We sat down with Shailesh Singh who placed fourth in the Men’s Transformation category of our Sleekgeek 8-Week Challenge. We wanted to find out the secret to his success and he was happy to share it with us.
Please give us a short history of your journey to health and fitness before the challenge.
Before joining the Sleekgeek 8-week Challenge, it was clear that I had fallen off the bandwagon and was nowhere near my former fit and lean self, I knew I had to do something to get me back to winning ways but this part is a lot easier said than done…
Just getting to the gym seemed to be a mission all on its own. A few of my work colleagues introduced me to the Sleekgeek Challenge and after reading up about it I knew this was the perfect opportunity to regain control both of my physical and mental health. I introduced my wife and sister-in-law to the challenge and the 3 of us took on the challenge as our team!
It worked perfectly and even though the 8-week journey wasn’t easy we supported and pushed each other and before we knew it we had forged new habits, both I’m our diet and exercise routine. If anything, we have developed a greater consciousness of how to take care of ourselves and this is really what the value of this challenge is at, if you can be true to yourself and your goals you will naturally create new habits and ditch old ones… most importantly, you’ll create a sustainable habit that you’ll enjoy if you do it properly and with the right attitude.
We’re looking forward to joining the next one and I encourage everyone, regardless of your shape, size, confidence level, exercise experience and so on to give this a try, it’s based on a very simple principle… if you stick to it and hold yourself accountable it will be the best investment you’ve ever made
What prompted you to join the Sleekgeek Transformation Challenge?
As mentioned in my testimonial, I knew I needed to do something but couldn’t push myself hard enough to make the change I needed to. Being introduced to the challenge by a few work colleagues made it an easy introduction to exactly what I needed to do.
Give us a quick overview of the nutrition and eating plan that you followed during the challenge.
Most importantly, I made sure not to destroy my relationship with food, be careful of this because it’s easy to label the foods you enjoy as ‘bad’ foods, there are no bad foods, only foods that are less nutritious that others, it’s important to remember that your diet must be sustainable and you still need to enjoy the experience.
In general, I was just more aware of what I was eating and the nutritional value of the food I put into my mouth, I made sure to understand the concept of a calorie deficit and made sure I followed this as religiously as possible, I had many cheat days but still stuck to my guns! Less simple carbs, more complex carbs, increased protein, smaller portions and more frequent eating was the formula that worked for me.
Give us a quick overview of the training and exercise plan that you followed during the challenge
I increased my physical activity exponentially, this is important as well, it doesn’t necessarily need to be gym 7 days a week but you must increase your physical activity to get your heart going and your metabolism up.
I trained on average about 4 to 5 times a week and increased the amount of cardiovascular activity especially, lots of walking and running help me develop my fitness level.
If you could give 3 pieces of advice to future challengers, what would they be
- Just get started, don’t try to be perfect, just get going and then get better.
- It’s okay to have your favourite foods, remember not to destroy your relationship with the things you like, just make sure you understand what you’re eating and what it will do for you.
- Join a team, it gives purpose to what you’re doing and creates a healthy environment and a little competition to get you going in the right direction.
Why should people enter the challenge?
Very simple, you’ll discover a completely new YOU! A person you will love so much more and keep developing in a way that will only be good for your life! Your future you will thank you for it!
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