived longer than I had left to live and decided I wanted to make the rest of my life about living for me and those I loved. I quit the high powered job with long hours and got a job I really loved and which gave me more time for me. No excuses. Tipping the scales at 101 kilos, I lost 12 kilos on my own through exercise and watching what I ate. I then plateaued and while the gym I was going to was lovely, there was no motivation and I was just a member, not Fiona. A friend introduced me to Vision, with his success and enthusiasm inspiring me. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. With great trepidation, I started a journey that has seen me lose another 15 kilos (making 27 kilos in three years) but more importantly has made me fitter and stronger. My journey has been proving to myself that I can succeed, that I am strong, that I can achieve and I do have endurance. There have been many highlights of my Vision journey including completing the 2017 14km Spartan obstacle race where I ran a greater distance than ever, completed the majority of obstacles, and despite chronic leg cramps at the 11km mark just kept going. I pushed myself, had fun, achieved an amazing result and got an awesome medal as well as plenty of war wounds! Another highlight has been the friends and sense of community I have found at Vision Ivanhoe and celebrating the achievements of others. I love my trainer Lee, who inspires me and motivates me every day, and the rest of the Trainers as well as the beautiful friends I have made. I am even preparing for my first fun run - those words never went together in my vocabulary and I'm not really a runner unless there's the challenge of obstacles! Little miss bookworm, who was always last person standing after school sporting team picks, is now Spartan 183 and Spartan 5094 (did the 7km in 2016)! I now have courage, determination and strength to take on physical challenges, succeed and want to push myself even further. I'm not perfect - I still falter from time to time and sometimes it's not easy, particularly as a pescetarian - but with all that Vision Personal Training has taught me, as well as the motivation and happy environment they provide, it's not difficult to get back on track. I am the fittest and lightest I've been in living memory and love my muscles! Vision has become my happy place and they put the 'Personal' into everything, not just into my 'Personal Training' sessions. If I can do it, I'm sure that you can too. Just believe in yourself and have a vision, but make it with Vision Personal Training!