Published on Tuesday, 30 August 2022 at 1:49:44 PM
Introducing our August Member of the Month – Rebecca
Rebecca, who is originally from Ireland, has joined Beatty Park very recently after returning to Australia from her homeland. Rebecca has just moved to the local area with her partner/gym buddy Brody, who she met here in 2018 during a working holiday visa.
Our gym team has noticed how hard she works out in the gym, so we thought we’d find out more!
Has fitness always been a focus for you?
I’ve played sport my whole life – I love being part of a team. I played field hockey all the way through primary school, high school and university. I’ve always been into the gym – I’ve stopped and started as I’ve been travelling, but I always make my way back to working out.
I also did gymnastics, athletics and netball when I was younger. Working out for me is great for my mental health; if you feel good in yourself it does wonders for your mental health.
What’s your fitness routine like?
My partner Brody follows a military-style program quite strictly. Sometimes I’ll jump in with him and sometimes I do my own thing. I have arthritis in my knees so I have to try and adapt his workouts to be lower impact for myself to make sure I’m taking care of my knees.
I always try to get a bit of cardio in like interval sprints or rowing. I also try to incorporate a core workout and HIIT workouts.
Even if we don’t go the gym we still try to have an active rest day, by going for a walk or a hike. Sometimes we go to the pool and use the sauna. Our day does revolve around training but I’m not too hard on myself if my body is feeling tired.
How do you adapt your workouts for your arthritis?
I try and push myself. I got diagnosed with it when I was 26 – it was really unfortunate, it was a result of a stomach infection and it spread to my joints.
Before that I lived in Canada for two years and was an avid hiker. I was really worried that it would stop me from doing what I wanted to do, but I was really determined to not let it. I take injections daily for my arthritis. It’s just adapting other workouts to be lower impact; so for example instead of squat jumps I’ll take out the jump part. I try not to adapt if I can because I want to push myself. I try and stretch and do all those things, but I’ve been focusing on strength training because it is one of the best things that you can do for arthritis, but I’ve been trying to gradually build my strength up and not lift super heavy too soon.
What motivates you to keep up with your fitness?
There was a while there that gym felt like a chore, it was really hard to get myself to go. I made the decision one day that I was going to get up at 5:30am every day. My friend was an inspiration for me – she was on a bit of a weight loss journey, she was getting up early every day. I saw her results and how she was really pushing herself, so I just said one day “I’m just going to try it”. Even though I’m not a morning person, I managed to get up pretty much every day.
My partner also pushes me to stay motivated. He was in the military for five years and is very disciplined. He did Thai boxing when he was a younger and is way more motivated than I am. If I’m struggling, he’ll motivate me to do one more rep and introduces me to more exercises. I never used to do weight lifting so he’s motivated me to do that.
Do you have a fitness goal you’re working toward?
My partner and I are preparing for Mt Everest Base Camp. We decided we would do it for my 30th – it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. When I was diagnosed with arthritis I thought “maybe I won’t be able to do it?” but I decided I’m not going to let it hold me back.
It’s not our main focus for training; obviously you need to be relatively fit to do with the altitude. We just train to stay active and for my mental health. Having that goal is motivating us more though – we want to work on our stamina and I’ve been focusing on my cardio, particularly on the step machine, trying to push myself for longer on that.
What do you like about Beatty Park so far?
The facilities are great here and the people are really nice and welcoming. Everyone comes up and chats to you and there is a sense of community – it has been really nice to feel included.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more feel-good stories, and stay tuned for our next member feature.
Back to All News