Liz Quonoey is a longtime client who has just celebrated 4 years with Terrific Fitness. At 53 years young, Liz participates in both Group Fitness and Personal Training qualifying her as a VIP client.

Liz works full time and came to TF with chronic pain syndrome, suffering a number of different physical ailments and injuries, was on daily pain killers and suffered depression. She joined TF because she was turning 50 and wanted to feel better about herself.

Well Liz achieved this, and soooo much more!

In the time Liz has been with TF she has achieved, and continues to achieve, some absolutely incredible results! Some of these include:

• Losing over 32kg
• Increased muscle mass
• Dropped 4 levels of Visceral fat
• Has dropped her Basal Metabolic Age from 65 to 50 years
• Managing her chronic pain to the point she is no longer on pain killers
• Has her depression managed
• Has conquered the Great Wall of China
• Is more confident and social
• Is able to enjoy a larger variety of exercises despite her injuries, within her limitations

Liz inspires me, as a coach and as a woman, every single day! The challenges she has faced throughout her life have been massive. And yet she has tackled them consistently and persistently, bringing her to a point of incredible success. Everyone can learn from her consistency and persistence. An absolutely inspiring woman.

Anyone who meets her falls in love with her beautiful soul inside and out.

Liz, thank you for choosing me as your coach and for allowing me to share in your incredible journey. A true honor!

One thing we do with all of our PT clients is complete a structural balance and posture assessment. This identifies what strengths and weaknesses there are in the body, any inactive muscles, imbalances and joint restrictions. This leads to a personalized designed structure for their programs. This is then reviewed at every session with another formal structural balance and posture assessment every 12 weeks to see what has improved and what else we can work on.

All of our coaches are trained in rehabilitation and mobility.

Doing this with Liz has meant that we have been able to create very personalized programs to tailor to her needs, taking into account all of her injuries. There are times that some injuries have worse days than others and programs need to be changed even in the moment. We do that.

As a result, Liz is now able to move with greater range of motion and mobility, less pain and is even off pain killers that she was on daily for years. She is also able to participate in a great variety of exercises, with this list growing weekly.

Another area that was vital to focus on was Liz’s mindset. Being a Wellness Coach I conduct Mindset Workshops and also coach my clients in mindset one on one in PT and within our group fitness community.

Liz has attended a number of my mindset workshops, growing with each one. Any activity I have set for her as ‘homework’ she has completed and refers back to regularly. She is a personification of the saying ‘life is for living’.

When it came to nutrition, Liz had already made a start on improving that prior to joining TF. However since joining has managed to take that to a whole new level. Through nutrition coaching we have been able to identify that her body does equally well with carbs and fats and so eats on an Isocaloric diet, meaning that  she has an equal quantity of macro nutrients, protein carbs and fats, throughout her day. This is what works best for her.

Liz eats a consistent 3-4 meals per day, sometimes throwing in a 5^th depending on her level of activity. She usually keeps her carbs to before and after training, though doing well on Isocaloric macro-nutrients, does just fine if she throws in a few extra carbs here and there.

Liz eats fresh food on a daily basis using her Sundays as her meal prep day, as that’s what works for her, working full time. She enjoys her weekly treats and occasion glass of wine, living a balanced life without deprivation or starvation.

We have also identified what foods she is intolerant to, by completing a 28 day food elimination and re-introduction diet. We do this with all of our PT and nutrition coaching clients, to ensure they know what food works best for them and which food is harming or holding them back. People can react to all sorts of things, even broccoli, and not realise it!

Liz continues her journey every day, learning and implementing, because that’s what life is all about. It’s not a diet. It’s not a challenge. It’s life.

A massive congratulations to Liz for all of her success and achievements! A true legend!

Here is Liz’s story in her own words:

“Before joining TF, I had injured my back and had to give up training with another PT. Any physical gains, mobility and fitness were lost. I was overweight and unfit and generally unhappy with myself. 

I had been dependent on painkillers for over 10 years due to chronic pain caused by a wrist injury that also hampered my mobility.

I was crippled with depression, went through 2 work restructures, lost all motivation to train and started eating badly.  My weight ballooned and my self-esteem and confidence nosedived.

In 2016 I started training twice a week at TF, slowly building up my fitness and working on my rehabilitation and mobility.  I was restricted in what I could do but my trainers ensured I built up slowly to prevent further injury.

I now train an average of 7 times a week – 6 group classes and a PT session. [Not days, sessions]

I have learnt so much about the importance of food as fuel, and prepare and cook food that maximizes my training.

I have my depression under control.  Exercising to me is as much about mental health as physical.  I still live daily with chronic pain, but weight loss and increased mobility makes it easier to manage.

I no longer take pain medication.

Life has dramatically changed.  Seeing results – weight loss, improved strength, challenging myself, achieving personal bests and simply doing things I never thought possible because of injury – has driven me to improve myself and see what I can achieve.

Just some of my successes have been:

• 32kg weight loss
• 2 member of the months award
• Amazing and consistent BCA (Body Composition Analysis) results, including winning a competition for the highest score over 5 categories
• Smashing personal bests
• Doing exercises once thought impossible because of injury and ability – planks, push-ups, burpees, chin ups, box jumps
• Meeting the most amazing trainers and training buddies
• A new wardrobe
• Developing muscles
• Strength, mobility, flexibility
• Belief in myself
• Happiness

My goal when I joined TF was simple.  To feel better about myself.  I was turning 50 and wanted to change.  I smashed that goal within weeks. 

I wanted to be fit enough, within 6 months, to walk to the top of the Great Wall of China.  The old me would not have had the stamina.  The new me did.

TF has always been my safe place where I am not judged, but where we support and inspire each other.

I am proud of the commitment I have made to changing my life.  I now want to train, to feel better and to push myself.  I am continuing my normal training schedule during COVID-19, doing classes and PT via zoom.

Whilst the physical results have been amazing it is the improved emotional and mental state that I’m most proud of.  I work in a challenging and demanding job and training is how I de-stress.

Severe depression plagued me for many years and prevented me from enjoying life.  Improving my health and fitness through training at TF helped me out of the black hole and is critical for my continued mental well-being.”

– Liz Quonoey