Client Story – Andrew Reid

/in /by

I was always scared of gyms. I didn’t know what all the machines were, and I had no idea how to tackle fitness in any sensible way. Whenever I had tried diets they never lasted, and I had never even known what it felt like to be fit. It was all a rather scary mystery. I was never a “sporty” type, and was envious of those who were. It seemed like fitness was out of reach for me.

When I finally decided that enough was enough, I went to Personal Best. My personal trainer was a godsend, showing me, without judgment, how to approach my health and how to get started on the right track. I learned about food and how to eat well, and how to exercise to achieve results. And it didn’t take long to see them. With my trainer I developed confidence, and learned to think about my health in a really practical light. Making fitness a priority was so much easier with my trainer guiding me.

My life is different now. I’m having more fun, and feeling more confident to try anything I want. I get compliments on how young I’m looking, and my health is great. I feel more relaxed, and I have more personal direction.


The word “Personal” really means something to the staff at Personal Best. I thought gyms were scary places, but now I feel comfortable walking into the gym, doing my thing, and meeting people who are doing the same. For a long time I thought I was beyond help- but that turned out not to be true. I now go to the gym daily, and am achieving my goals.

In so many areas of life we find an expert to help us when we need them- a doctor, a travel agent, a lawyer. The best investment I made was to find an expert trainer at Personal Best. My health and fitness were worth it, and Personal Best continues to be the gym that is helping me to improve my life.

Client Story – Andrew Eden

/in /by

Saturday 1 Dec 2007 – the day I started to change my life.

Its been almost a year since I came through the door of the Personal Best studio at Sherwood for my first fitness assessment and training session with John.  The week before I had met with Shane to discuss what Personal Best could do for me.  It had been a long time coming.  After being in the Air Force for 15 years I had gotten out and started working for an engineering company in Brisbane and been able to settle down a bit for the first time. And settle I did.  I weighed 122kg when I walked in to that studio that day.  One of the catalysts for doing something about this was renewing one of my passports in Sept 07.  I had to get new passport photos taken.  It was not until my passport came back to me by courier that I got the shock of the haggard fat person staring back out of that shiny new passport.  I was only 32 years old and the photo was telling a different story.

I had been putting off doing something about my weight and fitness for ages – always another excuse to delay another couple of weeks but I finally bit the bullet.  I even made sure that I was not going to let the usual excuse of my birthday, Christmas and new year delay things until ‘next year’ yet again.

It was the best bullet I have ever bitten!

Shane and John made me feel very welcome and were very understanding of where I was at and how I got there.  No judgement – just an unconditional commitment to help me change it. Since that day I have been going to Personal Best three times a week for one on one sessions with John.  I am not going to say that it has been ‘easy’ – in some ways its quite the opposite – hard work but John makes it easier to take on the challenge, his encouragement and his commitment to my cause has made my commitment that much easier and it is infectious – it gets me through the days when my motivation has been at an all time low and its taken everything just to drag myself to the studio.

The credit must also go to the whole Personal Best team – John obviously needs holidays and when he has been away the team organises to cover your sessions and keep your routine.  So you still have your sessions with another trainer that has been fully briefed on where you are at.  They are also a friendly bunch – no matter when you walk into a Personal Best studio there is always a cheery greeting and a “How are you going?” from someone that actually wants to hear your reply – its not just a throw away line.

There have been set backs during the last year with a couple of injuries and the odd sickness – and again John and the team have excelled, their understanding of the injury and working with my physio I was able to keep training through my rehabilitation – being able to keep working towards your goals despite issues like this makes it easier to keep the motivation up there.

John has also ensured that my travel for work is no longer the excuse that it used to be to do nothing with my fitness.  He has designed a program for me that requires nothing more than the hotel room I am staying in and my own bodyweight so that I can keep up my training whilst on business travel.  The proof of this program was a 5 week trip through the UK, Switzerland and the USA.   I had set a goal to simply not go backwards during that time – the result I had was to actually lose 2kg.

So a year on I had to renew my other passport and went back to the same post office to get another set of passport photos.  I had kept one of the photos from Sep 2007 and I have included them both with this letter for you – the difference blew me away.  It was the first time I had really SEEN the difference so clearly.  Yes I have been very happy going from some 42 inch pants that were tight and about to lose the button to now having to wear a belt with 36 inch pants so that they don’t fall down!  I have thrown out so much clothing in the last 12 months – the changes were evident but these pictures brought it home in no uncertain terms.

Personal Best is now a part of my life.  I have lost 25kg so far.  I can buy slim fit shirts and not look like the Michelin Man.  My resting pulse and blood pressure are way down.  I sleep better.  I FEEL so much better than I ever did.  I know that John and Shane would say that it was all me – but I had help – their help in finding the effort I needed to put in.  I turn 34 in a just over a week, I am not sure what the next 12 months holds but one thing I am sure of is that Personal Best will be a part of it.  My improved health and fitness has had a positive effect on every other aspect of my life.

THANKS JOHN, THANKS SHANE, THANKS PERSONAL BEST. 

 

Please find attached the pictures that showed me the HUGE difference you helped make in my life.

Client Story – Amanda Jones

/in /by

I was the heaviest I had ever been.  Clothes didn’t fit me properly, my self-esteem was at an all time low – I was miserable.  And worst of all I lacked the commitment to do anything about it.
 
One day, on the way to the shop to buy junk food, I happened to walk past a place called Personal Best.  I peered through the window, it looked good so I took a flyer from the door.  I had this flyer sitting on my bedside table for a couple of weeks – just sitting there – not
doing anything.  Then it happened – I was getting dressed to go out and stood looking at myself in the mirror.  I was so disgusted by what I saw that I realised it was now or never!  The next day I called Personal Best and made an appointment.  I met with a trainer and we talked about why I was there and what I wanted to achieve.  I signed up and started
one-on-one training.  That was the best move I ever made.  My trainer was committed to me and my training – together we worked towards my goal. When I felt like I couldn’t do it he was there motivating me. When I felt like giving up – again there he was. 
 
Because I was dedicating so much to this training it also made me change my eating habits.  And the good thing was in order to get to the shop I had to pass by Personal Best.  I couldn’t do it!
 
I have now lost 13kgs and feel fantastic.  The weight continues to come off and my fitness level continues to improve.  Making that move to Personal Best changed my life, forever.

Client of the Month – Amy Baker

/in , /by
Personal Best - Client of the Month - Amy Baker

Amy Baker

In January 2014, Amy wanted to step up from boot camps, swimming and running to concentrate on some targeted areas to be able to meet her full potential. Having started to embark on PT sessions with Personal Best, not long after she learned that she would also be expecting her first child. She was over the moon about the pregnancy but unsure where this left her with her training goals.  For the last 9 months, her trainer, Shane, has been able to coach her through staying fit (maintaining her cardio vascular fitness), maintaining her strength and working on her goals all the time with the growing baby bump.  She has worked within her capacities while still feeling challenged and never scared to give it a go!  Amy continues to be active and fit, and ready for the next stage of being a mum.  Amy is looking forward to getting back into training once baby arrives to maintain her health and fitness for her future family 🙂

She is so pleased that she continued with her training…especially as Shane kept adapting her training as my body changed and was able to train until being 38 weeks pregnant!

Marathon Runner – Brisbane City

/in /by

I ran my 3rd Gold Coast Half Marathon in 2011 weighing in at around 77 kgs. The heaviest I had been since having Harry, now 15 years of age. The experience was horrible and after the 14K mark, it was a mental struggle to complete the remaining 7ks. My beautiful running buddy had started a new business and on top of this, had a baby! Of course, she had no time for running! With no running buddy and combined with a busy work schedule with lots of travel, I had piled on the weight. The turning point was September 2011 when I visited my doctor for my yearly check-up and discovered my waist was over the 80cm mark. I felt like giving up on my weight at that point! However, as a financial planner, my doctor reminded me of the benefits of investing in my health. That’s when I arranged personal training sessions with Pek and joined WeightWatchers! I ran my 4th Gold Coast Half Marathon on Sunday 1 July 2012 weighing 63 kgs and at the 14K mark, I felt not only strong but I was able to enjoy completing the final 7ks and soak up the atmosphere of the finish. All I can say is, thank you to Pek for first of all, helping me to identify what my goal was (run faster) and secondly, pushing me out of my comfort zone on that treadmill! And, it is always a pleasure to walk into a training session at Personal Best as you are made so very welcome. My next goal? The full marathon on the Gold Coast first Sunday in July 2013!

Weight Loss

/in /by

My weight has been slowly but surely climbing since I turned 30. By 40 I was up over 120kg, unfit, unhealthy and unhappy. I hated the way I felt and looked. I made the decision to stop making excuses and start making changes. Initially I changed my diet and started walking with the goal of 10,000 steps a day. In 6 weeks I had lost 6kg and was ready for the next step. I joined Personal Best in May 2012 and started training with Jesse at the Brisbane City Studio with the aim of losing weight (goal 75kg), improving my diet and increasing my strength and overall fitness. Jesse, Pek and Nathan have all been great with providing, support, encouragement, advice and motivation along my journey. My last weigh in was 93kg, my blood pressure is down, my confidence is up, I’ve lost over 10 cm of my chest, waist and hips and I’ve learnt so much about myself and my body. The atmosphere at the studio is always positive and I look forward to every session. I’ve recently started running (which Jesse tells me is good for me) and am looking forward to the PB fun run on the 8th December…go the 8.5km track!!!

Jessica Holding

/in /by

I have attended both personal training and boot camps run by Personal Best for the previous 12 months. Throughout this period I have noticed an improvement in both my fitness and strength. I have trained with a number of the trainers at Personal Best and all work hard to develop routines that are challenging and fun….no two workouts are ever the same! Personal Best trainers not only work to improve your fitness, they provide advice and guidance regarding diet and home exercise programs. And, in addition to great training, the atmosphere at the studio is relaxed, friendly and fun.

Active Person

/in /by

I have always been an active person, however have yo-yo’d with my weight for the last 3 years. My heaviest was 72kgs which is reflected in the photo on the left. 6 months before this photo I was 54kg and living on next to nothing – bone thin. I could never find the right balance or the right support in my life and always felt like that healthy fit lifestyle I had always envisaged for myself was never going to happen.

I had just started a new job and although I was confident in my abilities I wanted to be confident on the outside as well as the inside. I wasn’t going to join as I was a member of another gym but a little push from a few work colleagues that are members of Personal Best and I was in to pick my application forms up. Greeted by Nathan, Pek & Jesse, I almost immediately felt like I was one of them, like I had met them all before, I felt welcomed with open arms and so that was it; they had me – hook, line & sinker. Everything changed in that October 2012 when I started training with Nathan from Personal Best. I knew from the moment that I walked in the studio that big things were going to happen.

From the very first session I knew then & there that I would get given the right tools to achieve my goals. He has provided me with the tools that not only work for me specifically but fit with the person that I am. I knew that if I really wanted this (lifestyle change), it was totally achievable knowing I had Nathan, Pek and Jesse to support me and push me along the way. I need to thank Nathan mostly. I am so grateful for your time, your constant support, your knowledge, your encouragement, your patience & your sincerity. You have totally changed my life and I couldn’t be happier. I am almost 10kgs lighter can Dead lift 110kgs, Squat 120kgs, & can do 12.5kg weighted chin ups!! Oh and run 8km & enjoy every second of it (for me that is huge as I HATED running). Every week is exciting whether I am training on my own following my well mapped out training program , having my weekly session with Nathan or joining in on a group session with Pek or Jesse. I am smashing my PB’s getting stronger, fitter and loving it every second of it.