The Girl From Down Under

I am very blessed to be able to use my passion of helping others as my career. My most recent success story comes all the way from Australia.  “The Girl from Down Under” needed a lifestyle change when she contacted me.  Her journey was not easy, but her desire to succeed and learn on this path was undeniable.  I am honoured to have been able to help her and know that she will continue to challenge herself along the way.  Take it away!

“My journey began because I was unhappy with the way I looked; unhappy with my training regime and unhappy with my nutrition. I’ve always been pretty active. I had a gym membership and I love yoga. 2 ½ years ago I became a Zumba instructor and I discovered boxing. Being active, going to the gym and training have never been a problem for me. However food (the wrong food) and alcohol were a big part of my everyday life. I finally came to the realization that I wasn’t training properly, I wasn’t giving my body the right food and I was abusing alcohol consumption. Time for a change!

I remember meeting Rita many years ago, salsa dancing .Fast forward a decade or so and I found myself living in the land down under. During my first visit to Canada and after almost 3 years of being away from home, I ended up spending New Year’s Eve at Rita’s house with a bunch of friends I hadn’t seen since. I had decided to go travel around the world for 6 months (haha…6 months, yeah right!). Anyway, thanks to the magic of social media I was able to follow Rita’s amazing journey and transformation. I cheered her from down under when she attended her first comp, I “liked” the first professional pictures and magazine pages she posted on FB, I watched her interviews and read her blog posts…hmmmm was I becoming Rita’s stalker from down under?…whoops!!

Last January after my most recent visit to Canada (and a couple of extra Christmas festivities pounds) I decided that I wanted to feel, look and be better than what I had been. I wanted to learn how to live a healthier lifestyle but needed someone to guide me through the process. There was no question about who that someone was going to be.

That night I emailed Rita asking for advice. I knew she had an online program but didn’t think it was going to be the right thing for me, after all I didn’t have an ‘X’ amount of pounds I wanted to lose, I just wanted a little guidance and a push in the right direction. After a couple of e-mails back and forth I found myself signing up for Ritas12 week online transformation program.

The journey has been a roller coaster of emotions. I had great days and bad days. I cried, I got frustrated, I saw change, I stayed the same, I fell down and got back up again. Rita stayed behind me every step of the way, guiding me, answering my most ridiculous questions, offering me words of encouragement and kept me in check when it looked like I might stray from the path. One of my favourite things about the program was learning to listen to my body and adjusting the food plan according to my body’s reaction to certain foods, cravings and life style. Love for coffee, a busy social life, traveling for work; Rita accommodated and adjusted the plan to suit my specific circumstance.Different continent? Different time zone? No problem, I usedwhatsapp to reach coach C when I needed her advice. My job had me traveling to Russia and Vietnam half way through my program, but “virtual Rita”, my supplements and nutritional guidelines came with me! I stayed in touch daily. She gave me hotel room work outs and a few guidelines to follow on the road. My determination and motivation saw me sticking to the plan and coming up with ingenious ways to utilize what was available on the road. One day with no gym, a very small hotel room with only a chair and my work pull up banner I invented my own work out; “The banner workout” Another day in similar circumstances I found myself going up and down 13 floors 10 times! To my surprise those three weeks away from home, from the gym and my routine produced amazing results and the best check-ins and pictures in my 12 week program.

My 12 week journey with Rita was emotional, confronting, motivating, innovative, educational, enlightening, fun and inspiring. These 12 weeks are only the beginning of the journey towards a healthier, happier and more confident life. What next? Competition? A magazine cover? Hey, why not, the sky is the limit and Rita’s program has given me the tools, inspiration and new love for sustainable healthy living without deprivation or guilt.”