Why should you take advice from SMASH Worldwide?
Well, it is because I have been exactly where you are right now - looking for a solution to stop feeling like crap and being overweight. I searched for a long time and tried lots of different things to try to lose weight but nothing worked until 2013.
I think that it is important that you know my story so that you can see where I have come from and then know how I can relate to your situation and help you.
Back when I was healthy
When I was younger, I was very much the athletic person at school, even though I suffered from asthma I never really let it hold me back. I knew what sports I could do - short quick ones, and what ones I couldn't - anything over 200 metres or cross country. At home, we ate healthy home cooked foods and I even remember my mum making us take cod liver oil capsules at dinner time. Ughhhh!! lol. I never thought that as I grew older, that I would become someone who suffered with their weight and health.
I always had a really healthy relationship with real food, but my underlying addiction to sugar was causing issues. I didn't realise it at the time but it certainly reared its head after I had kiddies.
I have always been a pretty busy person. I loved exercise and played netball competitively at school and was part of the athletics team too as a 100 metre sprinter, relay team, high jumper & long jumper. Once I had left school, I did try to continue with exercise and I have memories of doing 300 sit ups a day whilst at university and going to the gym on a regular basis.
Becoming a mum
After I had my daughter back in 1994, I lost my "baby weight" really quickly. I was working and studying so life was pretty hectic and I think this was were my real issue with sugar came to light (but I still didn't realise it at this stage). I was using sugar and caffeine to keep me going.
When I was finishing my degree, I was putting 7 sachets of sugar into a cup of coffee. I will never forget the table going quiet as they realised what I was doing. I was so embarrassed! People couldn't understand how I could take so much sugar and not be overweight. My body was on overdrive at this stage. I wouldn't have said I was healthy but I was "thin". I found a way to hide the fact that I was using so much sugar in my coffees, so as to not draw attention to it and continued doing it. I was driving 2 hours to university and I felt as though I needed the sugar and coffee to keep me going.
Fast forward to still living a very busy life and coping with full time work and a young family. I wasn't able to do as much exercise because of work commitments and due to the fact that I was still using sugar as my fuel source, I started to put on weight. No matter what I did, I couldn't get control of my sugar addiction. I would go on a diet, last 6 weeks, give up and start back with my old bad habits again. It was a vicious circle and I couldn't break it.
Then, my life changed dramatically.
I was going on yet another "fitness" surge to try and lose some weight. However, what it lead to was the start of a nightmare. I went out cycling one night. I just did a loop around the area that I lived, probably only 3 miles, but during that cycle I ripped both of my groin muscles.
I didn't realise at the time, but I do remember getting off the bike and saying ouch! Me being me, I just got on with things. Working away and doing everything as normal. However, the pain was beginning to become a nightmare in my groin and was starting to hinder me in my every day life. I was so sore that I went to the doctors as I was starting to worry that there was something seriously wrong around my pelvis/womb.
To cut a long story short, the doctor was useless. First, he tried to tell me that I was constipated and then gave me antibiotics for a urinary infection. I left the surgery in tears as I knew that there was something else wrong with me. I took time off work, took the antibiotics and felt a little bit better.
Then, when I went back to work, the pains started again. There were days that I would wince and it would take my breath away. So, back I went to the doctors, not the same one though. This doctor was great. He took blood tests, examined me and put me at ease that he would find out what was wrong with me.
Can you imagine the shock I got when I went back and he said the blood tests came back clear and I was in fact pretty healthy!! I felt like crying again, as I knew that there was something wrong. He asked me to describe the pain. I said that I felt as though my legs were being ripped off any time that I got out of the car. He smiled and said - I think you have pulled your groin muscles.
I was relieved. I had finally found out what was wrong! The muscles could finally heal. Or so I thought!!
A very painful pregnancy
I had actually fallen pregnant. We were delighted. However, when I went to the doctors to get checked out again, he said congratulations but you are going to have a tough time. As my groin muscles were so damaged and the effect of pregnancy hormones, I was going to suffer as my pelvis would not be able to support a growing baby.
I was horrified. I had such an easy pregnancy with Clodagh and now the thought of a pregnancy that I couldn't be me, really concerned me. About 3 months into the pregnancy, I was in absolute agony and practically in bed most of the time. It was such a difficult time and mentally I struggled.
Living in pain on a daily basis
After Henry was born - naturally, as the doctors said that it could help with the healing process of the muscles, I continued to struggle. My lower back and pelvis was in pain and I just learned to live with it. I just got on with life and tried to find ways to alleviate the pain. If it was really bad, I would end up taking painkillers and lying in bed. I stopped doing things that might put my back/pelvis at risk. I tried reiki, massages, chiropractors, osteopaths, doing gentle exercise to try to help, but nothing really helped long term. At this stage, I didn't connect what I ate to how I felt. No one ever mentioned looking at what I ate.
I lived with the pain as just being part of my life. The kids got used to me saying that I couldn't do things, so it just became part of their life too.
We always wanted more children, but we hesitated in case my pelvic problems started again. We decided, after a lot of discussion that it was worth it, to go for it again. I was self employed and knew that if the worst came to the worst I could work from my bed.
Baby number 3 - Would it happen again?
Yes, you guessed it. I was pregnant again! We were delighted, but within a matter of weeks the pains started in my groin. I couldn't believe it. It was happening all over again. I was bed bound and spent most of the pregnancy there. There were days that my husband had to lift me out of bed and help me to the bathroom and even lift me out of the bath. It really was a worrying time but all worth it when Christian was born.
After that I continued to live in pain. Taking good days as good days and when I had bad days I just dealt with it. No one apart from my husband really knew how bad the pain was. There were nights that I used to waken us screaming in my sleep as I would have moved in my sleep and my back and pelvis wouldn't have moved in sync and the pain would just rip through me. I will never forget those days. We would have loved another little one but when we discussed it, Paddy reminded me of my legs not moving properly for 2 days after Christian was born, and said we couldn't risk it.
My weight continued to increase and my health continued to get worse
So life continued. I was a busy mum of 3 now, that tried her best with what was available to her. I tried Bowen Therapy, more exercise regimes, eating regimes but again nothing that I felt I could do long term. I was getting more over weight. My health was deteriorating and quite literally I felt like crap.
Back in 2013 I continued living in pain, classified as clinically obese and feeling pretty miserable. I was picking up every illness that was going and I was mentally in a bad place. I was in such a bad place that bought "a miracle cure" from some website (told no-one) and the only thing that it did was cost me a lot of money and made me gain weight!!! I was horrified and felt so stupid.
My 40th birthday was looming in a couple of months and I wasn’t looking forward to be Fat and Frumpy at 40!! I had tried everything out there to lose weight (apart from shake diets, as I really don't believe in them) and nothing was working. I felt that I was just going to have to get used to being overweight as I aged.
But then there was a little glimmer light at the end of the tunnel.
I heard about a homeopathic programme that worked along with nutritional supplements. I looked into how it worked and initially I didn’t think that it would work for me. I was so addicted to sugar that nothing was going to help! Everything else that I had tried had failed so why would this be any different. However, I am so glad that I decided to give it a go as I did the programme and it quite literally changed my life.
The programme was all about breaking sugar addictions, eating real food, nutritional support and cleansing. I was determined to give it 28 days to see if it could work! Within the first week I had lost 5 pounds! I was astounded! Normally that would have taken me about 6 weeks to do. I felt fantastic and had so much energy. I continued doing the programme and the results were amazing.
Results
Over the space of 19 weeks, I lost 41pounds and 19 inches from my body. I did this through eating real food and no exercise (apart from 20 sit ups on a yoga ball and 20 lunges as I was so unfit and sore I couldn’t do anything else). I lost the weight and regained my life.
I was astounded by the results but I was also afraid that I would regain the weight that I had lost, as it had happened so many times before. To my surprise, I didn't regain any of the weight. I was shocked. When I researched everything and really understood the whole process, I knew that my body had changed forever.
I know that I will never go back to my old bad habits as I never want to feel as I did back in October 2013. When you feel as good as I do, there is no turning back. I live my life now on a 90%-10% rule and it means that I am in control long term. I never feel as though I am being denied of anything. I no longer suffer with my asthma - I haven't used an inhaler since 2014 and I haven't suffered from any major illnesses either. My joints no longer ache, don't suffer from migraines anymore and feel about 20 years younger.
Life Nowadays
I am totally different from the person that started the programme on a cold wet and miserable morning back in October 2013.
I am now doing exercise on a regular basis, not because I have to but because I want to and I absolutely LOVE it. I no longer use exercise to try to lose weight but I exercise for enjoyment. That is freedom and a totally different experience. I am able to play netball now on a regular basis. If you had asked me to play netball back in 2013 I would have said no (and probably cried a little) as I couldn't risk injuring my pelvis. Now, I am able to jump for balls and stretch so much at training. It's brilliant. To go from only being able to do 20 situps, to now being able to do so much at the gym and play netball is just fantastic.
Finally, I am feel so much healthier. All through eating real food and supplementing my diet in areas that it needs. Nowadays, I have more energy, my skin is brilliant, I sleep better and people say l look about 10 years younger.
When people say to me "Oh it's easy for you! You didn't really need to lose weight" I disagree. I was so unhealthy. I hid my weight well with how I dressed but the scales did not lie. I had just as many issues (if not more) as someone who starts their journey with me and I have been able to sort them out. Now with the experience that I have coaching others and the education I have got, I can help so many more people.
Now it's your turn
Just imagine jumping out of bed each morning full of energy. Imagine feeling good about yourself and having no health concerns. That is what can happen. SMASH Worldwide is NOT a miracle cure/gimmick/quick fix but it can help you on your road towards a healthier lifestyle.
If you are suffering from any health concerns book your initial consultation, we can then go through where you are currently and how we can take you on your SMASH journey. If you would like to lose weight The SMASH Way, let's get started.
I look forward to helping you to SMASH your health goals in the future
Yours in Health and Happiness
