The struggle of getting fit is real as the underlying motivation to cut some calories is entirely persuaded by personal goals. Abi Hollyoake, a mother of two dedicated two years of her life into working out so that she could get a job in the fire brigade as each time she went to her local fire station she failed the fitness tests, having to wait three months between each one to try again.
As a mother with limited time and energy, it was challenging to work on her weight but she kept the faith, desiring to be like her father who had picked in that line of profession.
“My dad was a firefighter so it has always been in my family. It was always something I wanted to do but, having two children, family life got in the way. When we moved here I wondered if it was a possibility and made inquiries about it at my local station. It was a bit of a challenge overcoming the bleep tests because I’d never done them before,” she said.
By week three or four she started noticing changes with drastic weight loss, something that made her feel better about herself prompting her to do more home workouts. Every time she improved, she kept trying for the job until she made it through the first stage of the recruitment process.
Abi took her fitness efforts to the next level by joining a gym and incorporating a healthy diet to supplement her exercise. She swapped spray for cooking oil and sweetener for sugar and the lost weight she experienced was very much noticeable.
Her hard work paid off as she finally landed her dream job, proof that nothing is impossible with hard work and determination. Abi said she is proud to inspire her children and show them that with work and determination their dreams can become reality.
“You have to get into the right mindset because you don’t know what possibilities could be in front of you. Until you get to the station and look at the incident sheet you don’t know what you are going to. My family has all been massive supporters of my job,” she said.
