Josh: Hi, this is Josh from the DVCC and I’m sat here with Lyndsey Taylor, who has had some amazing results since she started training at the DVCC in September of last year.
So I just wanted to have a chat with her to get a perspective of what she’s done to achieve those amazing results and how her *life has changed since being a part of the DVCC. So Lyndsey, over to you; do you mind telling us your age first of all?
Lyndsey: I am 37.
Josh: And what is it you do for a job?
Lyndsey: I venue find for companies, so I venue find hotels when they run events, and I also represent venues that want to be connected to corporate clients.
Josh: Thank you very much. So if we go back to before you were a client at the DVCC, talk me through your mindset; did you exercise? What was a typical day of food?
Lyndsey: Working in hotels, you tend to eat quite a lot, and I was entertaining clients quite a lot; so I would be drinking a nice glass of wine or two at lunchtime and perhaps sometimes in the evening as well; a full on 3 course meal sometimes, but that would be once or twice a week.
Weekends, just general family eating, roasts, and obviously going out weekends sometimes. Not really exercising other than one class a week which I did in an evening, which I started in January 2014, and that’s what started me thinking I want to do a bit more.
And then when my youngest went to school in September, that’s when I had a bit more time because both my girls are at school; so I thought, right, I’ve got to fit something in around work now, now that both girls are in the same place at the same time.
Josh: So, on that, I remember quite vividly, when we met the first time, that one of your concerns was that you did have a very busy job and, being as you’ve got 2 young girls and a family, that you weren’t going to have time to exercise. Can you tell me a little bit more about that?
Lyndsey: Yes, certainly I always thought the only time I could do it was in the evenings once the girls are in bed, which is quite typical for any mum and any working mum; and that was what I thought I wanted to try… now that they’re both at school and I have Fridays off, so I thought I would come and see what I can do on a Friday, in addition to what I was doing on Wednesday evenings; and that was when I came here. I saw a thing on Facebook, I saw that a couple of people I knew that came here as well.
And I met you, and one of the times that we realised I could do was 6 o’clock in the morning, which I refused to believe that I could actually do; so I actually had my head in my hands when we realised that was the time that I could do, at 6 o’clock. I thought there was no way I am ever going to get up at that time in the morning, continually; and somehow you convinced me that I was going to be able to fit it in.
Josh: And somehow, 9 months later, we’re sat here after a progress tracker, doing this interview at 7am, after a 6am session!
Lyndsey: I will never say that you’re right!
Josh: I’ll keep trying to make sure you do!
So what changed in your mind – what allowed you to build that consistency?
Lyndsey: Having the progress trackers and having the more detailed care here than you would at a gym, because you do keep an eye on what weight to do, whether I’m slacking off a bit, even when I try to escape it sometimes! So it is the consistency that you give; the individuality for our own training, even in that group format.
I like the group format, so it’s not that complete one to one, and the social side of being with other people. But the consistency of things like the progress tracker, and you keep an eye on our weight, and you do keep pushing us - all of you.
Josh: I do my best! So on that social side; very recently, Lyndsey just did her first mud run with the DVCC. Do you mind telling us a little bit about that?
Lyndsey: Yes, that’s something I never thought I would do, for a start! And it did take some convincing, but it was an amazing day. And because I’d never done a mud run before, so it was alternatively running and going over obstacles, and one of the key things I think was that you knew that you didn’t have to do those obstacles if you felt that they were too big; so knowing that you didn’t have that pressure on you so you could just enjoy it and have fun.
And you staggered your trainers throughout the group, so there were people at the front and I think you were at the back, because you’re slow… and Valeriya and Greg were in the middle. So whether I was going fast or slow, there was always somebody that was keeping an eye out.
And I do remember actually, Valeriya, right at the beginning, was saying to me, “Pace yourself”, when I was really trying to hurdle down a ditch - and I thought, “Yes, I’m actually going to fall down this!” - it’s not a race and I can do it in my own time.
Josh: Well you managed to survive, which is good… you might not survive my next session after calling me slow, but that’s another story!
But would that have been something you would have considered before the DVCC?
Lyndsey: Somebody did try to get me to do one once and actually, when I went out for a couple of runs, I injured myself so I never did it. And a friend of mine has broken a foot at a mud run before as well, so it was not something I had seriously thought about doing.
Josh: Well you’ve got 100% record of being injury free so far!
So we’ve actually not even mentioned results since you’ve been at DVCC. You’ve actually managed to *lose just under 20lbs of body fat, which is about half of the body fat you had when we first met in September.
That is a huge, huge leap and that’s about 11% body fat, just over, which places you now at a very lean 20%. So talk to me about what you do now that’s different to what you did back when you first met me.
Lyndsey: One of the first things I joined for as well was about the nutrition side, because I had no knowledge at all and came in and said I know nothing about food; I completely need to be told what is good and what is bad and why is it bad, and then somehow try and bring that in without it turning into a diet or a short burst of sessions or something.
So it was more about the education of it all, which is where the progress trackers again come in handy because at the beginning I would ask you loads and loads of questions – and text you loads about different…
Josh: You still do!
Lyndsey: It’s still sinking in! So what I do differently now is make everything a bit more healthy when I’m eating, which sounds so sad, but it’s finding that combination of flavours that I do like; I will make a sausage salad or a sausage, chicken and bacon salad, because I know there’s protein in that, and still have the greens as well. I’ve cut out the carbs now, pretty much.
When I was doing the MDS, I was really, really strict and didn’t have any cheats at all, even when I could have done, and that’s what really worked. And seeing the difference that that made and although I couldn’t live like that all the time, but implementing that into my day now.
But it takes a lot of organisation; it takes a lot of preparation and planning all those meals beforehand and having the time to do that. So that’s the hardest thing, it’s one of those things you’ve just got to make your mind up to do it and you think, right I’m going to do it this month.
It took me about 3 months; I started in September and it was January when I did my first MDS; it was starting with, “Right, let’s just change my breakfast, let’s just do that first”, then “Right, let’s implement a bit of lunch” – and then the last bit was changing the family’s meals, because obviously I can’t do it to the whole family on the MDS.
But I was still doing perhaps potatoes and rice for them but I wasn’t eating it, and then when the kids were asking what I was doing, I was able to educate them. And actually the more that I was then saying it to them, the more I was remembering it myself!
Josh: That’s a good strategy!
How have you managed to find it ongoing and maintaining a low body fat consistently, cooking meals with a family?
Lyndsey: Sometimes I’d just do it separately; sometimes the kids will eat earlier than us anyway. But again it is that I won’t have carbs and perhaps they will. But it’s finding the right meats that we can all have and enjoy, so at least they’re getting quite good quality dinners.
I just cook so much more green veg as well, so they’re getting it automatically without realising. So before, if I was doing like a mixed veg, now I’ll just be buying broccoli or green beans; I’ll still do mixed veg for the girls and we’ll still have that. But if I’m doing the MDS then they pretty much having all green veg, they’re good with their greens anyway so they don’t really notice it.
And then my husband in the end when I was saying “I’ll do you some potatoes” if it was just us, he’d say “Oh no, don’t worry about it, I’ll just have what you’re having”. So in the end he could see… I think he must have been able to see the results and thought well I might as well…
Josh: So, actually, following and improving your nutrition has, in turn, helped your family as well then.
Lyndsey: Yes, and that was what I wanted to do; it wasn’t just about me, it was obviously about them and I could see that I was feeding my kids the same way that I was eating, and the same way that my family fed me. And although I knew it wasn’t as healthy as it could be, I didn’t really know how to change it, so that’s what coming here did!
Josh: Well I appreciate that, Lyndsey!
So how do you feel differently now, as opposed to 9 months ago?
Lyndsey: So much more in control, and obviously much healthier because I know I’m eating healthier; you can see I’m much healthier and on the progress tracker reports, I can see the difference it’s making.
So visually having that, having the percentages and having the regular trackers does really help. So that completely motivates you so as soon as you see a drop – it’s like anything, if you see something’s working, you want to keep on doing it to see how far you can get until you reach that goal or, like I wanted to get to 20%; by the time my end of the year is up I would like to get to 18%, but even if I just touch it and then go back to 20%, that’s great – just to see if I can do that.
But I’ve just got more energy; one of the things I came here for, I wanted more energy because I’ve got the kids and work, and I definitely have.
As long as I get enough sleep, drink lots of water and eat healthily, then that is – it’s an obvious thing, but it’s the most difficult thing is putting it in when you’re busy working or you’ve got family; and to maintain it definitely, it’s really tough.
Josh: So before we close this off, I’m sure there are a lot of people listening to this who are maybe in the same situation as you, who want to do more, who have perhaps got a family, kids, a busy job, who might think that they don’t have enough time to exercise; what advice would you give them?
Lyndsey: You’ve got to really want to do it; you’ve got to be at that stage where you think, “I’m going to give that commitment”, and some people just can’t; so it’s looking at your diary, thinking “How am I going to do this?”, “What other alternative have I got?” and “How long am I going to think, oh I’ll just leave it a little while, I’ll just leave it a little while?”
Something’s got to click in you though; there really isn’t anything you can say to anybody that says, “Oh I know a way that you can fit it in”, because when you’ve got a family, you either can do it or you can’t do it.
I couldn’t do it before September, it’s only because my little one’s at school, they’re both at school, that I’ve got that extra time, I’m not doing the nursery run any more, which breaks another hour in the morning and then adds on another half an hour at the end of the day.
So it’s not as easy as saying, “Oh, anybody can do it”. Yes, you’ve got to have that mindset and think, “Right, I’m going to commit to it”. But it’s usually something that’s changing with the children that makes you think, “Right, I’m going to look at me”.
Mums look at themselves last in the family every time, and it’s only when you finally get that 5 minutes to think, right, what am I going to do for myself and when can I do it, that you actually start looking around at what’s available and then what can fit in.
It does take some convincing to think actually you can get up that early at that time in the morning to do it. But you need to almost have a guarantee that this is going to work better for you than anything else that you could try and any other commitment that you are going to make.
Josh: And now that you have invested more time in yourself, are you pleased you did?
Lyndsey: Oh God, yes, yes definitely, absolutely. I couldn’t have done it before and I’m glad I’ve done it now; definitely the right decision, hands down.
Josh: Well – that is a little longer than planned interview with Lyndsey! And I hope everyone listening to this has learned something that they can implement; whether it’s about motivation, whether it’s about fitting things in and being able to do it; but I’m sure there are some lessons to be learned for everyone here.
So thank you very much for listening; this is Josh and Lyndsey from the DVCC – thank you very much; bye.
