You don’t find it, you make it happen!

Nic is in a good place in life. He has a lovely wife and two beautiful daughters. He has just completed The Shake UP 10 Week Challenge, has lost 8kg and is feeling the best he has in years.

Nic is also our January Shaker of the Month! Congratulations Nic!

What makes Nic happy is spending time with his family – being active, getting amongst nature and living life to the full.

Living the life you want and enjoying every minute doesn’t just happen – you have to work for it.

3 Simple Steps to Happiness:

1.Discover what makes you happy

Happiness means something different to everybody, so before you can find happiness, you must discover what truly makes you happy.

Nic discovered a long time ago that spending quality time with his family – being active, getting out and enjoying life, going on adventures – is what truly makes him happy.

2.Determine what you need to get there

Once you know what makes you happy, you can determine what steps you need to take to get you to your happy place.

Nic realised that as life got in the way, his health was on the decline and it was getting harder and harder to enjoy the things he loves. Nic realised that for him to chase his happiness, he had to regain his health and vitality.

3.Do it – Make it happen!

Once you know what you need to do to be happy – do it – make it happen. Happiness isn’t something that just happens, you need to work for it. What better goal to have than to find happiness! Put all your energy into doing whatever it takes to make you happy.

Nic did it, and he is continuing to make it happen by taking control of his health and well-being. His decision to make positive change is an inspiration to those around him, but what he is most proud of is the impact it has had on his kids.

We caught up with Nic to chat about his success:

Tell us a little bit about yourself Nic…….

I’m a 48 year old father of 2 beautiful girls. We’ve been living on the Coast for 12 years now. We lived in Adelaide and Darwin and overseas for 4.5 years. We have travelled a fair bit and we’ve settled here.

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about living life and enjoying life – enjoying it to the full – there is a quote going around that I like – “Every one dies, but not everyone REALLY LIVES.” I don’t want to get to the end of my life and have any regrets about not doing something, or not trying something or not experiencing something that I wanted to have a go at. Live life to the full and enjoy every minute of it!

How long have you been with The Shake UP?

4 months… I joined at the start of the Spring challenge – and I lost 8kg, but I think I’ve put on some lean muscle mass, so I’ve lost more than 8kg of fat.

What was it that brought you to The Shake UP? 

Primarily we talk about getting fit and healthy all the time – as you go through your life you make excuses about why you don’t exercise anymore and we just decided to put our money where our mouth was and take that next step and do something about it, instead of sitting back saying I could do that or I should or would do that – it’s just making a positive step towards positive health and fitness

Can you tell us an achievement you are proud of since you started with The Shake UP?

Normalising fitness and health within my family. My girls see that looking after your health and fitness as a normal thing to do – and I love that.

To make those changes, you have to push yourself pretty hard during the workouts, what is it that gets you through a workout?

Besides our trainers encouragement…? When you get into the mental toughness side of it – which happens every workout – you think about your goals and why you are actually there – so when the going gets tough you’ve got to dig down into what your goals  are and what you’re trying to achieve. There’s no point going into the workout and stopping half way through  because it’s too hard, or it hurts because it’s not for long – I just draw on the goals of being fit and healthy and being in good physical shape to play with my kids.
So what is it that you like about The Shake UP? What keeps you coming back?

It’s a lot easier to train with people who are there for similar reasons or trying to achieve similar goals and there’s good comradery. It’s not like a gym where everyone is just doing their own thing. At The Shake UP – it’s a friendly atmosphere  and it’s a very supportive environment – from the trainer down to the people who have just joined. It’s great to encourage the people just starting out like people encouraged me when I first joined The Shake UP.

How has The Shake UP impacted your everyday life?

Doing the challenge has really been an education because you are learning so much about nutrition and what you are putting into your body and what your body actually requires at certain times to help you achieve your goals – so if you want to lose weight then you have to do the right thing by your eating regime as well as the exercise.

So how it’s changed my every day life – you think about everything you put into your mouth – from that slice of toast in the morning to the beer at night – you’re  more mindful of what you’re doing and if you want to keep on top of your fitness and your goals, you have to be mindful of what you’re putting in your mouth.

Which exercise is your least favourite?

Getting out of bed – once I’m there, I’m  fine and then you’ve just got to attack it with vigour. But if you have to pin-point an exercise, I think running is one of my pet hates because I’ve had bad knees in the past – having said that, my knees have never been better since I started The Shake UP – I can now do 1 leg bench step-downs!

For all his hard work, Nic has scored himself a delicious breakfast for 2 at Euphoria Espresso in Robina. We are so excited to have Richard and Esther supporting our hard working members. Euphoria Espresso is located at 105/137 Laver Dr, Robina  –  5562 5388. These guys create delicious meals and have catered for many of our corporate presentations. Enjoy your breakfast Nic and Fran!