Our purpose as a business is to support our clients in living healthy, active and more rewarding lives and there’s no better examples of this than Shauna Donovan.
While many people look at the physical transformation she has undergone, I can tell you without hesitation that the shift in her mindset and personal beliefs/values is where the real transformation took place.
Since Shauna started with us, she has literally become a different woman- confidence, fitness, strength, quality of life and so much more.
And when anyone makes such a massive shift in their lifestyle, everyone wants to know what she done to achieve it. She’s been asked by countless people what was involved so we said we’d take the pressure off of her and answer all your questions.
And if we leave anything unanswered, be sure to post your questions and comments below.These 2 pictures are 14 months apart. In my opinion, this is where the real magic happened for Shauna. Laying this foundation had the biggest impact on her quality of life and results down the line.
- We started Shauna off doing 2 gym sessions a week and 1 walk per week- very manageable for anyone
- This increased to 3 sessions after a few months.
- The biggest driver of these initial results were food, consistent exercise and lifestyle (quitting smoking, getting hydrated, improved sleeping patterns, managing stress, etc.)- no fancy programs were used.
- We changed 1 habit every few weeks. When ever Shauna felt she gad one habit dialled in, we added another- drink 2 litres of water, eat 4 portions of veg, get a daily walk in, etc. Nothing drastic
- Shauna net some challenges early on that really challenged her commitment to change. It was hard but she overcame them and moved forward again
- Thankfully she did because she met loads more of them along the way- it’s just part of life!
- Shauna trains in our semi-private training program- this is the best way to get results as long as you commit to the process.
- Early on, Shaunas sessions were a mixture of strength work and conditioning work. Building an aerobic base is super important and the walks served this purpose well in the beginning.
- Also, Shauna wouldn’t have handled very intense cardio workouts and would easily have been turned off her goals
- Shauna never counted a calorie or weighed her food during this phase of her training
The 2 pictures below are 11 weeks apart- we tried our best to get her to smile!!
11. Shauna ate between 1750 and 1900 calories daily during these 11 weeks- I remember her saying she was hungry once during the 11 weeks
12. She done 4 resistance training sessions per week- Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays and Fridays
13. We had 1 conditioning session per week on Wednesdays
14. If we had to reduce her training days, it was always the Wednesdays sessions that we dropped
15. For the last 3 weeks we removed the Wednesday session and added in a daily walks- nothing challenging
16. We calculated Shauna’s calorie and macro-nutrient requirements (proteins, fats and carbs). she just had to weigh out a few foods and not actually track her calories- we done all that for her.
17. Shauna got achieved her first chin up at the end of the program. This was a longterm goal that was really helped by her strength work and leaner physique
18. Shauna had nights out (including alcohol), ice cream, chocolate, etc. during her program. Of course she didn’t live on them but we did make room for them
19. If Shauna lost more than 2 lbs a week we added in more food ro slow this down- fat loss and weight loss aren’t always the same thin g especially as you get leaner
20. Shauna trained really hard- I mean, really, really, really hard- 2 upper body sessions and 2 lower body session were the main part of her program
21. She trained at 6am 2 days a week with myself and another client. She looked like a zombie the first day she done it (!!) but by the next week it wasn’t a bother to her. This allowed her to have the day free to herself after work
22. She met with her coach for 20 minutes weekly to track her weight, body fat, how she was feeling and to discuss any challenges. Based off of this her food and program were updated.
23. Shauna focused o getting generally fitter and healthier before focusing on this program- she didn’t just jump straight into it like so many people do.
24. Shaun is 24% body fat in the left pic and 17.1% in the right pic.
25. Shauna battled hay fever for a few weeks during her 11 week transformation- =goes to show things don’t need to run smoothly
26. Shauna ate lots of carbs as part of her program- she even asked us a few times if we could reduce them
27. Focusing on slow controlled eccentrics (the lowering part of an exercise) and strict rest times played a massive part in her program and results
28. We focused on exercise that had minimal learning time and that Shauna was already familiar with.
29. Shauna has lost a total of 55lb of fat
30. We aimed for about 90% adherence to the program- slip ups and challenges are part of the journey
31. Workouts focused on barbells (deadlifts, squats, etc.) dumbbells (presses, lunges, shoulder presses, etc.) and bodyweight exercises (push ups, chin ups, etc.) mainly- all the things you’ve heard to be the key to results
32. One of the most important areas we factors of Shauna’s training sessions was to focus on consciously contracting her muscles during each exercise- this is something you’ll see very little people do and it’s not easy. You’ll need to drop the weight you are using and give each rep 100% concentration.
33. Wholesome, nutritious, natural, delicious food made up the bulk of Shauna’s program- a recovery shake after training was the only supplement she used
34. Shauna’s program had a massive core strengthening element to it- she loved us for it- NOT 🙂
There you have it. The thinking process that took Shauna from start to finish.
Once again, an absolutely huge well done to this lady for what the changes she has made, and inspired others to make.
If you still have unanswered questions then just post a comment below.
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