It’s been nine years since I wore my white bikini in public. I was honeymooning in Waikiki in 2002. But it’s been three years since I wore it in the privacy of my own home.
Waiting in front of a full-length mirror at Specforce Fitness for Scotty to tell me whether or not my flabby bits can be vanquished for the final photoshoot in 10 weeks had me feeling apprehensive to say the least.
But I only felt self-conscious when someone walked in to change for the next class. Her sympathy was with me when I explained my challenge.
Given the way we keep it black and white and sometimes fight like cats and dogs, I knew Scotty was going to assess me honestly.
When he walked in, I was holding a handful of stomach fat and complaining that it was never going to vanish. It feels like the first 20kg came off everything north of my bellybutton but nothing south of it.
While casting a critical eye over me, Scotty said my upper body could do with more fine-tuning, but the real work was needed on my thighs. As they’re naturally large, my thighs are out of proportion with the rest of my body, which earns me the label “apple shape”. Around each one is two inches of fat that needs to go.
over the years they’ve served me brilliantly in sport, with fat being the least of my concerns. But nowadays I’m a recreational exerciser with no ambitions of being world-class anything, so I don’t need them to be big. Scotty said he could knock them into shape if I did what he said. And I want to lose weight, so I will.
Firstly, I have to drink at least two litres of water a day. Secondly, I have to do resistance exercises that work the muscle and burn fat in the inner thigh, so I have to do thousands of leg raises while lying on my side. For my stomach, I’m doing everything that hurts, with one exercise requiring me to be upside down on a Swiss ball.
I also have to keep eating healthily and running regularly.
As a consolation, Scotty said he was glad to see my thighs didn’t look like orange peels – meaning full of cellulite.
The heartbreaking moment this week came at weigh in.
I’ve busted my butt, sweated bucketfuls and sacrificed big nights out only to gain 1kg.
Now that I’m back at 82.8kg, I’ve made life more difficult for myself. If this had happened last month I would have said I deserve it because I’d been indulging in Rugby World Cup festivities. But this week I wasn’t. I was feeling inspired to get fit and healthy.
With two months to go, will I lose another 12.2kg? I’m not one to give up, but at this stage it feels like I’m climbing ot Everest.
**A note from Scott Cottier
**ot Everest has arrived and the climb to the top is a complicated one. We either push on to the top of the mountain, to April’s preferred weight of 70kg, or we turn around and head back down the hill slightly, and work on toning the body. This will increase April’s muscle mass slightly, which in turn will slow her weight-loss.
oy experience is telling me to think of the latter. Even if April fulfils her 70kg dream, she may still have flabby bits, which may stop her feeling confident in her bikini.
It’s very hard to achieve both at the same time, especially since she still has to lose 12kg in eight weeks. My tip this week: if you look at the sole of your running shoes and the tread at the top under the toe and at the heel is worn, it’s time to get a new pair. Exercising in worn shoes provides limited traction and support, and can damage ankles and knees over a prolonged period.
Get rid of your worn shoes and get fitted with a new pair that’s suitable for your range. Happy training.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
