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2002 - Humble beginnings :)
When Ajay's witty, wonderful and honest weight-loss diary became the bestselling book Confessions of a Reformed Dieter, she included her email address in the blurb and encouraged women everywhere to get in touch. They did: by the dozens, the hundreds…and then in their thousands.
What began life as a humble email list with Ajay personally replying as often as possible soon blossomed in the only way girl power knows how: super-fast with heaps of heart! Within a few months the email list had become a busy discussion forum with regular posts day and night from women finding their voice and sharing their stories, many for the first time.
Intimate details of eating disorders, weight fluctuation, emotional abuse, self-esteem issues and everyday challenges began to appear; as did the messages of support from women of every conceivable background, age and occupation reaching out to hear, inspire and motivate each other.
2004 – “You are not alone”: Healthy Body Club is born! :)
Blown away by the extraordinary trust and strong sense of community, Ajay responded to members’ discussion by selling her car and using the money to create the club’s first ever website in 2004 – Hooray! Ajay describes her early effort as, “a clunky old Outlook site held together with paperclips and string”, but the girls were ecstatic and www.HealthyBodyClub.com.au was officially born. Its motto, “You are not alone”.
The chicks were really motoring now and another year of enthusiastic member-driven activity passed with women all over the country making connections and finding soul mates. For members in remote areas, this was the only supportive resource readily available to them 24/7: a place to be themselves without fear of judgment or recrimination; a place to ask for and offer help; a safe space in which to share, learn, grow, confide, rant, champion and blossom.
2006-2008 – Picking up the pace: online pals become BootyCamp buddies :)
In 2006 Ajay was enjoying the success of her second bestseller, The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Losing Weight and Getting Fit, as well as hosting THE BIGGEST LOSER for Channel 10. Keen to leverage her rocketing profile to benefit the girls whose stories had become so interwoven with her own, Ajay was on the look-out for the right partner.
It would take someone passionate and extraordinary, sensitive to the members’ needs and as devoted to catapulting Healthy Body Club to the next level as Ajay was: enter the divinely dedicated explosion of positive energy known as Yvette Gent!
Together with the help of Yvette's husband Andy, the girls threw themselves heart and soul into creating an even more comprehensive support network for members. Expanding the online community to offline events was a huge success and one that dozens of members flew hundreds of miles to support.
These first real-life BootyCamps were a resounding success with some women daring to exercise for the first time in their entire lives, secure in the knowledge they would be welcomed, supported, encouraged and challenged. This last word carries special emphasis. One of the most fundamental values emerging in the Healthy Body Club Philosophy was authenticity, shared experience and accountability: “the honesty and courage for one member to take a stand for another and call her on her stuff.”
Coming entirely from LOVE, without a scrap of malice or competition the members were holding one another accountable for their actions. Through seeing themselves reflected in each other’s journey they were able to unlock the answers to their own self-sabotage by instinctively finding the right thing to say and do for others. How gorgeous is that?
2009 – “Get REAL”: the next phase… :)
All of which brings us bang up to date…with a growing membership, nationwide BootyCamps and heaps of other offline events all over Australia bringing women together in support of shared goals and nominated charities.
We hope you enjoy the latest Healthy Body Club website, now in its third reincarnation. It will continue to evolve and develop in response to the needs and suggestions of you, our valued members, so please keep your feedback coming in – we love getting better together every day!