October 2019 member of the month
1. Name
Martina Smyth
2. How long have you been training with Field of Fitness?
Exactly a year ago this week! (22nd October 2018)
3. What do you love about training with Field of Fitness?
So much! I love the community, the instructors, the good vibes, the programme. Never before have I been a member of a gym where I actually feel like I’m improving, making progress steadily and being consistent in my training. Most importantly, I want to be there, and if I’m away for a bit, I actually look forward to getting back into it!
Every session is a good one because the instructors know you so well. Each session provides a challenge and being quite a competitive person, I enjoy that element of it. If I managed a certain amount of calories on the assault bike last session, I aim to maintain, (or preferably beat it) at the next!
I also love how the programme targets single arm and single leg strength. One of my legs is always weaker than the other so it’s great to be targeting that individually and see its strength grow.
4. What do you think has been your greatest achievement whilst you’ve been training with us?
I think maintenance in my “new” lifestyle would have to be my greatest achievement. This has been the longest stretch of consistent training, and healthy eating I’ve ever had. I’ve always struggled with my weight and diet so to be here now, a year later, training just as much as I was then, feels amazing. Reaching Silver on MYZONE last week was another milestone and an achievement of which I’m very proud! I know now that I’ll never return to the old days!
5. What’s your favourite exercise?
Ooh tough question..! Can definitely think of a few least favourites haha! *cough* ski *cough*
I love the Squat – especially back squats – and while not technically an exercise, I love the Airdyne too (even if it doesn’t show much love for me!)
6. What do you want to achieve at field of Fitness in the next 3 months?
More of the same really. I’d love to lose some more body fat and inches around my waist, but more importantly, I want to continue to maintain consistency in my training. Right now, I don’t think about the numbers so much – sure, I get my inbody done every 6 weeks but even so, that’s not all I’m thinking about when ensuring I go to the gym regularly, where as before, the only reason I would exercise was to see the numbers on the scale go down – definitely not a healthy mindset.
7. How has training at Field of Fitness affected you personally?
I am a totally different person to who I was a year ago. The physical benefits have been amazing – I’ve gone down a dress size, lost almost two stone and gone down almost 10% Body Fat. I feel fitter and stronger, and that is the best feeling.
As well as the physical benefits, FOF has been so important in improving my mental health. I joined FOF a month after I started a new job and moved to Guildford – I knew nobody around here. Now, I know lots of people by their first name, and feel like I have my own separate community outside of my “real” life. I had quite a difficult time over the year for a number of reasons and FOF was my outlet which kept me sane each day.
I have so much more confidence in myself – a year ago, I would dread the thought of going to a party where you’d have to wear a dress (meaning finding one that fits!) where as now, I can’t wait to go to the FOF Christmas Party and am actually excited about going shopping for a dress!
I convinced my partner Oli to join and he too has totally embraced it and reaped so many of the same rewards! We have both totally transformed our habits and lifestyle, and we wouldn’t have been able to do so without the help of FOF. I am so glad I made the decision to change my life with FOF a year ago, and even prouder of the changes (which at the beginning, he would have begrudgingly labelled sacrifices haha) Oli has made!
