Celebrating our Members!
DediKate Member of the Year š
DediKate is full of down-to-earth women juggling many things in their lives, and it's our goal to provide the exercise platform that enables them to be at their best.
To celebrate their achevements, starting in 2023, we will run a DediKate Member of the Year competition. Have a read of parts of our winners inspiring stories!
2024
A huge congratulations to this yearās incredible winners and because the entries were so amazing, we couldnāt stop there! Just like last year, we also selected some fabulous runners-up to celebrate their efforts. š
To everyone who entered, your hard work, dedication, and positivity continue to inspire us every day. š Thank you for being part of our amazing community!
NZ Runner-Up š Kate Jones
I turned 40 at the end of last year. Going into 2024, I was apprehensive about entering a new decade and officially being āold.ā However, looking back on my year, I am proud of my successes. My successes this year didnāt come from a big epiphany or a quick fix but from the culmination of progress and consistency throughout the year. Iāve made long-lasting changes and shifted my perception of what ābeing healthyā truly means.
Case in point - I was training to run the Motatapu Marathon in March. At the end of January, I came down with a nasty bout of COVID. I knew my body wasnāt recovered enough to run the race as I had originally planned, and in the past, I would have just pulled out because I couldnāt accept that kind of failure. This time, I recognized that I could reframe my goal and complete the race in a way that my body could handle. I ended up 50/50 walking and running, and it was one of the most enjoyable events Iāve ever participated in. I took time to chat with other participants, took lots of pictures, and soaked up the awesome scenery. It wasnāt a PB, but who cared? I had the time of my life. I took my time this autumn recovering from COVID, and since then, I have continued with my consistency, confidence, and empowerment in my fitness throughout the year by participating in several Dedikate challenges, including Spice, Twenty, the current Summer Challenge, and Dedikate Run Club.
Although I've always been sporty, the benefits of this year-long consistency have been immense. I feel stronger, more energetic, and more confident in my abilities, both in and out of the gym. I keep myself motivated by using the planners and the fitness testing to help set achievable goals and visualize my progress. The community on Dedikate is incredible, and the encouragement from other members and trainers has kept me going even on tough days. I also know that with the variety of workouts on Dedikate, even if I really don't feel like working out, I'm bound to find something I enjoy that is only 20 minutes.
My favourite workouts are Ignite Kettlebell and the PPM Sculpts. These workouts challenge me the most and build my mental resilience. I know that if I can make it through the super heavy sets of the PPM Sculpt, itās relatively downhill from there. That mindset has really helped me both in my fitness and with my work and life outside the gym, where I can frame a daunting challenge as a few achievable sections and recognise when I've made it over the toughest peak.
Looking back on this year, I definitely donāt feel old, and I donāt think my best fitness days are behind me. By consistently prioritising my fitness throughout the year, I have really seen the dividends payoff: I finished 1st place in my age group for the first time ever, running the Taieri Coastal Classic 13 km. My VO2 max is the highest itās ever been, and Iām loving the heavy lifting Iāve recently discovered in the PPM Sculpts. As I approach turning 41 in a few weeks, I can happily and confidently say that Iām in my 40s and absolutely thriving. Oh yeah, Iām looking forward to trying that Dedikate Challenge too!
NZ Winner š Kelly Burns
I joined Dedikate in January 2020 as a Mum of a 6 month old (and an 8 and 11 year old). I had tried many different approaches to exercise over the years but thought it was just in my nature to always need to change things up. Dedikate put a stop to that as I suddenly had access to so many different types of workouts and thanks to the different challenges, I have tried them all!
As the years have gone by I have had different favourites but the variety of workouts is what keeps me consistent and when life gets in the way, that is what I focus on - being consistent. If I have to take a week off due to sickness, I know I can literally get 'back on the wagon' (with the workout of the same name!) and build myself back up. I am now loving the Perimenopause strength sessions and was so ready for this. I remember being amazed when I purchased 10kg weights and now I am (only just) heaving 20kg dumbbells in some of my sets.
As a solo parent, having the extra time required to leave the house to exercise at a gym is just not available to me and often the time to do an hour long session isn't either but with Dedikate, I can always squeeze in a 20 minute workout and start my day right. I travel overseas for work also and Kate and the crew always come with me, whether it's to a hotel gym, or doing banded pilates in my hotel room, as long as jetlag doesn't get the better of me - I stay consistent!
Being able to workout anywhere, and especially at home makes exercise accessible for me - it's essential for my optimal physical and mental health but an unintended benefit of this is that is a normal thing for my kids to see me taking care of myself every day. I feel like that is something I am so grateful to role model for my children. That six month old baby has grown up crawling all over me and my weights. For her, seeing Mum exercising is just a regular part of life for this now 5 year old girl. Even better, she has her own 1kg set of weights and sometimes joins in!
AUS Winner š Alicia Langan
Iām 46 years young and was identified with early menopause at the age of forty. I had my two spirited boys at ages 36 and 39, soon after, my hormones became a rollercoaster, resulting in debilitating sleep disturbance due to my body burning up multiple times a night. This, coupled with part time work, an emergency services husband, and my young family who (unfortunately stillā¦) are not good sleepers, I was really struggling to keep active and be the person I wanted to be.
In 2019 my GP requested a Dexa scan (bone density test) to learn what my base level was as my peri menopausal path commenced. It was found that I was osteopenic, meaning my bones were below typical for my age. It was recommended I return to the oral contraceptive, prescribed calcium tablets and advised to keep exercising. I started my own research too (this space has thankfully expanded tenfold this past decade!) and I learned that keeping active, reducing alcohol and prioritising sleep, is key to support me through this period.
I dabbled in various online programs short term but the price was typically prohibitive once the initial sales term ended, that is, until I found Dedikate. I signed up for a 12 week promotion and have been hooked since! Iām now into my second yearly membership and so enjoy the variety of classes offered, the reasonable cost, the ease of it, and I canāt speak highly enough of the engaging and knowledgeable trainers. I love that the team motivate me during my work outs, remind me to smile, they keep it real with lifeās interruptions, and share their expertise throughout. Iāve found a passion for strength training and the introduction of Peri & Post-Menopausal program is revolutionary for me. I aim for 3 PPM a week and love that I can do this from home without having to coordinate the boys wait for my husband to get home from work.
Last month I had another Dexa scan, and I'm very happy to have improved my results by 8%, I'm no longer osteopenic! The combination of HRT, diet and hard work, is paying off! This truly motivates me to keep the consistency;20 minutes is better than no minutes, one session a week is better than no session at all. I intend to be around for my boys as long and as strong as possible! Iām so grateful to the Dedikate team for what they have created, the convenience, the community, and, Iām proud of myself that Iām building the person I want to be.
AUS Runner-Up š Sally Pittman
I first came across Dedikate when Kate attended a Rural Womenās Day event. Although I wasnāt at the event, I became inspired by her journey. I lead a fairly active lifestyle and have times when I enjoy a run, before the seasons either get too hot, or too cold. I had attended some Pilates classes several years back, and some online. I found these assisted with my core strength and back aches. I was never drawn to the āmodel-turned-fitness-influencerā programs, or the bikini body in 8 weeks challenges. I was never going to attend a gym class, nor wear active wear in public. I work in our family business and split my time between my familyās farm, and my partnerās farm. Committing to a gym class in town, at a certain time, on a certain day, just felt too restrictive in my changing busy schedule.
Following Kate on Instagram kept edging me closer to taking the next step. I liked her authenticity, that she took pride in how she looked and what she ate, but wasnāt pasted in make-up, ā¦and she lived on a farm!
I signed up for the Buy From the Bush Challenge a few months later and was impressed by the number of options for workouts. Once the trial period expired I signed up for 12 months. I didnāt want to risk a short-term expiry and not push myself to continue. It was also so much cheaper than any gym could have offered! After a few months, I wanted to focus a little more on my upper body strength and purchased a few small weights. I knew I was improving with the workouts, but I also noticed it with my house and farm chores, and it was here that lifted my spirits the most.
Iām not breaking any records, or changing jeans sizes, but I do want to look after my health, both physically and mentally, and Dedikate is allowing me to do that whenever, and wherever I want. I have tried just about all the different types of workouts, and often enjoy a CalmĆ© session after a Sculpt or Ignite. I know when its a day I need a Pilates session, or when I need to slow down a bit for a BeYoga. Seeing the Trainers on social media, as well as how they interact during their sessions, makes me feel like I already know them.
When I am stuck for dinner ideas and just want something healthy, I head to the Recipes section. They are just as easy as the workouts to follow, and I have cooked several different meals, many times over.
Dedikate has made my fitness journey accessible, easy to follow, quick to choose a workout, and doesnāt make me feel like Iām doing it on my own.
Quite simply, if I wasnāt a member of Dedikate, I wouldnāt be exercising. So thank you Kate and Team for a healthier and happier me!
2023
It was so hard to choose the winners, so we decided to have runners up as well. Congrats to these fabulous women, and to every single person who entered. You are all winners in our eyes!
NZ Runner-Up š Katrina Holmes
"I have been a DediKate member since 2017. I have always loved the opportunities this website has provided for me to be able to work out from home as a busy working mum. I was a keen runner and these workouts provided a great platform to build strength and prevent injuries.
DediKate provides so many different options so that although I could no longer do some of the HIIT sessions to start with, I was able to do pilates, Sculpt, yoga and Meditation, which were all vital for calming the nervous system which is in overdrive when you have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
DediKate has been a part of my healing journey, I will be forever grateful for Kate and the remarkable trainers for making health and fitness so accessible to all."
NZ Winner š Shivani Fox-Lewis
"My ACL ruptured in early 2022. It has taken 18 months including surgery to recover. DediKate was the main way I returned to normal activity once my physio cleared me. It felt easier to rehab with exercise and trainers I was familiar with.
I love that DediKate trainers are normal people, who show they sometimes struggle with the workouts, have families to juggle, have injuries sometimes. I derived strength and inspiration from knowing that what I was going through wasnāt just me.
Now I have a rehabilitated knee, normal cholesterol, and Iām fitter too! I can see the beginnings of muscle definition in my arms and thighs! I can do full push-ups on my toes, side planks, things I couldnāt do 4 months ago."
AUS Runner-Up š Claire Daniel
"I did āDediKate with a Mateā with my sister and found a new fitness routine that I actually looked forward to and could easily fit into my days ā even during a hectic harvest season, managing a family and full days driving the chaser bin.
I also love the trainers, I almost feel like I know them all, they are so relatable and encouraging. This was even more apparent when I met Kate, Anna and Nic on their SA tour recently, feeling totally out of my comfort zone I met up with them and felt instantly welcomed and valued - what a community to be part of! To have access to these incredible trainers who are like-minded sets this program apart from any other.
The biggest secret to my success with the program is the sense of community it gives, I like to jump on a challenge, stick to the plan and leave the thinking to DediKate".
AUS Winner š Kate Barbe
"Above all, DediKate helped me discover what it feels like to be in my body just the way it is. I am no longer ashamed to look at myself in the mirror and I no longer compare my body to others. I still have a lot of work to do and it is not always easy, but I keep persevering. DediKate is so much more than workouts, I attended workshops on how to live a healthier life and got informed on how to have a balanced lifestyle.
Throughout my time with DediKate, Iāve completed almost all the challenges that are available. My favorite of all time is DediKate with a Mate because I got a new friend out of it. Silke B is in New Zealand and distance was not an issue to keep each other accountable every day. DediKate has changed my life for the better and I am so grateful to everyone in the Dedikate community."