ASH'S STORY - 20YRS
"I Joined Boss Gym by chance. I didn’t know Boss gym existed until one night I was at a bar with a mate and ran into Melissa Gough (fellow member) whom I used to work with many, many years ago. She told me she was at a drinks evening for the gym and told me details about the gym. She introduced me to Mia and Adam that night and a couple of weeks later I joined. At the time I really needed to do something about my health/fitness. Before joining Boss I really hadn’t done much exercise for the previous 12-18 months. I was in a bit of a rut and I needed to change things. Meeting Mia and Adam that night was the catalyst for that change.
I remember my first training session quite well. I turned up and I was quite nervous as I didn’t know what to expect. Within the first 1-2 minutes I was gasping for air. I somehow struggled through it and at the end of it I felt light headed and sick. Mia made me go and lie down and put my feet up on the wall to get the blood flowing back to my head. This actually happened for the first few sessions I went to.
I still get nervous now as I still don’t know what to expect. That’s what I love about Boss. Every session is different and challenging. However, once I get started I love it. Mia, Adam and Steph are great motivators and will push me to my limits. I also look forward to just seeing and talking to the other members. They are a great bunch of people where everyone encourages and supports each other."
What motivates you to keep turning up and training?
A couple of things - I sit all day at work and I just say to myself I have to move at some stage. There are many times I don’t feel like coming to the gym and would rather just remain seated for the rest of the evening. Nobody is motivated all the time. However, I know I’ll regret it the next day. In my opinion, getting to the gym is the hard bit. Once you’re there and you get started its all good, plus you feel so much better after a session. The other motivation is seeing progress and improved results. By turning up regularly and doing your best this progress and improvement will naturally follow.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to start?
The thought of starting at a gym and pushing yourself can feel nervous and intimidating. I still get nervous before each session. However, you’ll soon realize that everyone, no matter what their fitness levels, are in the same boat and trying to improve themselves.
Mia always drums this into me – ‘Be Consistent’. Try and make going to the gym part of your daily routine. Look at it as something that just needs to be done. Even if you don’t feel like going, just turn up. It’s better than not turning up at all.
Record/Note your progress from day 1. You’ll soon see improvement and this will reinforce why you started going to the gym.
Listen and soak in advice from Mia, Adam and Steph. They are on the journey with you as well.