Nicole Toner

Nicole Toner, Woodstock NB
The scale slowly crept up more and more with each of my pregnancies. I started my journey with all my “comfy” clothes starting to feel tight. I drove by Simply For Life many times and read the signs but lacked the confidence to step up and try for fear I would fail. I reached my rock bottom and finally found the courage to step up and open the door. What I didn’t realize at that time was I was opening the door to a healthier me. A healthier life. Simply For Life.

Brent and Wendy always welcome me with smiling faces which immediately put me at ease. They both have been wonderful support systems with a wealth of knowledge. They always celebrated each little victory with me and helped to push me forward. During one of my most stressful times, when my child was preparing for surgery, they went above and beyond finding resources for me, giving me suggestions and ideas of how to manage my meals while in hospital, as well
as finding local SFL locations near the hospital where we would be. The support was amazing and really helped lower my stress so I could concentrate on my daughter.

Brent has taught me so much about nutrition and the quality of the food I put in my body-challenging my current food beliefs and making me question my choices. He
figured me

out quickly- he knew I was a perfectionist- if I couldn’t do it perfectly- I didn’t want to. I was afraid to try. I was afraid to fail. Brent knew just what to say to motivate me to push myself, to try, maybe I could do it. Just maybe.

After a few months into my program, I was given the option to participate in a mission- again I was nervous to join. Would I “measure up”? Could I be good enough? Brent read me like a book. He could see my hesitation. He knew I was afraid to fail. Brent made me step back and look at myself. Look at how far I had come, the goals I had already reached, and convinced me to TRY. HE was sure I could do it. He convinced me to keep going and reach higher and higher.

The mission- Nutrition, Mind and Body.
Body- as a physiotherapist, this was my comfort zone. I know this stuff I just had to put it into action. The mission just made me more accountable to myself and more importantly to someone else. That old competitive streak that use to give me drive was starting to come back! I CAN do this.
Nutrition- I had already learned so much, was there more? What I learned is there is ALWAYS more, and the more I learned the more I wanted to change, from de-stashing my cupboard to making my food come alive with my newly stocked spice rack! All things I often talked about doing but just never found the time… until my mission- I’ve got this! I CAN do this!
Mind- Wow- Had I really given much consideration to this before. We all have that voice inside our head that tells us you don’t deserve that, you can’t do that, don’t set your goal too high, you’ll never reach it-that’s normal right?? This challenge taught me how to “feed” my mind and guess what- the more I nourished my mind- the more positive that voice inside my head became- I CAN do this!

The Challenge made me step back and realize all I could accomplish-all I HAD accomplished. Week after week I met my challenge- I CAN do this! My self-doubt started to dissolve and my confidence grew. That little voice in my head was telling me you do deserve it! I AM doing this! My goals started becoming a reality. I was changing. My mind and body were changing. I was healthier. My lifestyle was healthier. Other people were starting to notice- you have changed- You are so happy! You look so well! Was it worth it to try? Was it worth risking failure? Beyond a doubt. And guess what- I DID it! I succeeded! I completed my Mission Impossible!