Sally Symonds

Unlike most people on this website, I didn’t grow up with health and fitness as something integral to my life. In fact, for the first 29 years of my life I HATED exercise. 

As a child I epitomised "non-sportiness”.   I religiously avoided every phys ed lesson at school, didn't join any sporting teams when I left school and even hated walking.

I can remember driving to a letterbox that was only about 150m from my house, and I actually used to pay people to walk my dog.

At the time I rationalised that I was working so hard on my career that I didn't have time to do it myself. Today I think of it more as just making excuses.

Not surprisingly, at 29 years old I was working over 100 hours per week and weighed 106.5kg.  I was size 24.  Nine years later I weigh 53kg and wear size 6.   Initially I lost 45kg in 33 weeks and I then kept that off for about five years. 

Statistics show that 96% of people who lose weight put it all back on again – and usually more.  However, I actually went on and lost even more – over 50% of my original body weight in total.  In terms of weight loss percentages, only one of Australia’s “Biggest Loser” contestants – Bob – has a higher weight loss percentage than me.

I initially did my personal training certificate in 2003, but I didn’t keep it up.  So I redid it all again in 2009. 

I’m also a qualified NLP practitioner and now work as a wellness coach.  Most of my support is online, but I also do one-on-one sessions as well and of course I do a lot of inspirational and motivational speaking too.

For people who love exercise, or can remember what it was like to feel the buzz that exercise gives you, it's a lot easier to regain your health and fitness (if you’ve somehow lost it). 

But I never had those kinds of memories to relate to – and I’m not the only one.  I think there’s a completely different mindset when you approach health and fitness from where I’ve come from than from the traditional point of view (of always having been healthy).

I’m just so passionate about spreading the health and fitness message that sometimes I think I go overboard. 

So far I’ve written two books, 50 Steps to Lose 50kg . . . And Keep It Off and 50+ Recipes to Lose 50+kg . . . And Keep It Off and will probably write a few more before I’m through. 

I’ve also written articles for The Australian Women’s Weekly and been on Sunrise, Today and The Morning Show (among others) demonstrating exercises and giving healthy living advice.

People think it’s really difficult to lose weight and keep it off, but I don’t think it is, especially when you know how to do it properly (as opposed to following all the gimmicks and quick fixes that are out there). 

I look back on the first 33 weeks of my weight loss as one of the most rewarding, empowering times of my whole entire life and now, I get to relive it all again through my clients.  It’s just magic! 

One day a client sent me an email of a photo of her scales reading “99.9kg”.  She was so excited she’d broken the 100kg barrier.  So was I.  I cried for the next 45 minutes!