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Mother of three speaks to The Voice about her unique six week fitness journey with Nazia Khatun
NAZIA KHATUN is an award-winning Body Transformation coach, who uses her pioneering methods to help women become the best versions of themselves by recreating and rewiring habits and patterns towards food and exercise.
A regular writer for health magazines, appearing on TV and radio shows, and a speaker for companies like Ernst & Young, Khatun takes you on a journey where you fall in love with yourself, empowering you mentally and physically to overcome depression, domestic violence, and stress and confidence issues.
Read our Q&A with one of Khatun’s clients, Mary Ike below:
Q: How old are you?
Mary Ike: 40
Q: What made you choose personal training over going to the gym or other methods?
MK: I needed motivation and guidance to get me started. I have used the gym before but this time I felt really stuck and found myself really bored of doing the same workouts all the time because I didn't know what else I could do.
I was getting annoyed and frustrated not seeing any results doing it by myself. Working with Nazia was very uplifting as she took the hard work away and she applied her knowledge for fat loss. her coaching of recreating new pattern and habits towards food and exercise is something you have to experience first hand if you want to change.
She knows how to get you physically and mentally loving your body. A year later and I have managed to keep the weight off and in the best shape of my life aged 40 years old. This is brilliant compared to losing weight and keep putting it back on.
Q: Tell us about your lifestyle- how many child do you have, how do you spend your time most days and how does working with Nazia fit around your responsibilities?
MK: I am a full time mother of three children. my youngest daughter has a medical condition which has seen me in and out of the hospital past 4 years since she was born. In that time I forgot about looking after myself as my child needed my priority, she is doing better now and in a good place so I had to change in order to have enough energy to get things done.
I am also a part time student in college, so my time is divided between family and learning and it can get very challenging at times and having someone coach me is absolutely necessary for me to stay at my best. I have to manage everything as a mother from cooking, cleaning, school runs, after school activities so working with Nazia is making an appointment with myself to ensure I am loving myself too.
BEFORE
AFTER: Mary Ike
She is always very flexible and accommodating making my life easier. She has a lot of care and love with whom ever she works with, her passion always shines through. My children adore her and I feel like so much changed when I met her, I definitely feel like a brand new woman.
Q: What was life like before you took the fitness journey?
MK: I used to be fit but somehow life got very busy with my children and I was leading a hectic lifestyle. I was not paying attention to my food and not exercising. I felt miserable most of the time, and less energy to do the things I loved doing. I didn't like looking at myself in the mirror, the weight crept on. I was feeling depressed too about the way I looked and felt.
Q: What was the most challenging aspect for you?
MK: Getting started was the hardest. When I saw Nazia for a consultation she motivated me and she was good in guiding me and making every session fun. Being a Nigerian I struggled with my diet, as the food is mostly high in carbs. Nazia helped me with my diet by educating me what the body needs in very simple terms.
PICTURED: Mary training with Nazia
Q: Did you ever feel like giving up and why didn’t you?
MK: No not at all. This was a journey I had started and I wanted to change, mentally and physically. Deep down I was not happy with myself and I wanted to look and feel good about myself. Plus I am a mother of three. I had to be a role model for my children especially my two daughters.
Q: When did you start noticing a change and how did it feel?
MK: By the third week, I felt a huge increase in my energy. My clothes were feeling looser and that was the time I felt like I could do this. I felt like I was slowly becoming my old self before I had the children. The more I exercised and ate well the faster the results. I felt highly empowered and motivated every time I saw Nazia, which got me through to the end.
Q: What has the result been and how do you feel?
MK: I started my journey in summer 2016 and I weighed 90kg and now summer 2017 I weigh 72kgs. I feel very sexy and I love my shape. Everything is curvy in the right places. I am so much happier and positive than before. I feel a new confidence has taken over and when I look in the mirror I love the person looking back without being critical.
FAMILY TIME: Mary training with Nazia and her family
Q: What advice would you give those taking the fitness journey?
MK: You have to just decide to start. If you do not start then you will not know. Invest in a good coach, Nazia was great in working with my mind set and varying each exercise so I never got bored. She has great knowledge and she teaches her students very well. Every session I learnt something new about myself and she does not allow you to give up, the encouragement is so important and this is what allowed me to think “I can do it”
Q: How is life today compared to before?
MK: Life is very good, I have not put the weight back on like I used to when I dieted. This transformation has been amazing in terms of how I have instilled new habits, I feel I have a new brain and a new body to match. I have loads of energy to run after my children and I love how people think I look younger than I already am. Working with Nazia has been a blessing.
To find out more please visit:
Website: https://naziakhatun.com [6]
Email: info@fitnessrebornuk.com [7]
Instagram: @fitnessrebornuk1 [8]
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