Lifestyle coaching is about teaching you how to apply some basic knowledge about how the human body is designed to function. It’s about getting back to basics and looking at the things we all assume are working properly.PJ O'Brien
About 18 months ago my girlfriend convinced me to try training at Levity Health.
I'd been going to 'bootcamps' pretty regularly, my fitness was good (or so I thought), and I ate a balanced diet (or so I thought).
Over my adult life I have had constant issues with 'weak' ankles. They would roll and get injured often and I had been diagnosed with tendonosis in my achilles tendon.
I began had an assessment with Peter Lacoste at Levity Health. Peter identified a number of areas that could be improved through diet and training. Particularly, my 'core' was weak. My trainer Emily Bowie guided me with exercises - both in a weekly group class and a weekly one-on-one session.
Over a year I was amazed at not only how much stronger I had become, but I was more flexible and far more agile. My tendonosis completely disappeared. The real breakthrough came when I was complaining about a red rash that kept appearing now and then on my scalp. Emily suggested that I should consider going on an 'anti-fungal' diet. I booked in with Peter, who explained the diet to me and gave me a plan. It wasn't easy at first. After six weeks I wrote the following to Peter in an email;
"I feel more awake, alert, relaxed and more positive about life in general. I feel more alert than when I used to drink coffee. I'm much leaner, I think more clearly and even my endurance has improved. My muscles stretch much more easily and stay loose for longer. My general strength has improved. When I get up in the morning, there's no "grogginess" - I'm awake right away and I stay like that for a good 16 hours - even when I go to work and study at night. I don't have a post lunchtime 'crash'.
and to think, it's only been 6 weeks and I only wanted to clear up a rash. Instead I have had - literally - a life changing experience in 6 weeks! Thanks to you for that. I wont be going back to any of my old diet habits...ever. People sometimes ask me "why don't you eat normal food? Why can't you come to dinner with us?" My standard reply is "If you felt as good as I do, you wouldn't either" (I don't mention the fact that the fatty deposits around their jowls would probably disappear too)"
To say that the past 18 months at Levity have been good for me would be the understatement of my life. The fact is that I feel younger and more vitalised at 35 than I did at 25. Don't get me wrong, it's taken a fair bit of effort and some organising, but to feel this good every single day... It's worth it.
PJ O'Brien, Sydney 2010
