Katelyn Swallow

Tell me about your life before Vision?

I started training when I was 21 whilst living on campus during my college years. I was living the usual unhealthy college lifestyle, poor sleeping, too much drinking and the occasional eating binge. My training regime was 6 days per week and all high intensity exercise as I thought that was the best way to achieve my desired body shape. I was deathly scared of carbs and wouldn't eat any all week then I'd binge on the weekends. For the past 5 years, my training had remained the same however I never saw the results I wanted and always hated my body and how it looked. I know now that I was clearly under eating and over training hence why the plateau of no results. Last year I started working in the fitness industry for Woman's Health and Fitness magazine which was great, but I always felt out of place, like I didn't fit in due to my appearance. In June 2016, I decided that enough was enough and I needed to take action to make changes in my life, I started looking around for the right Trainer/facility but struggled to find something that I felt comfortable with. It was then that I was referred via word of mouth to Vision Personal Training Brighton and met with Dan, the rest is history.

What Results have you achieved?

Currently I've lost 12kgs and decreased my body fat by 10%! I've also managed to increase my lean muscle mass by 3kgs. The best part is I've done all this by training less and eating more than I ever have, it's amazing!

How has life changed for you?

I have found that everything now flows into each other, changing this area of my life has helped with every other area! I've never been more confident in myself and my appearance, I feel like I belong in my industry and as my confidence has grown so has my ability to communicate and build relationships with people. My energy levels are way better, whereas I used to struggle to get up in the morning, I now get up at 5am, and can make it through a long day at work. Both these factors have affected my productivity at work in such a positive way that I've now been promoted to editor of Woman's Health and Fitness magazine. 

What is your favourite thing about training at Vision?

It's hard to nominate one thing but I've made some of my best friends here, the community feel is amazing and to do it with other likeminded people is motivating and inspiring. I've also been able to achieve these results at a sustainable rate, no hard dieting, I can live my life and still achieve great results. Dan has never pressured or told me what to do, just guided and educated me enough for me to come to my own conclusions. The support and care factor from not only Dan but the entire studio has been really special as this is as much a mental and emotional journey as a physical one.

What advice would you give someone in a similar situation to where you were, and is thinking about making a change?

Find a goal to focus on and aim towards. Find a Trainer and place that really cares about you. You can have all the knowledge in the world like I did, but if you're not emotionally able to make the changes alone you will struggle to get there. Finally, surround yourself with people who are in a similar situation and who will be there to support you, as this will make your journey both fun and rewarding!