Setting high expectations and goals for oneself is easy but to have the awareness, dedication and expertise to actually achieve them is something Fawn Gill, owner of The Gym here on Bowen (www.thegymonbowen.com), has definitely mastered.
In November 2010, after months of training,Gill won first place in a masters figure competition. An accomplishment that took transformingher body, mind and soul for her sport of choice.
With 20 years of fitness related experience, Gill is able to see through the rhetoric of fitness misconceptions and is devoted to helping people achieve their personal goals. "I have always believed that fitness should be fun. No one will continue to do something that doesn't provide some kind of fun or joy or release. So I try to make my classes and personal training sessions fun while still keeping them informative," Gill said.
"And I try to make the gym a fun place to be. We know everyone's name, we inquire about their workouts, we suggest new exercises. We play their favourite music. We keep it fun so that maybe it's easier to get to the gym for the next visit."
Gill is a firm believer in taking baby steps and her advice is to create change slowly by building up to the ultimate goal.She knows that positive habits will develop over time.
"Often we try to take on way too many goals at one time. For people starting out, they should look at just one small area that they can improve and change. Like adding a daily 15-minute-walk to their routine," Gill advises. "It needs to be a lifestyle change which happens slowly and gradually in order for the changes to stick around. That way people can feel positiveabout themselves and the changes they are making. Otherwise we get into a vicious cycle of negative talk, 'I should be doing this or I should be doing that...'"
So how does Gill maintain her post competitive figure? "Stop eatingmuffins," she said. "They are just little cakes forgosh's sakes!"
