Inspire you, inspire me

Each week the Mammies I train never fail to inspire me. Sometimes it’s the Mammy who manages to keep going after the 8th consecutive night of playing musical beds with two toddlers; or the Mammy who works part time as a teacher, runs her own business and still manages to keep smiling when her childcare falls through an hour before she is due at work. Sometimes it’s the Mammy holding her sick baby, whilst making her toddler laugh and potty training him at the same time; and sometimes it’s every Mammy who has made it out of the door without a yogurt, snot or sick stain on her clothes……an achievement I am still working on myself!!

In the last week, there is one Mammy who has shone and never fails to amaze me. Full time Nurse and mum of 3 boys aged 6, 2 and 1, Gill manages to fit exercise and a social life into her busy schedule, but top of her priorities is being an amazing Mammy who is caring, loving and yes, she manages to turn up without snot, sick or yogurt on her…..well now and again ;o)

In the last four weeks Gill has managed to achieve possibly the best results of any of my clients so far. She has lost 7 lbs and an amazing 6.75inches (17cm) all over her body and has done this whilst working 12 hour shifts; during which she regularly walks over 8km up and down the ward and past chocolates and biscuits left by family and friends of her patients (see pic for her activity during one shift). Last week, after 3 days of 12hr shifts on a busy oncology ward,  I trained Gill and her training partner Emma, who is also an amazing Mammy who inspires me…..more on her in a few weeks though!! Just as the session came to an end, Gill’s youngest son, Harrison, projectile vomited all over the hallway and her niece Katie, who was offering a helping hand entertaining the little ones…. yeah unlucky Katie!!  I watched Gill sweep into action, cleaning up Harrison, herself, Katie and her hallway. Within 5 minutes, she had Harrison bathed, settled and was finishing off her stretches with him snuggled sweetly in her arms.

Gill is doing so well, not only with keeping up her exercise but by saying no to those chocolate biscuits she’s walking past, and being organised enough to have high protein snacks on hand to stop her reaching for the biscuit tin…..here is a picture of her, and I quote ‘one sad little egg’.

Although the Mammies I work with are looking to me for fitness advice, guidance, and motivation…. sometimes they are the ones inspiring me……on a cold morning recently when I really wanted to lie in my bed and hide under the duvet, a thought popped into my head…..’would Gill do that?’….No!!! She’d be downstairs already, after a 4 mile run, wiping that snot off her uniform before she goes to work!!!

Thanks for reading, and come back for more stories and photo diaries of my keepfitmammies which I will be posting soon!!!