Fighting fit
Rachael Ferguson’s stage four cancer diagnosis was a stark reminder that health really is our wealth
Rachael Ferguson’s stage four cancer diagnosis was a stark reminder that health really is our wealth
Photos Tim Ingle + supplied
When Rachael Ferguson was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer no one was more shocked than the former competitive bodybuilder herself. At just 32 years old, Rachael was the picture of health.
“I’d just got back into training,” explains Rachael. “I had been a member of Clubfit Baywave for five years and did a bit of running, too.”
At the time she was feeling a bit more fatigued than normal. Having just got married, Rachael put her tiredness down to the stress of the wedding and all the COVID-19 lockdowns that came afterwards.
Rachael and her husband Glen were planning to have a baby in the near future so she visited her doctor, to make sure she had nothing to worry about.
“Hand on heart, if we weren't planning to have a baby, I probably wouldn’t have made that call,” admits Rachael. “Had I not gone, it’d be a different picture for me today.”
After her diagnosis she had what is called definitive surgery treatment
– surgery on a sufficient margin of tissue. Her margins returned clear, but she still had to undergo chemotherapy, to catch any rogue cells.
Twelve rounds of chemo later, Rachael is thankfully one of the lucky few to survive stage four cancer.
“My treatment took place over six months, with one every fortnight.
I just kept an open mind every time and didn't fixate on side effects.
Plus I worked out the whole way through.”
Her doctors recommended she continue her fitness regime as best she could.
“I was told it’s really important to replenish your body after chemo, because it absolutely knocks you. Exercise can be the last thing you want to do and often I'd feel average for a couple of days after treatment,
but as soon as I would start to feel okay, I’d either be out going for a walk or back in the gym.”
Rachael continued training at Clubfit throughout, allowing her to still attend her favourite classes of Body Step and Body Pump.
“Everyone at Clubfit was so great,” says Rachael. “They knew what I was going through and where I was at. It’s always been such a nice community to be a part of. There's no judgement and there’s so much support for everybody, which you don't often find in a gym.”
Just six weeks after her last round of chemo, Rachael fell pregnant with her son, George. These days, with George having just turned one, Rachael still makes sure she prioritises fitness. She goes to Clubfit classes twice during the week and once on the weekend when George is at his swimming lesson at Baywave below the gym.
“I really believe being healthy and fit played a huge part in me fighting
the cancer the way I did,” says Rachael. “Everyone knows what the gym means to me now. It’s more than just staying in shape. A lot of women believe that once they become a mother their needs don't matter anymore, but you can't be your best if you're not feeling right. In many ways, looking after yourself is the most important thing.”
Fit for purpose
Editor-turned-fitness-aficionado Hayley Barnett talks setbacks, swimwear and sugar… And approaching the silly season with a renewed sense of purpose.
Editor-turned-fitness-aficionado Hayley Barnett talks setbacks, swimwear and sugar… And approaching the silly season with a renewed sense of purpose.
Ihave a confession to make. I didn’t go to the gym for two weeks. (That’s a lie. It was closer to a month.) But it wasn’t entirely my fault. I was sick for a week with a cold – potentially my fault for attacking my immune system with an awful lot of sugar. Then it rained for days.
You’re probably wondering what the weather’s got to do with going to the gym. Well, it dampens my spirit and my will to move outside of my house is then limited.
Looking back on my life, both these excuses seem to be recurring problems. For me, seasonal depression and sugar addiction go hand in hand. In spring the weather gets warmer, but it also rains more than ever, and the
pressure of attaining that “beach body” starts to build.
Now, I admit I’ve never actually attained the beach body, partly due to the pressure, but also due to Christmas, New Year’s, my birthday and then Easter. Suddenly I’ve gained an extra five kilos on top of the five I vowed to lose in the first place.
Keeping all this in mind, I recently returned to the gym with a renewed sense of determination. Not only am I dragging myself out of bed every day to be greeted by the friendly staff at Clubfit Baywave, I’m also pushing myself to try new things. In the past week alone I’ve tried a Body Pump class, a spin class and I’ve even purchased a swimsuit – one of those sporty looking ones with the racerback, just like a real athlete! I’m yet to hop in the pool, but I have high hopes. The fact I don’t look like an athlete in my new swimwear sends my anxiety soaring when I think of stepping out. I look like I haven’t been to the gym in a month. Which is true.
So I’m back to my three sessions a week and I’ve also shelved the sugar – something I’ve struggled to do my
entire life. Remembering that everything boils down to habits and reinforcing that message every day is crucial to success. Which I guess is why Clubfit is committed to drumming that into its clients. My trainer, Kiriwai’s, voice constantly echoes in my head these days – “Consistency really is the key.”
Going the distance
It’s mind over body for editor Hayley Barnett as she trains for her first marathon.
It’s mind over body for editor Hayley Barnett as she trains for her first marathon.
Long-distance running has always intrigued me – the psychology of it, and the idea that any approach you take to training is a metaphoric representation of life in general. Yes, that sounds cheesy, but I have no other way of describing it.
The old saying that the mind is more powerful than the body is never more apparent than when you’re 18km into a trail run, drips of sweat and mud (and sometimes tears) running down your face, and you’re convincing yourself that you're about to keel over and die.
It’s incredible how much more energy your body has left in the tank when your mind has long since given up. But you only learn that when you stop listening to it. And, as we all know, that’s the hard part, not only in running but in life.
Of course, a helping hand to push you along can be extremely advantageous in all areas, but none more so than exercise, especially in the depths of winter.
Since I signed up at ClubFit Baywave a few months back, I’ve been busy building my strength. When I signed up for a marathon at the same time (somewhat ambitiously), the team put me on to one of their go-to athletic gurus, Diarmuid (Dee) O’Dwyer, who came up with a plan to supplement my running training. Dee is specialist strength and conditioning trainer who also works at the Adams Centre For High Performance. He put together a plan to target the muscles needed to succeed in – read finish – a marathon without injuring myself or being unable to walk for a week. These were my two main goals also, so we were already on the same page. He also drew up an outdoor running plan, to get me up and running (sorry) from my current five kilometres to 21km, with the intention of reviewing the plan once I hit that mark.
Dee’s program was quite the step up from my beginner-level weight training. I worried it might be a bad sign that I was unable to walk for a week after my first gym session on his plan, but he assured me this was completely normal. I was targeting muscles that had probably never been targeted before. Though he did suggest doing a few less reps and taking longer breaks between exercises.
To say that this plan twice a week, together with my running sessions three times per week, set me up for success is an understatement. I recently completed the Shoe Science Tauranga Half Marathon, still alive, far exceeding my expectations. I’m not sure I could have got there in these freezing cold mornings without Dee’s help, or the help of my original ClubFit trainer, Kiriwai.
During my weight training with Kiriwai a few months back, one thing she said stuck with me. She said, “It all comes down to discipline. I know you’re a mum, I know you have a busy job, I know it’s hard to find the time. But too bad. Get on with it.”
Sounds harsh, but the tough love approach exists for a reason. Sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else.
Bring on the full marathon in 2023!
The fitness diaries
Editor Hayley Barnett faces her fitness fears - and the dreaded fat scanner - to embark on a year-long self-improvement journey.
New beginnings. Editor Hayley Barnett faces her fitness fears - and the dreaded fat scanner - to embark on a year-long self-improvement journey.
Photos Salina Galvan
Gyms have never been my jam. I joined one with a friend back in high school and we would regularly show up, hit the stationary bikes for five to 10 minutes, then saunter off to the sauna feeling very pleased with ourselves. It wasn’t until I joined my university gym that I realised I wasn’t really achieving anything. All that beer, combined with not growing taller, wasn’t doing me any favours either. So I started running, outside, away from the gym.
Over the years, the running has helped to keep me fairly fit, but as you get older, apparently, you need to build muscle everywhere. Something to do with your metabolism slowing down and hormones being thrown out of whack.
I liked the idea of joining ClubFit at Baywave because it was close to home, my kids did their swimming lessons there and I wanted to try the Body Combat class my friend always raves about. But, on my first consult with trainer Kiriwai Poroa, she advised that kicking my way to a stronger body in the beginning was not a wise move, and so reality kicked in instead.
She suggested having a BodyScan, a machine that measures everything from your weight to how much muscle and visceral fat you have. ‘Visceral what?’ I hear you say. The fat around your organs - the most dangerous fat. It turns out mine wasn’t that bad. My muscle to fat ratio, however, wasn’t great. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great, and Kiriwai had a plan.
For the first few months, I am to focus on resistance training. Not only does it build muscle strength and tone, it also protects your joints from injury - magic words for a runner. She set up a programme including a circuit of five resistance machines, two body weight exercises and two cardio machines for warm up and cool down. I then downloaded the ClubFit app, where my workout is kept, showing exactly how many reps, weight and time to be spent on each exercise, so there are no excuses to be made, like blaming a foggy memory. The app even includes videos showing you the correct form for each exercise. You can connect it to other devices and monitor your heart rate while you exercise, as well as track outdoor movement, calories burned and distance travelled. It’s an all-in-one hub for your health and fitness. Technology has come a long way since my uni days.
Together with two resistance days a week, we agreed I would attend one Body Balance class per week, to get my stretch on and relax those muscles after a couple of outdoor running sessions. This is getting serious.
The biggest motivator (besides having my face splashed across a magazine) is going to be my visit back with the old BodyScan machine in three months’ time. Watch this space!
Follow Hayley’s journey at @unomagnz
Prioritise you
Clubfit’s Stu Stevenson says it’s time to take control of your health and wellbeing now, not tomorrow.
Clubfit’s Stu Stevenson says it’s time to take control of your health and wellbeing now, not tomorrow.
For most of us, the past two years have been challenging both mentally and physically, and it looks like 2022 is shaping up to be the same. Although we can’t always control what is happening externally, we do always have the choice to prioritise our own health and wellbeing.
Exercise has the unique capacity to help us both cope with stress and develop resilience. The positive effects of regular exercise are broad and well documented. Don’t just think of exercise as physical – the routine and commitment to regular movement will benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing.
“Don’t wait for the right time, or the pandemic to be over, to focus on your own personal wellbeing.”
Let’s forget the phrase ‘Go Hard or Go Home’. Find a way to move your body that makes you feel great and stick with it! Don’t wait for the right time or the pandemic to be over to focus on your own personal wellbeing. Start now and look after yourself, so that you can better cope with life’s challenges and responsibilities.
When choosing the right gym environment for you, make sure that your membership includes a personalised workout programme to get you started, access to a range of exercise options (for lots of variety) and ongoing support.
The team at Clubfit will work with you to achieve your wellbeing goals. They are with you for the journey.
They offer a goal-setting session and workout programme to get you on your way. If group fitness is more your thing, they offer over 50 classes a week ranging from Spin Classes to Body Balance.
But remember, the only person that can get you moving is you.
Measuring success in the gym with Clubfit’s Stu Stevenson
It’s all good to want to look great, says our Clubfit manager fitness columnist Stu Stevenson, but is that your true measure of success?
It’s all good to want to look great, says our Clubfit manager fitness columnist Stu Stevenson, but is that your true measure of success?
PHOTOS Hunter Studios
When it comes to health and fitness, there are many ways to define success and measure your results, but the real question is: What do they mean to you? It’s not what others tell you they should be or what social media leads you to believe.
Figure out what you want from your body and from an overall health perspective. Then create your own success metrics that are less about the number on the scales and more about how you feel. Consider these questions when measuring your health and wellness progress:
How do you feel? Paying attention to your mood and energy level is a great indicator of whether you’re on track or not.
How quickly do you recover from exercise? Are activities that were once challenging becoming easier? As we get fitter and stronger, it’s important to reflect on how much easier exercise becomes (and remember that progressive overload is a simple yet often underrated exercise principle). Can you lift more, run further, last longer? Even a marginal improvement is progress.
How well are you sleeping? Improved sleep quality over time is an indicator of success. More sleep (we should aim for a minimum of seven to eight hours each night) and less stress will also give you a better chance of achieving your health and fitness goals.
What’s your resting heart rate? A normal resting heart rate for adults is between 60-100 beats per minute. Checking that yours is either stable or slightly decreasing over time is a simple fitness test you can perform when you wake up each day, going old school with a watch or with a wearable device that’ll do the counting for you.
What do you weigh? Actually, this simple measurement isn’t always as helpful as people think. In fact, if you’re going to measure your body weight, it’s important to assess it alongside your body composition (the proportion of fat and non-fat mass in your body). No matter what your goal, focussing on building or maintaining lean muscle sets a platform for success.
True fitness success is more than just achieving a certain body composition or look. Of course, it’s good to look great, but it’s more important to feel great and have a body that can perform when you need it to. Although there’s nothing wrong with having a weight-loss or aesthetic focus, it can take the joy out of exercising and make it a punishing journey, so I encourage you to work with a coach in an environment that promotes positivity around goal-setting and a balanced approach to defining success.
At Clubfit, we can work with you to create a fun, sustainable workout plan that’s focussed on making you feel good – plus all Baywave members receive a free Evolt 360 body scan to help you track your health and wellness journey. Here’s to your success!
Looking for a bit of variety in your exercise regime? Clubfit could be it!
Its availability at not one but two sites – one in Tauranga and one at the Mount – isn’t the only thing that makes this gym ultra-accessible.
Its availability at not one but two sites – one in Tauranga and one at the Mount – isn’t the only thing that makes this gym ultra-accessible.
UNO: What’s Clubfit good at?
Personal trainer Mark Berry: We build great relationships and support our customers through their exercise journey while making it fun. For us, it’s about the long game. Beyond just getting a new member started, we’re here to keep them motivated so they make steady progress towards their goals and enjoy the journey.
What do you specialise in? Functional training, strength and conditioning, rehab, CrossFit and Olympic lifting.
Who are you best suited to? Anyone looking for a modern gym that provides value for money, great service and support will find it at Clubfit. We also offer great variety, with more than 60 group fitness classes per week. Our gym is also unique in that it offers gym and swim memberships; you can choose a membership that also provides access to five pool facilities, including spa, sauna and aqua-aerobics classes – and even the iconic Mount Hot Pools. Clubfit caters for all levels and the variety of workout options means there’s truly something for everyone. Join the club for a fun, supportive exercise programme that gets results!
What kinds of classes do you offer? Les Mills Classes are some of the world’s most popular – we’ve got Body Combat, RPM and Body Step to get the blood pumping, CX Worx and Body Pump for strength, Grit and Sprint for high-intensity training, and BodyBalance and Tone for muscle tone and flexibility.
Our Clubfit Home Grown Programmes (HGP) are our own range of classes designed to complement the Les Mills offering. HGP Hiit ’n’ Run and HGP Blitz are intense circuit-style classes that are suitable for intermediate to advanced fitness levels, while HGP Mobilise and HGP Full Function are perfect for members who are returning to exercise and need to take it slow. There’s also Yoga, Pilates and Zumba classes available, and with our gym and swim memberships, you can also attend AquaFit classes at Baywave.
What are you proud of at your gym? Without a doubt, it’s our team, from our group fitness instructors through to our amazing reception staff. The level of support and commitment they provide to our customers is outstanding and keeps people coming back for more. Around 30 percent of our new customers each month come to us through a referral from a current member.
We’re in the business of helping people live better lives and seeing people transform in terms of confidence, mental wellbeing and overall health is what we’re here for. Although we hear lots of success stories about physical transformations and fitness gains, now more than ever we’re hearing about the mental benefits that exercising at Clubfit is providing. People often comment about the fear and anxiety they’ve had to overcome just to get started on their fitness journey, and these same people also often tell us just how significant being involved in a good exercise community and developing healthy habits have been in transforming many other areas of their lives. That’s the stuff that makes us feel good.
What are your top tips for getting beach-ready? Consistency is king or queen, so show up often, do the work and enjoy the process. Also, remember that your body isn’t your enemy, so be good to it, build up slowly and watch the results start to appear.
Meet the trainers:
Mark Berry
Mark’s a Clubfit personal trainer and group fitness instructor who has worked in the industry for a decade – a job he loves. He brings an all-round training philosophy to the gym floor and his down-to-earth approach is based around the following points: aim to move your body the way it was designed to move; consistency is key – and not just in the fitness world; enjoy what you do – it’ll be a boring life if you don’t; success comes in many forms – the number on the scales is just that and nothing else; and strive for balance in all areas of training and life.
Monique VanDijk
Monique works at Clubfit as a fitness instructor – a role that’s all about coaching and support. She started her journey as a group fitness instructor through her interest in sports performance and holds a degree in Sport Science. Today, her key passions include strength training, CrossFit, Olympic lifting and gymnastics. She says she really enjoys her role and connecting with a wide variety of people through exercise, and believes quality movement in exercise is paramount to quality movement in everyday life. Her goal is to help people find a method of training that’s effective and enjoyable for them, so they can move for as long as they’re able.
1 KITEROA STREET, GREERTON, TAURANGA, & CORNER GIRVEN AND GLOUCESTER ROADS, MT MAUNGANUI
07 577 8555