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Karen Wicks

Group: Step into Life® Chelsea, Victoria

Comments about Step into Life®:

I joined Step into Life Chelsea 12 months ago and like many of you have found it to be the best thing I have ever done for myself. I say for myself because that is what it is all about.

I am a working mother of four children, so as you can imagine there was not a lot of time left over for me. I found myself steadily gaining weight over the years and I knew it was mainly to do with not doing enough exercise. My exercise was driving my kids to and from their activities or doing household chores. As I work in an office this also did not help.

I too was given a warning from my Doctor to start doing something for myself and to control my weight gain. After several attempts at weight watchers, I decided it was time to try something different. I have never been a 'sporty' person but have always enjoyed walking in the company of others. I saw an advertisement for Step into Life and decided that it might just be what I was looking for.

Wow! What a difference seeing that ad has made to my life.

I never thought I could run/walk for 4k, or do push ups, or compete in a Fun Run such as the Robert De Castella 7.5k run earlier this year, but I have proved to myself that I can.

I have improved my energy and fitness levels, lost 8kg and have trimmed and toned inches from all over. I owe this all to Lisa and Tim for encouraging me to push myself to levels I never thought I could and I enjoy it as well!

I love the company of everyone at Step into Life Chelsea and the encouragement we all give to one another. I would recommend Step into Life to anybody because we all owe it to ourselves.

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Kathy Scott

Group: Step into Life® Broadbeach, Queensland

Comments about Step into Life®:

As I get older I want to maintain a good healthy lifestyle and Step into Life is providing that. The results are all there – I am a lot fitter, fit better in my clothes, and I have lost weight. Randall is very fair but also can be tough in times when needed. His sessions are always different. STEP INTO LIFE IS DEFINITELY THE WAY TO GO!

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Kellie Biggin

Group: Step into Life® Stanthorpe, Queensland

Comments about Step into Life®:

Here is my honest view on "step". Both the good bad and the ugly.
I have been attending Step into Life for over 1mth now, twice a week.
I do cardio on Mondays and toning on Wednesday. I am a 42yr old mother and have let myself "go" a little, and am a few kg over weight, I had not exercised for over 18mths. I was very embarrassed and It took a lot of courage for me to go to Step in to Life.
I like the drills and the non contact exercise programs, with lots of variety. This is my only ''time out"for ME throughout the week. So I like to go into my own head space,and use the exercise for stress relief. I have started to work up my fitness level very slowly by design due to back problems, and Natalie has been very good in montoring me. Natalie is very encouraging,positive and cheery everyday, (I don't know how she does it). She tries really hard to cater for every fitness level. I dont like the relays and games, I find them a little intimidating and too competitive for me. But you can not keep every one happy. Some people thrive on battling it out for the "family cattle station" but for some of us it has a counter productive result. So I just try to zone out and focus on what I want to do and achieve. Natalie lets me do a couple of power walks instead of the feisty stuff, and I'm happy to do that.
I do feel much stronger, more energetic,and slowly it is becoming easier and (dare I say it) more enjoyable.

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Kim Downton

Group: Step into Life® West Pennant Hills, New South Wales

Comments about Step into Life®:

In August 2009, I ran the whole 14 km of the City 2 Surf.

I owe it all to Craig & the support of my fellow members of Step into Life at West Pennant Hills.
Let me tell you how Craig at Step into Life changed my life forever, because I now know that the old Kim is gone & my life will never be the same again. I found the secret to fulfillment, through the union of hard work & fun.....true happiness through personal achievement.

I was always the tallest & biggest. I was the marker that all women were measured. If someone said," she was even bigger than you!" I could feel their disbelief. I wasn't planning to be 40 & still fat. My weight has fluctuated all of my life, but mainly on the heavy side. Growing up, my wonderful mother loved cooking & I loved eating. Yeah, I love eating, that's no secret, but I also liked lying on my couch watching television & I have a sedentary job. It was a recipe for disaster. I've always been going to lose the weight, in my teens, 20s & 30s, every New Year, what the heck it was more like every Monday.

My weight in October last year ballooned to 135kgs. I am already over 6ft tall & with all that weight, I looked & felt like a tank. I was morbidly obese, my knees were giving way, my cholesterol was high & I was feeling the effects of all the years of abuse I had put myself through, it not only affected my health but also my life. I had let decades slip by without doing anything about this - it was time.

We all know deep down there is not magic cure, no pill or potion. It's simple common sense there is only one way to lose weight "burn more than you eat", however you'd better believe that it is the most rewarding experience you can ever undertake & it can also be FUN, yes I said FUN. Let me explain how.

So where to go? What to do?

Step into Life was recommended to me by a friend who had had amazing results I had seen but was always too embarrassed to ask. I thought there was no way I could afford a personal trainer, but I was wrong, because this is group training the cost is remarkably good value & for me the best investment I ever made.

So, in October I rang Craig, the trainer at West Pennant Hills Step into Life, & he asked if I would like to attend a free session & see how I felt. I was surprised when I got there to see all age groups, teens, parents, grandparents, men & women; people from different walks of life and different cultures. To my surprise it was fun, there was something about the atmosphere, I felt at ease & being outdoors was refreshing. You see these classes are different from any gym I've joined (& I've joined a few of them too), every class is modified to suit each person, thanks to the attention of our trainer Craig. You start at a pace & weight you are comfortable with & then work your way up & up & up. I started using 2kg weights during toning classes, hitting like a girl in the kickboxing class & walking or shuffling in short spurts during the Saturday morning road run. Now I use 6kg weight, punch like a champion & ran the whole City 2 Surf & Blackmore's Bridge Run, all in less than 12 months. In January, Craig ran his own Biggest Loser 10 week challenge & to my surprise I ended up on the podium. I am now nearly 30kgs lighter than I was on that faithful day in October last year. Yes I am still overweight, but I'm on my way to a new me, well actually I'm already thinner, fitter & healthier. My cholesterol is normal, I don't need a knee guard, I can climb steps, run uphill & my clothes are falling off me - time for a new wardrobe. AND I LOVE IT!

Nearly every person who I started training with last year is still here training & laughing. It's testament to just how well this works, after all, even if we started for different reasons, we have all stayed because of the same reason - IT WORKS & IT'S FUN.

So if I can do it, you can do it. The secret is don't give up, don't stop, for that hour give it all you've got, the rush you get when you've worked as hard as you can is worth every bead of sweat.

If you need encouragement or advice, talk to Craig. He's not one of these trainers who have never known what it's like, he has been there & has conquered & now he is sharing his knowledge with us. He isn't an award winner for nothing.

Come along for a visit, give it a go. I'll see you there because I'm not going anywhere; I'm having too good a time. I know why we are called "Step into Life", it's because that's what we are doing & life has never been better.

Ring Craig now...you know you want to...don't think twice...you'll look back at this day as being the first day of the rest of your life. Believe me, I did

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Kim Downton

Group: Step into Life® West Pennant Hills, New South Wales

Comments about Step into Life®:

I was always the tallest & biggest. I was the marker by which all women were measured. If people said, “she was even bigger than you!” I felt their disbelief. I was not intending to be 40 & still fat. My weight has fluctuated all my life, but mainly has been on the heavy side. I grew up in a household where Mum loved cooking & I loved eating – we had a great thing going, only problem was I didn’t have the metabolism to match the hunger & I didn’t really like exercise, I liked watching television & eating. My weight ballooned recently to over 130kgs. I am already over 6 feet tall & with the extra weight I looked & felt like a tank. I’ve always been going to lose the weight, in my teens, 20’s & 30’s – didn’t ever keep it off because I didn’t change my lifestyle, I always went back to eating the wrong things, stopped exercising & started numerous “fad” diets…. I mean who hasn’t tried the cabbage soup diet, I tried weight watchers, lost weight but also lost interest, I had injections, I had Richard Simmons videos, I tried Sure slim & while I lost weight, I put it all back on when I got bored. What was next?

So here I am 40, divorced with a teenage son. I’m morbidly obese, my knees are giving way, my cholesterol is high & I am starting to feel the effects of the abuse I have out my body through over the last 40 years. Not only is my health affected, but also my life is.

So where to go, what to do…

I met Craig Hayne 10 years ago when I started working with him in the motor industry; he too was struggling with his weight. We in fact both started sure slim around the same time about 4 years ago, I lost weight, stopped dieting & put it all back on, and Craig started attending Step into Life as a participant. While I put all the weight back on & found someone else’s lost weight as well, Craig just kept getting not only slimmer, but also happier & fitter, you could see it – he glowed with good health. It wasn’t really a surprise to me when he decided it was time for a change of career & started the process of becoming a personal trainer while still employed in the motor industry. I was sorry to see him go, but I knew he would do well, I mean he already had…he told me to come see him, I said yeah. He explained he could help me & I believed him. He e-mailed me, rang me, pretty much stalked me for weeks & lucky for me he wore me down, “okay, I’ll come, Gees.”

At first I was really unfit, but after the first couple of weeks I was starting to feel so much better. On Tuesday’s toning I used 2 kg weights, on Thursday’s kickboxing class I was hitting like a girl, during the Saturday morning run I was only jogging (well shuffling really) for short spurts. Now after digging down from the start of the Biggest Loser Challenge in January, I’m using 5kgs, punching like a champion & jogging (not shuffling) the whole 4 kms! I feel fantastic. I’ve lost over 12 kgs & am about to not only say goodbye to the 130s but also the 120s. Yes, I’m still overweight, but I’m on the way to the new me, well actually I’m already thinner, fitter & healthier. My cholesterol is normal, I don’t need a knee guard, I can climb steps, and walk uphill & my clothes are starting to fall off me. My fitness levels have gone from rock bottom to category 4, that’s quadrupled. My God, I am really loving this.

The secret is don’t give up, don’t stop, for that hour “give it all you’ve got”, the rush you get when you’ve done as hard as you can is worth every bead of sweat. Get there early & walk around the field. If dieting is a problem, do what Craig advised, keep a food diary – it keeps you honest. Talk to Craig, he has been there, he knows what it’s like, he’s not going to think any less of you. Or if you want to, talk to someone else in your group. While I’m on the subject of the group I want to say that the people I have trained with are exceptional, every one of you, classes are fun. I feel like I have met many friends & I have gotten nothing but enthusiasm & support from all of you, thanks.

So if I can do it, you can do it too. If you are just starting, congratulations you have made a really good choice of trainer & training companions. If you need advice or encouragement, talk to Craig or your fellow trainees. If you want results, look in the mirror after a session, see the glow, see the panda eyes, see the determination…. you are on the way to where you always wanted to be, keep on the road & we’ll all be relishing in our new lives.

I now know why we are called “Step into Life” cause that’s what we are doing & when I’ve lost 50kgs there’ll be no stopping me.

Kim Downton
Fellow “Lifer”.

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