Krystle Wyatt knows that family comes first; that’s why she’s decided to make her health a priority.
In early 2013, my mother passed away suddenly. Seven months later, I discovered I was pregnant with my first child. During my pregnancy, I was still dealing with the loss of my mother and didn’t focus on healthy eating at all and gained 35 kg. My son was born over 13 weeks premature and with a health condition that saw us in hospital for 166 days, two major operations, countless procedures and him enduring things that no child should have to.
I began working out as a means of stress relief during my son’s time in hospital. Training has been a godsend in terms of my emotional, mental and physical health while going through an immense period of stress. I am incredibly passionate about the mental and emotional benefits training provides. As time continued on, my focus shifted to keeping myself as fit and healthy as I could for my son; to be a better mother and ensure I would be around for years to come. The challenge was a goal to strive towards, assisting in my staying the course and keeping strong when temptation arose.
I had lost 32 kg before the BodyBlitz challenge started. My focus shifted from mainly cardio to weight training to develop tone. I wanted to be inspired go above and beyond the weight loss, health and fitness achievements I had previously accomplished. As a result, I feel more energetic and stronger, I am better equipped to handle emotional stress and more confident within myself. I feel happier with myself; I feel as though I am able to conquer any goal I set.
The one thing that sticks in my mind is how hard it is to be overweight. Physically it’s not enjoyable to run or walk long distances because it can be uncomfortable and difficult. I stuck with it, though, and now it’s one of the highlights of my day.
On overcoming challenges:
Being a single parent, I have my son the majority of the time, so my training would have to work around his schedule, not so much mine. I was unable to go to the gym because his health condition meant I couldn’t put him in day care or crèche, so I had a little gym set up at home with the basics for equipment. I enlisted the help of a personal trainer to write weekly programs for me to do at home. It was challenging, but they produced the results I wanted – my confidence with what I was doing grew with each weekly progress picture!
On workout motivation:
I don’t believe vanity or looking good in itself is a strong enough goal to sustain ongoing training and eating well. Every time I felt like giving up or stopping, I thought of my mother. Every time I wanted to cut a training session short because I was ‘too tired’, I thought of family members that were struggling through illness. Every time I wanted to eat something unhealthy, I thought about the little eyes that were watching me, and what sort of example I wanted to provide. I don’t want my son to experience losing a parent at an early age, so I will do everything I can to prevent this.
On food swaps:
Prior to this year, I would just eat whatever I felt like at the time. After researching and becoming more aware of how important nutrition is to both health and weight loss, I began making changes to what I ate on a daily basis. The urge to emotionally eat was quite strong at some stages…but revisiting the reasons I decided to take the challenge helped a lot. Initially it was hard, but my desire to change and to be a better person outweighed any food I could possibly eat.
On treats:
I treated myself by purchasing some new trainers or gym clothes. There are so many non-food treats you can enjoy while doing something like this – I’m just obsessed with fitness gear…and yes, I’m one of those people that live in it!
On measurements:
I am ecstatic with my measurements. I didn’t even realise how much of a difference it was until I held the measuring tape up where it was and now where it is. In my opinion, the measurements are the most important thing!
On goals:
My stepfather was diagnosed with cancer and sadly passed away a week after the challenge ended. Losing my mother at 59 and my stepfather at 58 has given me a heightened awareness of just how important health really is. My next goal is to complete my Master Trainer through the Australian Institute of Fitness, and to continue to train and implement what I learn on myself and to eventually begin helping other people who may have had a tough time of it or just need some guidance in the right direction. If I can do it with everything that has happened, absolutely anyone can.
WHAT I DID:
Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Back and biceps
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Chest and arms
Friday: Circuit
Saturday: Run
Sunday: Rest day/pram walk
WHAT I ATE:
Meal 1: Maxine’s protein shake with oats and maca
Meal 2: Protein bar
Meal 3: 100 g chicken breast/steak, 100 g sweet potato, salad/vegies
Meal 4: Apple and almonds
Meal 5: 150 g chicken breast/steak, 100 g sweet potato, salad/vegies or stir-fry
Meal 6: Maxine’s nighttime protein shake
Congratulations Krystle! Are you up for the challenge?
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