What do you do when you’ve struggled all your life with being underweight and suddenly find yourself at risk of being overweight?
Ashley L. found herself in this dilemma a couple of years ago. The 27-year-old policy consultant had long struggled with an auto-immune disorder. It left her with chronic pain, low energy and challenged to keep weight on.
But then another medical issue caused a radical shift in her metabolism. Her habit of always consuming lots of calories to maintain her weight worked against her. In a matter of months, she went up several clothing sizes.
Ashley wanted to get her weight back under control. She needed to redefine her relationship with food.
A friend had once been a client of Free Form Fitness.
“Her praise stuck with me because of what she described – a boutique gym with a low-density flow of clientele and a tailored approach,” Ashley said. “Given that I was self-conscious in box gyms and had no idea how to use equipment, FFF seemed like the right fit for me.”
She decided to take advantage of FFF’s eight sessions for $96 introductory package and work with experts versed in fitness and nutrition.
“My ideas about exercise and nutrition were transformed in those first few sessions,” she said.
That was the fall of 2015. She’s since become a regular at FFF’s Wellington location, training once a week with Michael Farant and them coming in several more times a week on her own.
“My goals from the outset have evolved,” she said. “Mike has challenged my ideals of what I wanted to look like. Now I’m not afraid of gaining weight because I’m adding lean muscle mass and building my strength and stamina.”
Her efforts have paid dividends in surprising ways.
“My pain has dissipated and my energy is much better than it was,” she said. “And one result I didn’t expect was that I feel better psychologically. I’m more confident in myself, more receptive to challenges and more assertive. I see the benefits in my personal relationships and my career.”
And it’s all thanks to a truly personalized program that addresses her specific needs.
“I tend to get these dizzy spells when I’m doing a lot of cardio so Mike adjusted the workouts so I still get my heartrate up,” she said. “We focus more on strength training and weights.”
Nutrition counselling has also been a big part of her FFF experience.
“I ate fairly well before, but I had a few habits like constant and late-night snacking,” she said. “I would grab packaged foods on the go instead of preparing meals ahead of time. But now as a consequence of exercising, my body craves more wholesome foods, healthier foods. Instead of snacking, I’ve gotten into the routine of regular meals.”
Healthier food isn’t the only thing her body craves. Hitting the gym on a regular basis has become a natural part of her routine.
“I do find myself actually craving it,” she said. “It’s an outlet for all the other stresses in my life. I now have the confidence and willingness to engage in other activities competitively.”
