Posted on November 12, 2014 by Jenny Cromack

What A Difference A Year Makes!

Check out our latest personal training success stories – this month is Helen Bainbridge.

November 2013              November 2014

Helen’s Success Story….What a Difference A Year Makes!

Helen’s personal training success story really does prove that with the right training and nutrition you really can achieve your fitness goals. At the end of September 2013 Helen decided that she wanted to improve her fitness and lose weight.

“ The last time I remember significantly recording my weight was 25th sep 2013 and I weighed 97.5kg. I had just started seeing a dietician through work and I had been with my last personal trainer for about 6 months, however my weight did not change much the rest of the year.”

I met Helen as she attended classes at the motive8 North Saxton Studio and came regularly to my early morning boxing class. We got chatting about her training, at that time her gym routine was 15 minutes on the treadmill followed by plank, Russian twists and squats. She was training with a non-motive8 personal trainer and seeing a dietician yet not getting the results she wanted.

“I was seeing my personal trainer once a week and the dietician once a month. The dietician helped as it was a point of reaching a goal for the appointments”

After having a chat about her fitness goals and her routine Helen asked to book some personal training sessions with me whilst her other personal trainer was on holiday for a month.We started by performing a health assessment, taking some circumference measurements, body fat % and logging her weight weekly. This is something that has really helped Helen stay focused as she knows se will be measured monthly and is great to keep her motivated. When we started training on 6th June 2014 Helen Weighed 92kg (14st.6lbs)

Helen started logging a food diary which allowed me to analyse her food and give her feedback to keep her on the straight and narrow with her food.

“ My diet, with help of dietician, was cereal for breakfast (normally granola), lunch was a sandwich with low fat sandwich filler, square crisps and for tea it was a meal like lasagne. I would drink well under 2litres of water a day. I would also have more cheat days, have higher alcohol consumption and I would eat tea about 7/8pm.”

Helen’s diet originally contained a high level of saturated fats and processed carbs
going against the motive8 North nutritional guidelines, Helen however really got stuck in to our nutritional programme and was dedicated to making a change. Over the 4 weeks Helen attended one personal training session a week, followed a gym plan, attended classes and made some really positive steps to changing her eating routine. By the end of the 4 weeks Helen weighed 86.3 kg (13st.9 lbs) and has continued to train with me since.

Helen works long hours that often include night shifts however Helen has adapted her lifestyle to ensure that she has all her meals prepared so she can eat healthy despite being away from the house.

Over the last 5 months Helen has lost 10kg and is looking fantastic – the picture at the top of this blog were taken on Helen birthday the one on the right a year ago and the left at the weekend. It proves that hard work can really pay off and highlights that if you’re struggling with your training then a fresh pair of eyes from a professional to mix up your training and diet can really help.

10kg weight loss in 5 months is fantastic and even more impressive that Helen was away on holiday, attending weddings and birthdays including her own, showing that you can have a life and achieve your goals……its about balance and compromise.
“It was hard at first to cut out bread and junk food but it worked. If iIeat it now I feel sluggish and tired, I think its letting myself know I haven’t cut it out all together but its a treat and I can have it in moderation”

As we say at motive8 North its not always about the weight on the scales but circumference measurements, dress size and most importantly how you feel needs to be taken into account. Helen has lost almost 22 inches from her body and gone from a dress size 16/18 to a 12….which is an amazing achievement! Well done Helen, I am very proud of what you have achieved.

 

 

LEFT: Feb 2014 MIDDLE: June 2014 RIGHT: November 2014

“It feels like a lifestyle change than a diet, I know there is no end point but I am so happy with my results, my next goal is 77kg for Christmas and my overall goal is 70kg.”

Everyone needs something to motive8 (pardon the pun!) them and for Helen it is the monthly measurements and progress pictures which keep her motivated and focused. The left picture was taken in Febuary 2014 the middle was 2 weeks into personal training with me in June and the right was taken in November 2014.

Helen’s hard work and determination has paid off and her motivation and commitment to achieve the goals and targets I set will ensure she achieves her overall fitness goal and I look forward to continuing to work with her and achieving new goals and targets!

 

Feb 2014               Oct 2014