Q&A: Fiona Worwood – 3rd Women’s Weight loss

We sat down with Fiona Worwood who placed third in the ladies Weight loss category of our Summer 2022 Sleekgeek 8-Week Challenge. We wanted to find out the secret to her success and she was happy to share it with us.

Please give us a short history of your journey to health and fitness before the challenge.

I have tried other challenges where you get a strict meal plan and exercise routine but found them extremely difficult as the gym routine was too advanced, and my body would be protesting by week 2. It became demotivating as I then couldn’t complete all of the exercises that were expected, and I would slip into an “oh well” attitude.

What prompted you to join the Sleekgeek Transformation Challenge?

My boyfriend did it first, having had friends do it, so I was introduced by him, and I loved the idea of getting healthy but having choices! No strict plans, but proper guidance and explanations attached to recommended actions.

Give us a quick overview of the nutrition and eating plan that you followed during the challenge.

We mainly used the SG lists, we looked at the plans for ideas, but ultimately, we made up our own meals based on predominantly the green list and focused on portion control. I will also state that we did cut out carbs except for brown rice and bulgur wheat maybe once a week. (Learning when you are truly hungry has also completely changed how we eat, it used to be an automatic action where you eat because you should, not because you’re hungry-that’s changed).

Give us a quick overview of the training and exercise plan that you followed during the challenge.

So, my goal was to get to the gym 3 times a week and do 1 conscious exercise over the weekend for an hour, whether this is a walk, riding my horse, going for a swim or riding a bike.

I did the team roadblocks in the morning and then gym in the evening.

Due to a shoulder fracture I’ve done only cardio, this would include cycling, running, rowing, elliptical and swimming depending on the day and my mood.

The goal was to do 20-40 minutes, but often it became distance goals, so 20km on the bike, 4km rowing, 5km run, 2km swim.

I included a personal trainer, Jessica Azzie, who is familiar with shoulder injuries, and I saw her twice a month and she gave me a monthly program of functional training. So, I would do this in-between cardio.

If you could give 3 pieces of advice to future challengers, what would they be?

1. Tough love, you need to man up and do it, it’s not fun and it’s not easy but it’s you against you. If you don’t eat properly and work out, it’s you who has to account to yourself in the mirror.
2. Push yourself, I think if you’re in the process of getting healthy that’s awesome and I’m all for one step at a time, but if you’re doing this challenge you need to step up and commit. Part of that is pushing yourself to be better, challenge yourself. I didn’t treat the challenge as a challenge to participate in to get healthy, I treated it as a personal challenge to myself, I needed and wanted to do better.
3. Consistency, someone told me to treat gym like your job, so I treated getting healthy like its my second job. You get up and go to work 5 times a week, gym or exercise is just your second job, get up and go until going to gym becomes a habit and not a chore. Be consistent in the healthy steps you take. Especially the small things, drinking water, cutting out junk, getting to the gym 3 times a week. Be consistent!

Why should people enter the challenge?

This is the most flexible health challenge I’ve completed, and the flexibility teaches you how to be healthy outside of the challenge. It’s about making life choices.

Sleekgeek is realistic in what they preach,they understand that life is messy and no one is perfect. But anyone and everyone can get involved regardless of where you are at!

So, you should enter this to take back control over your health in a positive meaningful and long-lasting way. (I signed up my friends, my coworkers, my boyfriend and my family to this and all of them would agree with what I’ve said).