Louise, 54, achieves and maintaines her dream body with Chris Mason of CMP!

“as i hit the menopause and got older, i found it increasingly difficult to lose belly fat and tone my body, i’m now in the shape of my life and have maintained it for over two years already! ”

Hi louise, Would you like to introduce yourself?

Yes! I’m Louise. I’m 54 and started with CMP ten years ago.

Why did you reach out to work with CMP, what were your initial goals?

I was doing a lot of treadmill running, and instead of feeling stronger felt worn out and not toned. I never got the help i needed in gyms and spent many sessions wondering what i needed to do for the best results as i wasn’t seeing my body change from what i was doing. I wanted to lose body fat, feel toned and better. Running to stand still on a treadmill describes what I was doing and how I felt.

What were the motivating factors in wanting to achieve these goals?

I was fed up of eating less and less, and punishing myself with long treadmill runs that made me feel worn out without getting the results I wanted. I didn’t like the way I looked, I felt very self conscious and hated my body: stomach, bust, the lot – whatever I wore didn’t feel right and it wasn’t how I wanted to look.

I’d become disillusioned and de-motivated, i knew that there had to be a better way and i came across some of the results that CMP had posted and got in touch.

Can you tell us about the results that you’ve achieved with us?

Way beyond what I expected and thought that I could achieve. Within 6 weeks my daughter had said ‘wow mum look at your waist’. I lost body fat quickly and gained toned muscle. I’ve lost two dress sizes, and this is a sustainable loss, i haven’t gone back to square one! I’ve done a photo shoot – at 52 and at 54 i’m in the same shape which has completely rewired my thinking when it comes to diet and exercise! My posture is improved and my body is much more balanced. I’m comfortable and happy with my body now.

And what impact has this had on your day-to-day life?

There are the physical benefits – feeling fitter, better and feeling comfortable in my own body are the obvious benefits. All the advice for women of my age is that weight training is important to maintain good bone health and will keep me fitter for longer, so the benefits are beyond the aesthetic. I’ve developed good discipline: I get up early to get to the gym, and prep my food the night before; mental toughness and perseverance: there are some days when I’m not sure that I can do the weight training, but there’s never been a session that I started and didn’t finish. I’ve surprised myself with the weights I can now lift and push, i’m strong and i like that.

It’s taught me that I can achieve things that I didn’t think were possible outside the gym too. Self confidence: I start the day with a workout which starts the day, for me, with purpose and achievement. Seeing your strength and physique improve is a massive confidence builder. Exercise, whether it’s cardio, walking or weights, is a good stress reliever, so my emotional and mental wellbeing have improved. I’m eating more and better food than before, which makes what I’ve achieved sustainable. I enjoy my workouts, I enjoy the sense of achievement. I always feel better after a gym session than I did before. I feel a sense of belonging at the gym and that’s because i now know exactly what i should be doing every time i go.

What’s been the biggest thing you’ve learnt from working with us?from working with us?

So many things, it’s hard to pin down to one! Fuel and feed your body properly and it will work for you. Treat it well and it will treat you well.

For many years, i tried diets and was existing on limited amounts of food. No wonder i felt tired and sluggish all the time!

What would you say to anyone thinking of joining cmp?

Do it. I wish CMP had been around when I was in my 20s. CMP is one of the best things I’ve done. Really. It works and it’s sustainable – I’m living proof of that.