Gut health is the biggest change for Kelsey in her fitness journey

Believe it or not, weight loss and muscle gain are not the only reasons behind gym memberships, and in Kelsey Hinz’s case, it was all about gut health.

A long-term sufferer from gut problems, Kelsey, along with her partner, decided to join an 8-week challenge at their local Body Fit Hamilton East after some gentle nudging from the trainers there. The 29-year-old thought it would be a great opportunity to see if doing a detox and more regular exercise could help and alleviate her issues.

Kelsey was also keen to get her body composition back down to a healthier range, and aimed for 5% body fat loss to lower her visceral fat level.

Getting Started On The Journey

It’s a common misconception that only nutrition affects our gut health. This in some respects is true, because it generally plays a big role in our gut health, but physical activity is just as important as the nutrients we ingest, with frequent exercise and nutritious foods providing a vital partnership with our bodies.

So it’s not surprising that now, after a year of getting back into exercise, Kelsey’s gut problems have mostly disappeared.

“I’ve been doing Body Fit for almost a year now, but we went into lockdown on the first day of the 8-week challenge,” Kelsey said.

“The trainers kept us motivated at home, and I worked out about 4-6 times a week from the comfort of my own lounge. I also started running 3-4km after my 12-hour shifts about 2-3 times per week, and included regular bike rides as well as a few hikes into my life.”

“Now, I feel amazing! I have so much energy and my gut problems have mostly disappeared. That is the best thing for me.”

Along with the Body Fit way of life, Kelsey utilized the challenge’s meal plan which was tailored to her weight loss goals but she admits she didn’t stay strict with it.

“I mostly ordered Hello Fresh meals because it was more convenient around my shift work; I actually just cut down on sugar, alcohol, takeaways and coffee which made all the difference,” she said.

“I didn’t want to stress myself with macros and calorie counting, I needed the changes to be sustainable.”