Shirleen Ho

Almost a year ago, I was weighing in around 61kgs which for my height of 172cm was considered pretty normal. I was relatively fit but wasn't strong. Being in competitive dragon boating, my coach had told me time and time again that I needed to build strength. However, I was anything but motivated to start picking up weights.

 It came to a point where I wasn't progressing much further in my dragon boating without more strength. I knew I needed to set myself a measurable goal to motivate myself to get out of that rut. This goal came in the form of a holiday which involved parading through the streets of the Port of Spain for 12 hours straight in the Trinidad Carnival. The costumes worn at this event were very revealing and reading up on preparation tips, the line "a high level of overall fitness is highly recommended" stuck in my head. I knew I needed help to take my fitness and strength to the next level. Not only that, but I wanted to look trim, toned and defined. Some would call this shredding, but I call it looking good naked. It was then I realised that professional help was needed, and so began my experience with Vision Gladesville (yes, all those teardrop flags along the footpath on Victoria road worked!).

It was not an easy journey, but I certainly learned a lot about proper and safe technique on bodyweight, free weights and weight machine exercises. Most importantly, I learned the value of macros and structuring my eating habits around this. It really took a lot of self-discipline to get accustomed to weighing my food, logging it, and planning my meals ahead. If it were not for the support of the Vision community, the staff at Gladesville and my Trainers Karl and Stacy providing the right amount of push and encouragement I needed, hitting new strength PBs each month and changing my eating habits would have been near impossible.

I am now almost at the same weight as I started, perhaps a couple of kilograms lighter. However my body composition is completely different and it is so rewarding to see the ratio of fat to lean muscle in my body change for the better. I looked great for my holiday in Trinidad and I'm feeling fitter, much stronger and more confident in my body. So you see, Personal Training isn't just for people looking to lose weight. It's really for anyone wanting to change their body composition. Personally, I'm still amazed at my results and what I've achieved with the help of Vision. Thank you so much for this fantastic experience and being a vital part of my transformation!