Ashleigh’s Story
As an Administrative Officer within the civil service, my lifestyle has always been 
sedentary to say the least, working long hours, tied to a desk and balancing that with quality time with my Family (partner Eilir and son Jacob who is 2), that was difficult enough! not to mention getting some exercise. But having a fear of exercise? Well it all started for me just over 3 years ago when I unexpectedly lost my Mother to a heart attack, She had previously lost several of her Brothers the youngest at 33 and also her Mother aged 55 to the same condition, this hit my confidence hard. I found myself asking questions, why was this happening to me? what if I over exercise? will I have a heart attack? I slowly but surely gave up exercise altogether. not too long after I had “back trouble”, it was a prolapsed disc between my L4/L5 vertebrae which I had to have a microdiscectomy to remove the protruding disc.
Time past I felt tired, scared of over exerting myself and having a child to entertain or in my case unable to entertain because of my weight and lifestyle, I found myself almost 2 stone heavier than I had ever been weighing in at 14st 5lb and something had to be done! So I changed my diet, gone was the full fat coke, out went the excessive chocolate, only diet coke, pasta a few chips here and there and smaller portions all the thing you are told are “good” for you.
I kept this going for several months but with no exercise and (later to realise) a poor food choice, I gained another 2lb. It wasn’t until I was introduced to Tara’s Taransformation program that I started to learn how foods affect everything from how you feel to how you look but most of all how they can actually help you to lose weight and gain muscle.
Tara (Who likes to tailor things to individual needs) contacted a Charity Organisation called Cardiac Risk in the Young (http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/) who perform a series of cardiac function tests to identify cardiac abnormalities in people aged between 14-35 helping to prevent sudden death syndrome. She arranged for me to undergo these tests with one of the UK’s leading Cardiologists Dr Sharma (based at St Georges Hospital London) which included Heart Scan, a Resting Echocardiogram (ECG) and a Exercise ECG which involved walking at a brisk pace on a treadmill for several minutes. From the results Dr Sharma was able to determine that there was no underlying condition of function abnormality and all that I need to is “exercise more”.
Knowing I had nothing to worry about I set out to do this properly No high sugar drinks, No pasta, No bread, No high starch vegetables such as potatoes, instead a minimum of 2 litres of water per day, lots of green vegetables, salads, red and white meat, oily fish such as sardines or mackerel, eggs I had even changed what oil I used switching from olive oil to a coconut oil. Allowing myself 1 indulgent meal per week and working out for 12 minutes per day, it was difficult but Tara was there to get that extra push up or extra squat out of me.
After week 2 weeks I hadn’t seen much weight loss which worried me because I had made sacrifices and worked hard. By week 3 I could see my shape changing and I had lost weight, when week 6 arrived I had lost almost all the weight that had put on leaving me with a more defined, toned, muscular body weighing in at 12st 9lb.
My lifestyle now is amazing I continue to work-out 3- 5 times per week, I eat more than ever, I go running twice a week and I have a lot more energy and time to spend with my family. I have so much more confidence and belief in myself and exercise that I am about to start a National Vocation Qualification in Fitness Instruction with the hope to inspire others in the way that I have been by Tara and her amazing Taransformation program.
It has been an incredible and exciting experience working with Tara and as for the program? Well, my results speak for themselves. Thank You Tara for sharing your expertise and passion but most of all helping me help myself.
