ElaneTrains with Matt Chaplin - Aston Fitness
ElaneQuestion: How did you come to train at Donna Aston's studio?
Elane: I've been aware of Donna for a number of years - a friend, who was also my personal trainer for a time, introduced me to "Fat or Fiction." However our training sessions became more "chat" than training, and I started to look around for an alternative. Donna's Toorak studio is reasonably close to my home so I thought this would be good to try. And I really was ready to take on the challenge of losing weight and gettingfitter. My first meeting with Donna dispelled all the myths I was holding onto such as how much weight I really needed to lose, the percentage of body fat that was realistic to aim for and how to put on muscle. So I signed up for an initial 10-week program and started on a fantastic journey.
Question: Describe your life style before you started training?
Elane: Diet - my diet included a significant amount of bread, pasta and rice - I believed that these were a necessary part of a healthy diet, and since I eat out quite frequently, this type of food was readily available. And although I didn't eat excessive amounts of bad fats such as trans fats, I did indulge in the odd brownie or pastry, and I was without doubt a chocoholic - I ate chocolate every single day, and not just one small piece. Exercise - primary weekly exercise included cycling, a Pilates session and some relatively minor weight training. I love to ski, and so I'd increase some of the activity closer to ski season. Although I'd always been active, I thought this was a reasonably active lifestyle.
Question: How has your lifestyle changed now?
Elane: I'm living in a different world now! In less than 6 months I've lost 27kg of fat and I've added just over 2kg of muscle. I'm loving my new body weight and shape, my new wardrobe and the compliments. Diet - I thought I'd miss the starchy carbs, but this is just not the case - there are so many great alternatives. However there were some times early on when the first reaction to "must go and grab some lunch" was to think of a sandwich or sushi roll. After a month or so this has not been an issue. Friends look at me and expect that all I'm eating now is a stick of celery or a carrot - not so! And when it is difficult to find something healthy, there's always a can of tuna in my desk drawer, and almonds or other nuts that provide a great alternative. When I was recently travelling in California, I allowed myself a treat of a dark-chocolate dipped strawberry - it was delicious, and one Californiansized strawberry was enough. Exercise - now not a day goes by without some form of exercise - in the studio, walking, ccycling, Pilates. Matt continues to expand my repertoire of activity in the studio - I really never expected to be able to do half of the exercises and weights he takes me through. And I'm now walking at least 30 minutes every day that I don't cycle. Better still, I find I really don't mind if that parking space I'm looking for is not close by my destination - the walk to and from adds muscle!
We're there some physical issues to overcome with your training sessions?
Having had two total knee replacements (too much skiing!) only a few years ago, and having had a serious back injury many years ago, I was wary of some exercises. Matt has taken the level up gradually, giving me confidence in his understanding of my limitations, and helping me push my boundaries safely. Since I can't kneel and knee bend is limited, he has found alternate ways of strengthening my legs, arms and back without these being an issue - of course we all know there are endless ways to strengthen abs! While I've been responding to your questions, I've been thinking through the factors that have made this all work for me.