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If I can describe Ashley Greig in two words, that would be ambitious and gregarious. Currently working as a full-time lecturer teaching English in a private university, Ashley has a big ambition – she wants to be a writer and write her own book, which explains why she is now actively writing for digital news portals.
29-year-old Ashley Greig gained social media fame after she participated in the Panasonic I Love Myself Beauty Search 2014 last year. She took part in the beauty contest mainly because the contest did not stipulate body size, weight or height for participation. So although Ashley did not look like the typical beauty pageant with small waist or fair skin, she decided to give it a try with the purpose of challenging the stereotypical generalisation of beauty.
Being confident as she is, Ashley has no issues telling me her actual weight. “I was at 121kg, super obese, right now I am 95kg, to reach my ideal weight, I should be around 76kg.”
Sitting in front of me, Ashley was already in her workout gear, wearing a Xiaomi Mi Band fitness tracker, planning to hit the gym after the interview. It is safe to say that she has dedication and commitment, hence that explains the results in her weight loss.
But is she going to get carried away because of this achievement? It doesn’t seem so.
In fact she injured herself few months ago due to two slipped dics. “I pushed myself too much in the gym, I was trying to compete with my guy friends, I was doing leg presses, 102kg, for a girl that is a lot, even some guys can’t even do half of that.” The doctor has advised her to stop weight lifting, at least not for now, but she remains optimistic and hopes to lift again. “I am planning to go back [weight lifting], don’t tell my parents,” Ashley said cheekily.
For The Sake Of Health
Ashley loves herself, regardless of before or after losing weight, but now she care for herself more than ever which explains the reason she started her fitness and weight loss journey. “I have always loved myself, that is for sure, it just that I care about myself not to lead an unhealthy lifestyle because I know I want to live a long life.” Apart from that this journey has given a boost to her self confidence. “Now I feel that I am in control with my own life, and that itself gives me a sense of confidence.”
Due to her injury, for now Ashley focuses more on cardio exercises. “I focus a lot on cardio, right now I am cutting fats, I am not bulking or anything like that,” described Ashley when talking about her workout regime.
Her cardio regime lasts for two to three hours, just enough time for her to finish at least two books. “I do basically everything, running, elliptical training, I don’t listen to music so much because I have the gym’s music, what I have is my Asus tablet, and I read while I run, I just put it there and flip it every time.”
Ashley is also extremely strict in her diet, using MyFitnessPal to keep track of her calories and maintains a strict diet.
People around Ashley have seen her tremendous changes compared to her old self before she lost weight.
Ashley’s Facebook feed is fill with inspiring quotes and before and after photos that show her sweating her way to a healthier lifestyle. She adopted a fitness mantra that inspired her to keep going on in this journey. “It is about determination. Determination is the difference between what you want now and what you want most. There is a fried chicken here, but what I want most is to lose weight and be healthy, the only difference between that two is the determination.”