Meet our monthly winner...

Stats Before After Height 169cm 169cm Weight 64.5kg 58.8kg Chest 84cm 80cm Waist 64.5kg 58.8kg Calves 39cm 37cm Arms 28cm 27cm Thighs 62.5cm 58cm Hips 84cm 82cm

Rachael’s story
Having a daughter 12 months ago was my main motivation for completing the BodyBlitz Challenge. I have a three-year-old son also but it was not until I was blessed with a daughter that I knew I really needed to change my attitude towards my body image.

For years now, I have wasted far too much time obsessing and worrying about my weight and body. I have never been consistent long enough with any eating plan to lose weight or get any real results. I have always loved exercise and never had any problem being motivated to get up and get moving. There is nothing like the feeling of a long run or hard workout! But it’s true when they say that 80 per cent of weight loss comes down to what you eat. And food has always been my downfall.

I thought if I could stick to a healthy eating plan together with my exercise routine for 12 weeks I would develop some great habits that would just become my way of life. I really wanted to transform my body into something I could be proud of and happy enough with, that I wouldn't need to waste another minute worrying about it.

I do believe that girls are starting to worry about their weight at such a young age these days, it’s scary. I also believe they watch their mothers so closely and look up to their mothers so much. I was scared of the issues I might create in India's life if she was watching me on the scales each morning and talking about foods I was feeling guilty for eating and complaining about parts of my body. I wanted to deal with these issues before she was old enough to pick up on them. India was born at 28 weeks, three months early. So she had already had a rough start to this world so I want to be a positive example in her life. In the future I want to focus on the importance of inner beauty, but for now, I want to become confident in who I am so she can also grow up confident in who she is as a young women – and not waste any of her life obsessing over body image.

It has been a hard yet rewarding 12 weeks. By about week five I was feeling ready to give up. I just wasn't seeing any results for the amount of hard work I was putting in. But by about week nine, I was seeing results and really starting to love my new body. I enjoyed all the cardio and definitely became fitter. I can now run 10km. I learnt to love strength training, which was something I had not done a lot of in the past. I have more tone and definition than I have ever had. And I have really learnt to appreciate and enjoy healthy eating.
I just have so much more energy, more confidence, and am loving the way my clothes are fitting. My husband and family have been so patient and encouraging over the last 12 weeks. I am now excited about the challenge of bringing up a daughter instead of scared of the example I thought I was going to be.