Sam Wallace reveals his drastic 44-week health and fitness transformation

Last September, Sam had a sobering epiphany. He was out of shape, didn’t have energy for his kids and was drinking after work to avoid being a “grumpy old dad”. Forty-four weeks later, he has completely turned his life around and the results speak for themselves.

Taking to Instagram, Sam shared a series of photos from his recent health journey that has had him first go from 89kg to 92kg. Now, with months of unwavering commitment, he has reached a muscle heavy 85kg which is a maintainable weight for the 42-year-old. But he admits, it hasn’t been an easy - or a fast - journey.

Speaking to the Herald, Wallace explains, that a transformational health journey isn’t something he is a stranger to, in fact, he has done it multiple times before, but this time was entirely different.

“I’d normally really start to see results at eight weeks,” he says, “and now that I’m 42, I didn’t really start to see any results until about 16 weeks this time. I think, for a lot of people, when you start to see results, that’s the thing that spurs you on.

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“That’s the sad truth. It actually, does take longer, especially as we get older to get back into shape.”

He said his decision to undergo a complete lifestyle change, which involves a strict diet and training schedule, ultimately came after a doctor’s appointment when he was told his cholesterol had spiked.

But there were plenty of other factors as well including not being the best version of himself for his three adorable children, 4-year-old Brando and 2-year-old twins Cosette and Sienna.

“It just kind of needed to happen,” he explains, “I was getting tired. I didn’t have the energy for my kids. I was out of shape and what I was doing is I’d come home after a really early start for radio and then I’d start having a few drinks to try and stop me from being tired, grumpy old dad.”

“I just flicked the switch. I was like, I have to change because I can’t spend every single one of my afternoons being low energy.”

Now, he has completely cut out alcohol - bar a few exceptions like overseas travel and special occasions. Sugar is a thing of the past and as for carbohydrates? He makes a small exception for pasta and bread but “only the correct portions” because while he is currently maintaining his strong new physique, he is also aware that carbs are “good for training power”.

“I measure everything I put in my mouth and I don’t have any treats,” he reveals, “I literally eat for fuel as opposed to food, which I know a lot of people will think would suck the joy out of life and it probably does. But I guess I’m getting it back in other ways because I do have so much more energy for my kids. It’s a small price to pay.”

Another major perk of Wallace’s health and fitness overhaul is that it doesn’t require hours in the gym. With three kids under 5, the media star and his wife, Sarah, have little time to spare so his daily workout needs to be efficient.

“The simple plan is 30 minutes steady state cardio and 35 minutes weights five times per week,” he shares in the Instagram post.

As Wallace approaches the one-year anniversary of his massive life change, he is proud of how far he has come and has a piece of advice for anyone considering a similar life change. The hard bit is the starting line. But the radio personality believes that if you are committed to the complete lifestyle change and get over the initial period of commitment, you’ll see results.

“If I can do it, anyone can do it, you just have to be stubborn as a mule,” he laughs.

We're so proud of you Sam!

This article was first published in the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.