The Secret To Success

Hello and welcome to my very first blog!

My name is Annette Shepherd. I have lot’s of information to share but before I start blogging I thought I would introduce myself because the life I live today isn’t what it’s always been.

I was raised around fitness. I loved exercise and when I grew up I wanted to be an aerobics instructor just like my Mum.

Then I turned 18, I was not interested in exercise anymore, I was more into music and partying. My lifestyle saw me working in a 9-5 office job, it provided me with money to keep a roof over my head, a car on the road and the lifestyle of a rock star except my gigs were outings to pubs and clubs and the only instrument I could play was the air guitar.

So fast forward to the age of 24, I went from a size 10-12 to a size 16. I had fat rolls when I sat down, I got sore abs from being out in public trying to suck my guts in in an effort to try make my beer belly look smaller and my Sunday morning regular was KFC to cure my hangover. That wasn’t the worst of it and by my late twenties I had given myself an eating disorder and was running daily in a desperate attempt to lose weight.

I woke up one day, it was my 30th birthday and all I could do was cry. Cry because of the disrespect I had shown to my life and the way I had wasted it so far. Cry because I remember my Mum turning 30 and she already had 4 children. Cry because I was in a job I hated. Cry because I felt alone. Cry because I was still renting a house and had no savings to my name. Cry because I had spent my whole life trying to please everyone else but myself. Oh and cry because I was still fat!

I set out on my own life changing journey starting with the purchase of a gym membership. I was very hesitant to hit the weights because ‘I didn’t want to get bigger’ but after being assured by my trainer that this would not happen, I gave it a go.

Weight training empowered me. I felt like an unbreakable machine and I loved it. I loved how my physical strength gave me mental strength and the positive effect it was having on my life and I wanted to know more. I was very bored in my office job so in 2008 I enrolled into cert 3 and 4 in fitness for some brain stimulation and the universe had its way and abruptly ended my corporate career in 2009.

I started my own business from a busy gym and immediately began reinvesting back into my education doing more courses to fast track my knowledge. I got some great client transformations and I really gave my all to my clients to help them succeed in their journeys.

My life changed direction because I stopped, grabbed it by the balls and took some action. When I began doing something I loved and looking after myself, my whole outlook on life changed and I attracted the life I have now but while that snap point of my 30th birthday changed my life, a deeply ingrained personality trait of mine still has a grip on me. I am a people pleaser. I want everyone around me to be happy, experience life at it’s fullest, succeed and really live life, not exist in it and waste it away for so many years like I did.
This trait almost got the better of me after 5 years in this industry and I was ready to throw it all in. I was exhausted from giving so much. Even my own training got pushed aside so I could look after my clients more. I took steps to change this and as a result have managed to get some ‘me’ time back and it feels amazing!

So while I have decided to start sharing some blogs, I make no promises they will come out regularly!

Empowering our clients with knowledge and support as they work to achieve their goals is something that brings me great joy. For a while there I began falling back into my old ways, putting work ahead of my own training and wellness. 15 to 17 hour days became the norm for many years, as did falling asleep on my laptop keyboard as I would research and work on things I could use to help my clients more. I began to see a change in the way I was feeling. I was getting frustrated easier.

It’s not selfish to say no. It’s not selfish to look after yourself. By not doing so, you are slowly burning the candle at both ends.

Success starts within. Changing the way you choose to spend your time and energy, changing the foods you choose to eat, the association you choose to keep, the standards you choose to accept.

No one is more important than the most important person in your life, YOU! If you stop looking after yourself, you can not give out your best. People around you will start losing respect for you and you will not be able to help them in the best way you are capable of doing.

So here is to my upcoming blogs, as irregular as they may be and here is also to you…..
Never stop looking after you!

I have so much information to share with you, lots of things that will help you implement a healthy lifestyle change so stay tuned and for future blogs and if you’re looking for a personal trainer in the lilydale area, reach out to us at Assist Personal Training so we can look after you and help you reclaim number one in your life!

Train smart, breathe deeply, nourish with foods!
Annette Shepherd