I have been an active/sporty person all my life but once I moved back to Brisbane from 23 years in Darwin, I found that I had lost all my connections and motivation. I just found it hard to settle and stick to any one activity. I was spending a lot of money on gym memberships and pilates/yoga memberships but was finding it increasingly difficult to get to the sessions. I also wasn’t making any connections with people and my health and fitness wasn’t improving which just added to the lack of motivation to continue. Before I started, I was a busy Mum of three gorgeous boys, all at very different stages in their lives. I felt that I was running from one thing to another. At that stage I was working 4 days a week which left very little time for myself. I was overweight, constantly tired and generally very unhappy. Truth be told, I was lonely too. I have always loved to walk but this had also fallen by the wayside due to boredom and lack of motivation. In 2013 I had signed up to walk 60kms for a Cancer charity weekend and realized that I really enjoyed having that goal to work towards and it felt really good at the end when I completed the 60kms with no problems. I surprised myself with how much effort I had put in to achieve that goal. This was at the front of my mind when I saw Women’s Fitness Adventures advertised on Facebook. I thought that if I had goals to strive for, it would give me the motivation I was so lacking. The rest, as they say, is history! 
My biggest achievement since becoming a member is the shift in mindset and the increased confidence in how I approach things. Put the work in, you’ll get the results. This mindset and confidence has spread to all parts of my life, social, family and work. Yes life is busy but I now think it is busy in a great way! My health and fitness is the best it has ever been. I have lost the excess weight which had crept up on me over the past 20 years and I am determined to not let it come back. I am eating well, sleeping well and life is generally stress free and happy. I put this down to joining Women’s Fitness Adventures and having the goals to achieve, the outings and trips to look forward to, and probably the most important thing is seeing the beautiful ladies who make each and every outing so worth the effort. I have 5 pieces of advice for anyone thinking of joining 
My biggest achievement since becoming a member is the shift in mindset and the increased confidence in how I approach things. Put the work in, you’ll get the results. This mindset and confidence has spread to all parts of my life, social, family and work. Yes life is busy but I now think it is busy in a great way! My health and fitness is the best it has ever been. I have lost the excess weight which had crept up on me over the past 20 years and I am determined to not let it come back. I am eating well, sleeping well and life is generally stress free and happy. I put this down to joining Women’s Fitness Adventures and having the goals to achieve, the outings and trips to look forward to, and probably the most important thing is seeing the beautiful ladies who make each and every outing so worth the effort. I have 5 pieces of advice for anyone thinking of joining - Stop thinking and join!
- It doesn’t matter how fit or unfit you think you are;
- It doesn’t matter what type or level of activity you think you can or can’t do;
- It doesn’t matter how old you are;
- All that matters is that you start!
Josie has been an active member since 2016 and has completed many adventures in that time. Women’s Fitness Adventures helps women become fitter and stronger for life through an adventure that combines fitness, travel and a social connection to a like minded community. For more information visit the website or email [email protected] or call 0412 121 420 Since 2014 Yvonne Shepherd, Founder & CEO has shared her passion for helping women 45 plus get fitter and stronger through outdoor adventures and in turn lead fitter and stronger lives.
