12 weeks ago, Charmian Walker-Smith set out to do a 12 week body challenge with Healthista. The aim was to lose a stone, tone up and get fit with help from celebrity gym haunt Barry’s Bootcamp, London and Alli Godbold, nutritionist. In her Reboot Body Blog, Charm’s been blogging her progress for Healthista.com. In this final week we say a huge congratulations, Charmian! You made it! And nearly a stone lighter too.
So here I am in week 12. It’s all over! I am 7 stone 4. Woo hoo! Only one pound off my goal of losing a stone. I’m toned and happy and healthy. Mission accomplished.
Has it been worth it? Abso-flippin-lutely.
Has it been hard? Oh god yes.
Will I maintain my new lifestyle? Without a shadow of a doubt.
So in the tradition of makeover shows I should share some of the lessons the whole reboot has taught me about getting fit and eating well.
Sprinting. Sprinting sucks, but I have got better, sometimes when things are really bad you can take your mind off the fact that your heart might just burst out your chest by pretending you are Usain Bolt or the T1000.
Barry’s attracts its fair share of celebrity fans. It is hard to spot them cos it is quite dark, and everyone looks like they could be a celebrity.
If you finally manage to go fast on the treadmill and start to feel a bit smug, someone else will be going faster …and up a hill. That’s not just true of Barry’s gym, that’s true of life. Get over it, you have other talents, maybe you make excellent moussaka or an encyclopaedic knowledge of lolcats, worthy and important skills, perhaps you should feel a bit sorry for hill guy.
I don’t know if it is true for everyone but my bad decisions about food stemmed from habit, I got into a habit of drinking lots of caffeine, it was easy to buy ready made lunches. It is not only possible to change, but I’ve developed new habits so eating well doesn’t feel onerous. Apparently Obama only wears blue and grey suits so he doesn’t have to think about such trivial things. That’s kind of how I approach my lunch, it’s planned and ready so I don’t have to worry about it and can get on with being one of the most powerful people in the western world.
If you are serious about doing a reboot, you need support, I don’t think you can change how you eat on your own however good the food is. A group is good. A cheerleader or two is amazing, having family and friends willing to try stuff with you is GOLDEN. With that in mind I’d like to thank Alli for being incredibly forthcoming with advice all through the weeks and my AMAZING family and friends for being patient and wonderful as I made them try things like flax seeds and xylitol – both of which are delicious by the way.
Never forget where your locker is at Barry’s. I expect this is true of all gyms but I once had no idea where I’d left my kit and it took me about two hours of looking like a petty criminal and trying all the lockers before I found it.
People have funny reactions to weight loss. So far I’ve had ‘are you ill?’ ‘O.M.G…you are a stick!’ ‘My god! You’ve lost a tonne’ I’m pretty sure all these things were well meant. More often than not I’m congratulated on working so hard and told that I look amazing, which is never going to get old.
I thought I’d get bored of the gym after 12 weeks but I feel like I’m only getting started. I did my first ever five minute intervals the other day which were a whole new world of pain. And I mean that in a good way. Anya is extraordinary in her tenacity, she has seen me pout and whine solidly for months and has refused to let me slack off. I’d still be struggling to get up from sofas if it weren’t for the million lunges she’s made me do…
Being fit changes your mind set – I’m sure I saw some story recently that research that says fitter kids do better at school and I can believe it. You feel more alert, more positive. I would be quite happy to go kayaking tomorrow, 12 weeks ago I would have thought that it’s probably not something I would be good at, I’d make a fool of myself or I’d fall in. Now I wouldn’t just go, I’d carry the boats AND a picnic.
I realised the other day that going to Barry’s and being in a dark room with pounding music and gorgeous people is the nearest thing I’ll get to clubbing at my age, but without the bar bill, or the hangover.
Losing weight and changing shape does have one disadvantage, none of my trousers fit any more, they’re too big. I look as good as I will ever look in a bikini but a total muppet in trousers.
There have been moments where I’ve fallen spectacularly off the wagon and eaten pizza but it’s been pretty painful. I’ve also wanted to walk out of Barry’s or be sick or punch an instructor. If this were TV reality show there’d be a montage with some Sigur Ros in the background documenting the highs and lows of my ‘journey’. But this hasn’t been a battle against personal demons it’s been, overall, brilliant. Brilliant brilliant brilliant. I might not have loved every single second but I’d be a weirdo if I did. I am thrilled with the results. I’m blown away with how much better I feel. I eat differently, I’ve been introduced to a new way to exercise and I can’t imagine living without either of those things now. Alli and Anya have been so encouraging, it is one of the best things I have ever done, and I’m going to keep on going with both the diet and the gym. I honestly think everyone should give this a go.
Breakfast – scrambled eggs and nourish crackers pr granola yoghurt
Lunch – tuna bean and pine nut salad or Chicken and sweet potato warm salad
Fitness – Anya Lahiri Charm attends three weekly classes at Barry’s Bootcamp, the new super-gym that has a huge celeb following in the US whose fans include Jessica Biel, Sandra Bullock and Katie Holmes. It’s just opened a branch in London’s Euston where Charm will be guided through her paces by chief Barry’s instructor Anya Lahiri (left).
Diet – Alli Godbold Charm’s having a total nutritional overhaul (no less) at the hands of Alli, a nutritional therapist who has worked alongside chefs Charles Amos and Alan Wichart at Divertimenti Cookery Schools in Knightsbridge and Marylebone, author of Feed Your Health (£13.99 feedyourhealth.co.uk)READ WEEKS 1-11 OF CHARM’S REBOOT BODY BLOGS
We’re recruiting need our NEXT Reboot Body Blogger. If you want to shape up with a specific programme of exercise and weight loss tailored to your lifestyle and have more than a stone in weight to lose, contact us on editor@healthista.com telling us in 300 words or less about yourself, where you live and why you want to do the challenge and send us a recent full length pic of yourself. If you’re up for it – we will set it up.
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