Rachelle Trayer

It is just a few days after my 38th birthday and I feel fitter (physically, mentally and emotionally) than ever!

I have been a member of Vision Personal Training for almost 4 years and it was the best decision to walk through those doors. I started training with John about 8 months ago and he has opened up a very different perspective and understanding of training, nutrition, goal setting, personal accountability and long-term balance to me.

The biggest lesson I have learnt from John (and probably where it all clicked for me) was the importance of not following or comparing myself with anyone else. Not to worry about what everyone else was eating, how they were exercising and what weight they were losing. What works for someone else may not work for me and vice versa. That, for me, was life changing - a great philosophy carrying over to all areas of life!

The first thing we did was to take the time to work out what worked for me in terms of nutrition, exercise and motivation - for me it was to keep it simple and remove anything adding additional stress and hence cortisol/ e.g. more natural and whole foods, less accelerator days and far less hard cardio and more sleep combined with tracking tools such as VVT and daily lists. At first it was counterintuitive to me as I was just so much more relaxed with less early starts, less hard cardio and more time in nature for long walks - but then the weight started dropping off and staying off. Of course, it's still about hard work and dedication to stay on track by just focusing on a personalised plan that suits me. I have not only achieved weight loss from this approach but also increased strength, energy levels, better quality sleep, improved self-confidence and overall motivation.

Another important aspect of Vision Personal Training is the support network - the beautiful little community of members. I love seeing my gym family who keep me inspired and also accountable and pretty special to have a coffee and chat post training with these guys.

I now feel in a really great place to achieve further fitness goals but also the goals I am setting in all other aspects of my life. Thank you, it's been such a pleasure and I'm grateful to be a member of this great community over the past 4 years.