“I FIGHT TO MOTIVATE OTHERS”
Melissa began her journey with UBX in October 2018, and was the Female National Winner of the 03 // Autumn Training Camp!
Melissa knew something had to change when she weighed in at the Doctor’s at 94kg, which for her size made her categorically Obese, sparking her decision to take control of her health and fitness.
After the UBX Training Camp, Melissa lost 6.2kgs of Body Fat, within just 6 weeks!
Since starting her journey, Melissa has lost over 25kg and has taken 10 years off of her metabolic age!
In 2012, I met my husband, and when our relationship first started, we were really enjoying our quality time together, staying in and cooking the foods we love, and this quickly became our routine. The meals we would cook weren’t always the healthiest, and we didn’t really do much to stay active. Fast forward to 2017, I went to the Doctor to get a check-up because I was getting really bad migraines and they just weren’t going away.
The Doctor asked me to get on the scales, and I thought I was 75kg, but I was actually 94kg. I hadn’t actually weighed myself in 5 years, so I had no idea. This weight for my size meant that I was obese.
He began to ask me about my diet and lifestyle, and because I had just opened a business, I was really stressed and looking to convenience foods. I didn’t have the time to prepare healthy meals or to exercise. Having to tell him that I was predominantly eating BBQ Chicken and hot chips, because that’s what I felt was the healthiest fast food option, was when I realised how bad it was.
He also asked me about my mental health and I just broke down. Beyond the stress of opening a business, I realised that I’d neglected my fitness, and I used to be very active in school.
The tests came back showing that I had a fatty liver, I had high cholesterol. My body was unfit and unhealthy. This scared me because my dad suffers cardiac disease that he is medicated for, and I thought, wow this is what my life could be.
I began trying to implement changes in my diet and re-introduce exercise but I felt like I didn’t have the right guidance to get results, by the time I got to my next weigh-in at the Doctor’s I’d only lost 1kg.
I started doing a bootcamp to get active, but as I continued to progress on my fitness journey, I felt I was no longer getting the results that I needed or wanted with how much effort I was putting in. I then tried a personal trainer so I had someone to customise the workouts to suit me, but it lacked that community environment, which was so important for me to stay consistent.
“IT HAD EVERYTHING I NEEDED”
In 2018, a friend introduced me to UBX, she was already a member and loving it and encouraged me to start training with her, and it had everything I needed. Having someone to train with held me accountable and kept me motivated to keep going. At first I only went once a week, because I thought that was all I could manage, but eventually began to push myself to go more.
After my first workout, I knew it was completely different to anything I’d ever done before. Although I’d done padwork before, it was the combination of boxing, strength and conditioning that had me hooked.
There is an incredible culture in UBX Alexandria. We all know each other, it’s like a family. There are trainers that know you, know what you’re capable of and can see your Myzone to push you harder. Now that my fitness has improved, we challenge each other to continue working harder and pushing our limits. The best thing about UBX is that it never feels repetitive. Now, I train at least 5 times a week, while having a couple rest days.
I always buddy up with someone on every workout which means you have that friendly competition. It challenged me from carrying 5kg dumbbells up to 12.5kg. It means that I can’t be lazy and I have someone to keep me accountable.
What’s continued to keep me going is the coaches. If you’re ever stuck, they come and help you. What’s important is that when I need something more challenging, they find ways to push me by increasing the intensity to suit my fitness level.
“I NOW HAVE A DIFFERENT MINDSET”
It’s not always easy staying motivated, I run a business with a team of 10 that I manage and it’s hard work, so it can be tough to mentally commit to training so regularly. When it came to the most recent UBX Training Camp, I decided to take things seriously. I’m not a morning person, but I got myself to my workout everyday. I said if I can do this and get results, anyone can do it. If I were to live for 80 years, I thought to myself that for 6 weeks I can pull back on my indulgences and luxuries. It’s nothing, and it rewinds years on the clock by improving your health!
Now to have won the Autumn Training Camp, I feel so proud of what I have achieved. On my Training Camp goal card I wrote, “I’m fighting to be the first female Training Camp Winner”, but I never expected that to be the outcome. I loved the eBook. The nutrition plan was great, it was so much more exciting than my typical boring chicken and veg every night. It was so comforting having the nutritionist support telling you, yes you can eat that.
I’m still cooking the dishes now. I loved the Poke Bowls because they were fresh and easy but my favourite was the Chicken Noodle Soup. The camp was simplified so much, that there was no room for excuses.
Though, changing my eating habits has been a slow process, I’ve made simple changes until I’d completely transformed my diet. I began with removing sugar and processed foods, changing from sugar to honey in my coffees, then eventually phasing it out completely, then changing white bread to wholemeal, cutting down from two slices to one, then not having it on a daily basis. These days, I have a much better understanding of nutrition and what I should eat, and what I should only have in moderation.
Diet is definitely the hardest part, peer pressure was sometimes difficult to deflect, especially when we were out drinking, or when I had already started to see results it was like there was less support for me to maintain it, and instead use the results as an excuse. I know now to surround myself with people who do support me and share my values for health and fitness, and can understand the struggle to make healthier choices on a daily basis and respect me trying to reach my goals.
The biggest lesson I’ve learn is that you can’t indulge all the time and expect to live a long life. I now have a different mindset when it comes to food and drink, I now feel more motivated to put good, healthy, nutritious food in my body.
“IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT TOO”
I was planning a wedding, starting a business, and at the lowest point in my life, but I did it. My advice, is to find a way to change your habits, but take it slow, there’s no need to shock your system by making drastic changes to your diet, or you won’t stick to it. And find a form of fitness that you love, the way I love UBX!
I’ve taken 10 years off my metabolic age, I’m biologically 33 years old, but physically 23 years old! I’m no longer squeezing into a Size 14, denying that I should be wearing a Size 16; I’m comfortably a Size 8.
I’m fighting to motivate others to do what I did. I feel a sense of responsibility to continue living this healthy, active life to show people that if I can do it, you can do it too.
WHAT ARE THE 3 BIGGEST CONTRASTS IN YOUR LIFE SINCE STARTING WITH UBX Training?
1) FITNESS
My goal now is to get my fitness benchmarks even lower! Every workout, I set myself a new benchmark challenge. And the best part is the whole club gets behind you, the trainer will be cheering you on and every single member gets behind you, even people you haven’t met yet.
2) NUTRITION
Meal-wise I’m not strict anymore, I enjoy foods that I love like wine and pasta, but I’m smarter with my portions, and eat them in moderation. There’s no reason to limit myself to boring foods. I just look at it as earning the foods I eat – if I want something, I work harder in my next UBX session. I’ve really changed my relationship with food.
3) MINDSET
I’m more motivated in life, not just because of my results, but because of how I feel. Going up a flight of stairs is so much more effortless, getting a carpark further away actually feels good because I like getting in the extra steps.
