Question: Can you give us a brief history of your diet/lifestyle before starting with this program?

Alex: Before starting at Aston Fitness I had recently returned from a 5 month trip overseas travelling with some girlfriends. Whilst this was extremely fun and I enjoyed every minute of it, it meant a lot of drinking and eating the wrong things with little exercise. The consequences of this of course were that there was a whole lot more of me to love when I came home. Before I went away I had begun to see a naturopath and she had educated me a little in making better food choices, such a s avoiding carbs at night and how bad sugar and processed foods are for your diet. Before this my diet was quite carb-heavy and breakfast would be a cereal such as nutrigrain or cornflakes, which didn't satisfy me for long. I walked for an hour most days and did pump classes at the gym so I was fairly active but of course once I got overseas it was impossible to follow that routine.

Question: How has this now changed?

Alex: My lifestyle has changed dramatically since I started at Aston Fitness. Exercise is such an integral part of my day and I miss my workouts at the gym when I don't go. In Winter at times its hard getting up to go, and I will admit every now and then a little sleep in will get the better of me but I feel so much better when I do exercise. My diet has improved so much and just my knowledge of food and nutrition is really great. Sometimes I will have a little slip up, but being weighed weekly keeps me in check most of the time and a little treat now and then helps ensure I don't want to return to my old ways.

Alex: My diet now looks a little like this...

For breakfast I will normally have natural muesli with natural yoghurt and fresh berries, or occasionally a piece of wholemeal grain toast with a small amount of avocado and smoked salmon. Lunch is usually a salad of tuna or salmon with plenty of greens and every now and then a small amount of low fat fetta or goats cheese which love and add so much flavour.

For dinner I will have a small amount of meat with vegies. I love sweet potato and pumpkin but because they are a little heavier in carbs I bulk up on green vegies and have just a small amount.

I do snack in between meals, it depends on what I have had during the day. Usually in the morning I prefer to have a skinny latte as my snack as my breakfast keeps me going, then in between lunch and dinner I will have some raw nuts or a tub of yoghurt, just depends on what I have had for my meals and what I feel like at the time.

Question: Any further comments?

Alex: The guidance and support you get from your trainer is so valuable. Kris has been so fantastic in helping me get to where I am. I am definitely a much happier and healthier person than I was before and the team at Aston Fitness are a big contributing factor to that.