Q and A - Julie Trattles from The Biggest Loser 2009
Never give up, take it at your own pace and keep your eyes on the prize: these are the words of wisdom from Biggest Loser 2009 finalist, Julie Trattles, who has lost around 44 kg since her weight loss journey began. Julie shares her top tips on choosing quality home fitness equipment and keeping fitness goals on track for the longer term.
Q. What was the biggest lesson you learnt about health and fitness in the Biggest Loser House?
A. The biggest lesson I learnt in the house was the fact that weight loss and personal fitness goals can be achieved if you just stick to it and not give up. I was far from the fastest or strongest in the house and struggled heaps of times but I just kept going at my own pace and eventually found success. It is a long hard process but don't make too many demands on yourself that you can't deliver - just take it at your own pace and keep your eyes on the prize!
Q. These days you have a cross trainer at home. What do you like the most about owning your own home fitness equipment?
A. When it came to deciding what type of equipment to choose to have at home the decision was easy for me. It had to be a cross trainer with a cross ramp.
Although the treadmill was my favourite in the house for a while, my body told me otherwise. Having an old hip injury from an accident as a child, I needed a lower impact form of exercise but while getting the same (if not better!) results, so I turned to the cross trainer and I'm very glad I did.
What I like most about having my own cross trainer really is the convenience. I lead a very hectic life these days and sometimes found that my hours didn't suit the gym hours.
Having my cross trainer at home, I can jump on whenever I want - first thing in the morning, after a bad day at work (I can knock a session out and feel a lot better after it!) or if I can't sleep I can jump on and just cruise along until I get tired – and it really works! I like to use the cross trainer at least every second day.
Q. How is your cross trainer set up in your home?
A. I have it set up right in the middle of the lounge room, believe it or not - so there are no excuses about missing a TV program or missing out on company, being locked away in another room. Plus, all the different workout programs available means that I'm never bored doing the one thing over and over again, although my favourite is the interval program: sometimes I just put it on manual and play games with myself like cruising along while watching TV and then going like hell while the advertisements are on, or when playing my favourite music I do one song easy then one song flat out. It's fun!
Also, it's great to know just how many calories you're burning with each session. By simply logging in your weight and age, the cross trainer can calculate your progress - then you have the chance to beat your average next time!
Q. What are your health and fitness goals for 2009/2010?
A. My goal for the future is to maintain the level of health and fitness that I have at the moment. I have never experienced such a feeling of wellbeing before in my life and I don't want to ever lose it! Everything is so much easier physically these days that I just smile sometimes with contentment!
Q. What are your favourite forms of exercise these days?
A. Depending on my mood, I still enjoy a diverse range of exercise: my cross trainer at home and walking my dog along the beach are great forms of cardio workouts. But, for a real buzz, I still love weight training and boxing!
Q. If there was any type of home fitness equipment you would like to own to add to your collection what would it be and why?
A. If I had the choice of another piece of exercise equipment to have at home I could not go past a spin bike. I started in the house really scared of the spin bikes but now I think they're great and you burn heaps of calories really quickly - not to mention how good they are for your legs and butt!
Q. What advice do you give friends and family about buying fitness equipment?
A. Buying exercise equipment for your home can be quite a personal thing - sometimes relating to a lot of different needs and situations. But I think the main advice I would give to anyone would be to buy good quality gear from a reputable fitness equipment retailer!
There are plenty of silly gimmicks out there at the moment (you see them on the TV all the time!) all promising to give the best results for the least amount of effort and money, but that's just rubbish! If you're going to be really committed to losing weight and getting fit then it's going to be a long process - and you're going to require equipment that’s tried and true with the quality you’re going to rely on, day after day.
Plus, listen to the experts who know their products and stock renowned brands - not the fly-by-nighters you see on TV, trying to make a quick buck with crazy ideas.
Q. Do you have any tips to share with people who are looking to lose weight at home?
A. If you really want to lose weight then you will! Don't lose focus, don't become impatient, don't compare yourself to others and, more importantly, don't be too hard on yourself!
You are on your own journey and as long as you're honest with yourself with your diet and exercise routines then there's no reason why you won't have success. So good luck - and I wish you strength and support to get you to your own goals - because you won't know how good it feels till you get there!
