The secret of my success in the 50-Day Challenge

Interview: Christian Rossi

Christian was a star performer in our 50-Day Winter Challenge in July 2014. A strong commitment to achieve health & wellness during the winter months proved highly rewarding. It earned Christian the 50-Day Challenge Gold Medal and a truly amazing health & fitness outcome.
Christian has been generous enough to share his success story by providing a recent interview with Brett Smith (Mind Body & Soul's Wellness Coach):

Q.1 What was the motivator for participating in the Mind Body & Soul 50-Day Challenge?

I had noticed that I was slowly putting on weight over a long period of time. The 50-Day Challenge gave me the ability to identify, focus on & change specific aspects of my eating & lifestyle habits in order to reverse the weight gain I had experienced.

Q.2 What were the specific personal goals you set out to achieve?

My goal was to lose between 6-8kg & improve my eating habits over the 50-Day Challenge. I knew that if I achieved this; my energy levels, fitness levels, stamina & outlook would improve (& they have). I also wanted to be in a 'better shape' for a family trip to the USA later in the year.

Q.3 How did the 50-Day Challenge help you to achieve these goals?

The 50-Day Challenge made me more accountable. By committing to the challenge & to checking in with Brett every Monday morning, I believe that I consciously made better decisions that allowed me to achieve my goals much more easily.

Q.4 What were your most rewarding 50-Day Challenge achievements/ highlights?

About 4 weeks into the Challenge, I noticed that my energy levels were significantly higher, my alertness was improved & I wasn't getting tired as quickly throughout the day. I've also managed to fit into a pair of jeans that I had bought a long time ago & now they are probably too big for me! Being told I had won the challenge was really good too - it reinforced the commitment I’d made to myself & my long term well being.

Q.5 Have you been able to maintain your healthy habits post 50-Day Challenge?

Maintaining my improved habits hasn't been that difficult, post the 50-Day Challenge either, albeit I have had a little help. I invested in an activity tracker part way through the challenge to measure my activity levels each day & I've enlisted the help of the ‘MyFitnessPal’ app to help guide & make me more aware on food choices - its always feels great to exceed your own goals. Of course, I've kept the lines of communication open with my personal trainer Brett as well.

'Falling off the wagon’, eating out or going away can be difficult, but I try not to worry too much about these times & they are usually only for a short period of time. I normally feel the consequences within a day or two of these times (sluggish, tired, irritability) & this is enough to pull myself back into my routine. The technology certainly helps identify these scenarios much faster than waiting until the next sluggish day.

Q.6 What general advice would you provide to someone looking to create a fitter, healthier lifestyle?

Go for it & choose a better you!

Deciding to change your habits is the easy part; it’s the want or desire of the target that's the difficult part of the process. But, it's soooooooo worth it.

I discovered that most of the changes I’d made were only small, but they had a huge effect. I originally set out ‘to be good for 50 days’, but I broke it down into seven weeks of seven days & only concentrated only on a week at time. When that week was over, I tried to forget it & concentrate on the next week. I never tried to get more than a few days ahead of myself, as it was easier to concentrate on today & tomorrow, rather than next week or the week after. After about a month of the challenge, I realised that these small changes had become habits, so maintaining the changes all of a sudden became a whole lot easier.

If you want a better you, it’s there for the taking - you just have to want it more than you want the now.

Christian's 50-Day Challenge Highlights included: 10.5 (kg) weight loss, 12.5 (cm) decrease in waist measurement, 6.4% Body Fat loss and his metabolic age dropped 19 years from 48 to 29 years old.
For more information on the Mind Body & Soul 50-Day Challenge click to our dedicated webpage: http://www.personaltrainer-perth.com.au/50-day-challenge