43 years, 660 games, all for one club. Lesley Mathison’s netball career is something special to behold. As an eight-year-old in a sport orientated family, Lesley followed in the footsteps of her sister and took up netball with her primary school team and continued playing throughout her teenage years. Then when it was time to pack up and leave Melbourne to further her teaching career, Lesley used the sport she loved to build her new life.
“I had moved away from family and friends in Melbourne to this small, reasonably isolated town,” says Lesley. “I only knew the other teachers at the school and decided if I wanted to immerse myself in this town, the best way to meet people was to play sport! So, I went along to the netball courts, introduced myself, told them I played in goals and that was my first year in the B grade team for Winchelsea Netball Club and have been there ever since!”
As the years rolled on, Lesley made it her goal to play till she was 60 years old. “I was thinking of retiring about five years ago, as I was finding it more difficult to ‘stagger’ out of bed on a Sunday morning after playing and umpiring,” she says. “But then I was introduced to Isagenix® by my daughter.”
“I still remember my daughter saying ‘Mum, if you get on these products you could play netball for another five years! They’re so good’,” Lesley recalls. “I really didn’t believe her then, but I know now I certainly wouldn’t still be playing if I wasn’t using Isagenix products and getting the best nutrition in my body!”
“I absolutely love the AMPED™ range, I use them for all my sporting activities to help with my muscles and recovery especially at my age,” says Lesley. “I can’t get through a game without my e+ shots!”
This year at age 63, Lesley decided to retire at the end of her 43rd season which came to an end in August. Despite losing six kgs during her IsaBody Challenge® and feeling physically fine, Lesley felt it was time to hang up the dress on her own terms.
“I have been very blessed with good health and virtually an injury free career, so to have played for so long has been a goal I wanted to achieve and I must admit I am very proud of this,” she says. “The club gave me a wonderful send off with a guard of honour as I ran on to the court for my last game. It was quite emotional.”
Although Lesley is a self-confessed self-motivator, she would often turn to the IsaBody Challenge Facebook community for inspiration. “I love seeing all the transformations on the IsaBody pages on social media and read all the support and encouragement the IsaBody community offers,” she says. “When I did lose my focus, I would have a look at some photos of other participants and see all the amazing results to help me refocus.”
“Don’t compare yourself with others because everyone has a different story, motivation and body,” she says. “Set small achievable goals and do not focus on the scales. Focus on how you feel overall, your energy levels and the centimetres lost, which can often be a much better indicator of a body transformation.”
Weight loss should not be considered typical. In a study performed in 2012 by University of Illinois at Chicago researchers, subjects lost an average of 4.1 kg with an average of 0.9 kg of the loss from visceral fat after 30 days on an Isagenix system. The subjects also had a greater level of adherence and had more consistent weight loss from week to week compared to subjects on a traditional diet.