“After having my third child I was in quite a lot of continuous hip pain due to pregnancy-related issues. Doctors told me that exercise was the key to getting the pain under control, however any exercise I undertook just seemed to make it worse – Pilates, walking, dancing/Zumba, anything in any way hip related, or high intensity/impact was off the cards – so I took the plunge and decided that I needed to take a different tack.
Mostly my motivation was to decrease my pain, and to a lesser extent lose my pregnancy weight and try to get back to being myself again – hard after kids! I needed something tailored to my needs, with someone who would engage with me and my situation and change training as necessary. I found EMF on an internet search for personal training and contacted Eoin to take the first step. He was extremely sensitive to my limitations and worked with me to get over the roadblocks in my body, and in my head!
So far I have lost 10lbs in weight, and the shape of my body is starting to return to pre-baby levels… but more importantly, the pain in my hips has decreased significantly. You would think it’s counter-intuitive – bad hips – lift heavy weights… but it seems to be strengthening the muscles around the problem areas and improving them.
Quality of life with my family has improved – it’s easy to downplay pain when you have a lot to do for your family, but living with it constantly changes your personality and personal relationships. You’re quicker to anger, have less control of your emotions, and are limited in what you can do with your children. I was astounded a few weeks back when I was suddenly able to run with my children and wasn’t crippled afterwards! I have also been able to return to Salsa Dancing – a hobby that was a big part of my life before children but hasn’t been able to do since.
It’s such a relief to be able to begin to do things again that always seemed to define me, but have been lost for a few years now. My sleep hasn’t improved, but you can’t expect that with 3 young children just yet!
I enjoy the Monday email with the personal rundown on my progress. It makes me feel very connected to the programme, that it’s being closely tracked and monitored – and that Eoin is personally invested in me doing my best. It makes me feel responsible for my own progress and choices, yet being accountable to someone else keeps me honest and motivated!
You really have to be ready to change for a programme like this, and commit to it fully – Eoin makes this transition smooth with advice on eating, spreadsheet tracking, and weekly check-ins. You can see yourself advancing every week with new exercises and higher weights to keep it fresh. Also, both trainers enforce proper technique at all times, and correct when needed – taking a step back when necessary. What I didn’t fully expect from a gym was the inclusiveness that Eoin encourages, doing group sports activities and creating a more family environment – this is something I would have come across before in Salsa, and really works to keep groups connected, but I didn’t expect it from a gym!
I would recommend EMF to others looking to do it right, as long as they are in the right place mentally to make the change. Changing your diet to high protein, especially with a husband and family to feed too, is complicated and takes planning which doesn’t always succeed. Tracking takes time and effort, and you need to be in the frame of mind to commit to the lifestyle change.”