1,000 Steps Heroes

Meet our 10,000 steps Celebrities. These two brave “Heroes” have allowed us to take a birds eye view of their performance over the 10-week challenge. We will appoint a personal trainer to help them and they will have the resources of the Health Service and they Gym to fully assess there progress. Stay tuned to this site to follow their journey.

If there is any thing you would like to know from our champions please feel free to email Gail Pizzi to get the inside scoop- FAQ & Answers will be published each week with the progress reports.

Remember these three are our very own Monash Caulfield Heroes; they are human just like the rest of us and have willingly given up their personal progress information to help us all stay motivated. They will appreciate your encouragement to stay on track. Feel free to say hi to our Heroes when you see them on campus.

Helen Cridland, & Michael Josem

Up close and personal with:

Michael Josem

What are you hoping to achieve?
To be a little healthier, encourage some students to get involved, and to have fun.

What are your strategies to keep motivated?
Remembering the likely public humiliation if I don’t succeed.

Main challenges and obstacles:
Healthy eating and drinking while attending student events.

Personal Trainer’s notes

Any measurements you want up to know about?
Ignorance is bliss.

How fit are you?
Barely.

Health Check notes

Lifestyle

What habits will have to go?
Driving as much as I currently do.

What habits will have to stay?
Being involved and attending student events.

How healthy is your fridge?
My fridge currently has: 2 slabs of Fosters’ Cans, 1 slab of Carlton Draught cans, a bottle of Orange Juice, 2 bottles of champagne, some cheese, some bacon and eggs, and 3 cans of Red Bull.

Any recent health checks you want us to know about?
None.

Any words of wisdom you want to share with us?
The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help. -Ronald Reagan

Helen Cridland

What are you hoping to achieve?

A little less than a decade ago I had a level of fitness and tone that made me feel I was able to leap tall buildings in a single bound (well at least tackle a flight of stairs without puffing). Life Circumstances, combined with a lack of time (to full time work add single parenting, studying and completing a post graduate degree and a Certificate 4; then a serious health challenge in the form of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) have left me out of shape, unfit and overweight.

I’d like to be able to regain a level of health, fitness and tone that doesn’t need to be supplemented by a ‘granny nap’ to get my through my day.

What are your strategies to keep motivated?

For motivation I just have to look at the photo of me in the Monash Memo taken at last week’s International Women’s Day Lunch. In that photo it looks like there is a fair chance I ate the winners of race 1 and 2 for my lunch.( and I was told that the stewards are still meeting to find out what happened to the winner of race 3.) My favourite thing to do is walk and the thought that once I restore my health, fitness, and tone I will be able to walk to wherever I want to is very motivating. I may start walking the 3k to the office every so often or do that 5 day walk in the Freycinet Peninsula in Tasmania. And there are a thousand projects at home that I need the energy strength and stamina to tackle as well.

Main challenges and obstacles:

Myself- I need to commit to making this a total body, nutrition and attitude makeover and see this as the positive experience it is. Right now I know what I don’t like to do, I don’t like to run, I don’t like to get up early etc

Personal Trainer’s notes

Any measurements you want up to know about?
When I think about it the truth is I have only put on 2 kilos a year but the reality is that I have done that every year for the last 7+ years!

How fit are you?
I am not fit but I don’t think I have reached the PNR (the point of no return) yet. And on the up side at least can remember what I need to do to be fit.

Health Check notes

What habits will have to go?
My night owl lifestyle I know I do need to get a proper amount of sleep. The other thing that needs to go is finding ‘good reasons’ not to exercise.

What habits will have to stay?
Listening to my daughter’s advice when it comes to nutrition and exercise.

How healthy is your fridge?
Not too bad when I can get up the energy to actually shop properly. The energy thing has also meant that I am often too tired to cook and as a consequence we tend to go for the quick and easy, not necessarily unhealthy, but not as balanced as it could be option.

Any recent health checks you want us to know about? Results of Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, etc.
I need to have all these things checked out I would not be surprised to discover that each of these things are above normal levels.

Any words of wisdom you want to share with us?
A few ...

‘Muscles come and go; flab lasts.’

‘Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”

"It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigour."

‘To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.’

‘Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live. ‘