Juliette Heathcote, Hampshire

We first met back in 2006, at a stressful and difficult time in my life following a car accident which had left me with a neck injury. The accident was in December 2004 and following nearly a year and a half of serious neck and shoulder problems when I had great difficulty exercising, I tried to return to my fitness levels that I had before the accident but found that I could not get my weight or my strength back on my own. In that time I had gained about 11kg in weight and I was the heaviest I had ever been. Shortly before we met I had visited the gym twice and blacked out on both occasions whilst using very straightforward pieces of equipment and this made me nervous about over exerting myself in any way at all. At this point I decided I needed some guidance and support and got in touch with you. Whilst I am a sporty person I had always been a bit nervous of gyms, giving myself completely the wrong impression of the people there and what gym exercise was all about. (You certainly changed my view!) A regular horse rider, cyclist, tennis player and swimmer, these had been my primary sporting interests. Due to my neck injury I found my usual activities were provoking the injury, rather than strengthening the muscles and so you devised a program that allowed me to focus on building my strength back up so I could get back to doing what I love most (horse riding!) As your approach was a holistic one, it didn’t just look at my exercise but also at my diet. Aware that I suffer from PCOS I have always been extremely careful with what I eat and drink, and you said at the time that my diet was extremely good and healthy, you provided great support and encouragement and told me I was doing a great job to manage my weight as PCOS sufferers do tend to put the pounds on more easily. You pushed for further investigation to see why I was finding it so hard to shift my extra weight though. Allergies were diagnosed, sleeping patterns, mood swings and my immune system were looked at and it turned out that I was in a state of adrenal fatigue, a condition I had never heard of! Following guidance on supplements and diet to deal with this,  my weight started to fall off, and now I am back to where I want to be. My moods are better, my sleeping pattern has improved so much and I can wear all the clothes that I wore before I had my car crash. I thought the only people with individualized nutritional support were models, actors, professional athletes… not people who sat at desks from 9-6. I always thought I was too busy but you proved that even I could get there! At 5’10" (and a bit) and 63kg, having reduced my body fat by over 30%, I am now one healthy, happy lady. I really cannot thank you enough for everything you have done and are still doing for me. Your approach to mind, body and soul through exercise, diet and general well being has completely turned my life around. I am back riding confidently (competing every weekend and I am registering now with the BSJA for next year – that is proper competition!) I would never have got there on my own. Thanks Marek, you’re the best.”