A word from Rachael:
”If you’ve been following me onInstagram, or reading my blog, you know that you girls are my main inspiration & motivation.
I recently held my Share Your Journey Challenge and I have to say it was an amazing experience! Getting to read all of your stories was absolutely incredible.
In this chat, Arianna who is 26 , shared her story that really stuck with me. She completed my G.A.L. Program and she’s already onto round 2. I couldn’t be more proud!
I hope her story inspires you just as it did me. :)
Arianna’s Review of the G.A.L. Program
1. What Was Your Fitness Routine Before and What Made You Change It?
Arianna: I did ballet from when I was 7 till I was 16, so I think that helped me. When I do crunches and workouts like that I usually get abs instantly.
I always tried to be active after I stopped ballet, I used to do a lot, I did some Pilates and athletics. There wasn’t enough cardio in Pilates so I stopped.
I started to look for something to do at home since I didn’t want to go to the gym, I was too lazy.
Other programs changed my body but not the way I wanted since I’m tall and get big legs easily, so I didn’t like them.
I tried to do exercise at home with exercises I knew wouldn’t bulk my legs, but after a few months of doing the same thing I got really really bored and didn’t want to work out anymore. But I don’t know how to make a program or what exercises to change, so I did the same thing which became boring.
RELATED POST: Why You Need Cardio For Lean Legs
2. How Did You Find Out About the Program and What Convinced You to Try It Out?
Arianna: I knew Rachael from Instagram for years, but I never tried it since I hate running and I thought I didn’t have time to do two workouts a day. And I usually walk 10k steps a day but I didn’t see any changes without the program.
So I bought the Lean Legs Video Course first, but since I wanted to try G.A.L., I stopped the Video Course after two weeks and started doing G.A.L.
Now I am doing the second round of GAL since I really enjoyed it. I think that the HIIT workouts are easier in GAL than in the video course. They are great and are challenging, but I don’t feel as exhausted after the workouts.
I also wanted to give running a try as I trusted Rachael 100% and now I love it. Recently I ran for an hour since I was enjoying it.
3. Did You Notice Any Positive Changes After Running?
Arianna: I’m really stressed right now because of my university. I usually go for long runs when I’m more stressed. I don’t have a treadmill but there are a lot of parks in my area, so I go there and I can change which one I go to.
Since I did 1 year of athletics and was really good at 100m, I found that there’s a small athletic field in the park, so I went there and started running.
I usually run really fast first, then slow down to catch my breath, but I never stop, I only adjust the speed.
I can work on my exams more now, I’m not stressed. When I hit my goal, I don’t do it for the program anymore, I do it for myself, when I go running I do it for myself.
RELATED POST: Is Running Good For You?
4. If a Friend of Yours Asked You About G.A.L. What Would You Say?
Arianna: It’s amazing, first of all. It really helps if you’re bored with your routine because it changes every day, it has so many different things, and you don’t even have to do running since you have other options.
And you don’t have to stress out about what you have to do, there’s a program and all you have to do is follow it.
It gives you results. I always thought I had a perky butt and flat stomach because of ballet, but the program actually makes it better.
5. What Is a Successful Result for You?
Arianna: In my opinion, you have to try again after you complete the first round so you can compare the rounds and see how you feel. It’s not just physical, it’s a fitness journey, it’s a health journey, it’s important.
Taking pictures helps if you’re really into the aesthetic part, it’s a journey so you have to keep going to improve and improve. I can look at myself and see changes, but I think how can I change it even better?
Before starting and during the past 2 months I was really eating badly, but now I’m more conscious about what I eat. I saw that if I eat badly, I can’t run properly or work out properly. So it encourages me to do better. The first round helps you change your diet for the better.
RELATED POST: How to Have a Healthy Relationship with Food
6. What Are the Changes Between Your First and Second Round?
Arianna: I trust the program more, first I was a little skeptical, now I just go for it. Running too, I’m more excited to run now than walk, and I love walking.
It also changed with how much I can do the workouts at home, they are easier. Well not the first one, it has a finisher that kills me every time. Rachael also says in that video that you can use ankle weights, but I’m not gonna do it.
The program is my routine, I’m not feeling like I’m doing a second round, I’m just doing what I do every day, I wake up, I eat, I work on university tasks, I go out, I work out, that’s my life.
Since the workouts change so much during the week, I don’t feel like I’m doing a second round, I’m just doing what I do. It feels like I’m challenging myself every day, focusing on how I feel when I do it.
7. How Do You Keep Yourself So Motivated?
Arianna: I usually think, maybe I’m not seeing the results I want, maybe I don’t see enough changes, I’m not feeling motivated since it was a bad training day or something like that. I just think, if I’m not going to do it today, I will regret it tomorrow and when I go to sleep, and then maybe I won’t do it tomorrow and then I’ll stop the program fully.
If I’m not seeing changes now, then how will I see them if I stop the program, and I’m not going to have a good training day when I start training again since it will be harder. Just do it and don’t overthink.
I typically work out at 5 pm since I always did ballet at that hour. I just don’t overthink, but I put my clothes on, put on podcasts and music, maybe sometimes lessons from university, so that also changes.
Sometimes I go for a walk and don’t listen to anything, it depends on how I feel.
Stopping something that will make you feel better isn’t going to help you. You just have to give it a try, since it’s just 2 months for one round, you won’t see changes before the first month, you just have to stick with it.
Also, it took you months or years to get to your current shape, it takes time because fitness is a long-term commitment. You shouldn’t feel discouraged if you don’t see results right away.
You just have 2 months to give the program a try and it’s one hour max a day. I also don’t consider walking a workout since I feel it’s good to go out and embrace nature.
RELATED POST: How To Stay Motivated
8. When Did You First Start Seeing Results? Were You Happy With Your Results When You Finished the Course?
Arianna: For me, I started seeing results after 3-4 weeks. I don’t trust the mirror, since I’m the one seeing the reflection and I’m not objective. Usually, I measure myself.
I don’t trust the scale either, if I drank too much water or ate too much it changes. I weighed myself in July and after the program I lost 4 kilos but I didn’t do it for the weight, I did it to improve my body. It didn’t feel like I tried to lose weight, I wasn’t obsessed with that number.
I work out every day, I give it 1000 percent every time, I want to feel like I did everything I could so I give it my all and more.
The worst part that can happen is that I finish a workout and feel like I could have worked out more or harder. I never want to feel that way, I want to feel proud of myself and that’s a good training day for me.
Since I enjoyed it so much, it didn’t feel like working out hard even if I do it every day, it just didn’t feel like work, it felt like taking care of myself.
RELATED POST: How To Track Your Progress
9. What Are Your Main Reasons to Be Fit and to Exercise?
Arianna: I feel better, a healthy mind in a healthy body. Since I’m really into university and studying, I don’t want to feel bad, I want to do as much as I can for my mind and overall well-being.
I want to perform at my maximum for everything, I’m not an Olympian but I want to feel good with myself.
I want to feel like I can do things in a normal life. When I don’t work out I notice that when I walk and talk I’m out of breath, and now I’m improving that too with my running, I’m improving myself with something that is a weak spot for me. Ballet trains everything but not breath.
RELATED POST: Is Walking Or Running Better For Fat Loss?
10. What Would You Say Is Your Absolute Favourite Part of G.A.L.?
Arianna: I actually loved the challenges, the extra workouts at the end of the week, especially the last one at weeks 7-8. I didn’t like the extra workouts from weeks 1-2, so I think that I’ll do the ones from weeks 7-8 this week too , because I really loved them.
If a Friend Wanted to Start Gal, How Would You Motivate Her?
Arianna: First of all, all my friends always ask me what are you doing, how do you look that great? I would just say what I told you, it’s not hard to follow, it’s challenging but not too much that you feel discouraged, the workouts are so different that you don’t get bored, and the community is great, the Facebook group is nice and Rachael seems so nice to respond to everyone, the support group is amazing.
I tried a lot of things, nothing felt so effortless but still effective, or became a part of my daily routine so easily, nothing I ever did.
Could You Share Some Struggles With the Program, and How Did You Overcome Them?
Arianna: Usually I struggle with going out. I’m really a lazy person too. I like to stay at home, so the workouts at home weren’t hard since I could watch a TV show or movie to distract myself. Now I’m just listening to music since I think I work harder if I don’t distract myself.
I don’t like to go out, but I think about what I feel like when I work out outside. I enjoy both the feeling after and while I work out, and I think you can have that feeling right now if you go out.
So I put a good playlist on, music that really helps motivate me, pump myself up while I’m putting the workout clothes on and I don’t overthink it.
If I don’t do it, I will regret it later. You never regret a workout. You regret not doing it or not doing it well, but you don’t regret going for it. If you don’t have the time, that’s different but if you’re lazy, that’s not good.
I am sooo thankful to Arianna for sharing this lovely story with all of us. I can’t wait to see all about your progress after the second round!
Love Rachael xx
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