How Anny lost 36kg (79lbs) and regained ‘zest for life’ after going through a divorce

When divorce left Anny at a crossroads, she knew she needed more than a new wardrobe or a change of scenery – she wanted to rebuild herself from the inside out.

At 46, she was carrying an extra 30kg, feeling lethargic, and watching her confidence fade. Determined to reclaim the vibrant, energetic woman she once was, she turned to U.P. for a transformation that would be as much mental as physical.

Over 36 weeks, Anny shed 36kg (79lbs), rebuilt her strength, and reignited her passion for life.

Now, she’s living proof that age is no barrier to change – and that with the right mindset and expert guidance, the best version of yourself is still ahead.

Here she talks about the transformation journey she’s been on:

Here Michelle explains the journey she’s been on with her training and nutrition that’s seen everything improve from her strength and fitness to her blood pressure and VO₂ max.

 What was your main reason for initially joining up and what motivated you to pursue your transformation with us?

The reason was I got divorced, and that basically translates into your other point of your life where you just come to the other end and  think, ‘Okay, this has happened. This is where we are now. Where do we want to see ourselves in the future?’ So you kind of think, ‘How do we move on from this? And what do we want it to look like?’ Essentially you have to take a good hard look at yourself and go, ‘Right, okay. Well, I want to get back to what I was before all of this happened.’ And I needed to do that. I had to look at it in a very holistic way. So it wasn’t just going to be buy a new wardrobe or move places, it had to be something about starting from the inside out – let’s do something to transform where we are to where we want it to be. That was basically the main thing.

How does your past training compare to your experience at U.P.?
  

I’ve had personal trainers, I’ve done group classes, I’ve done all sorts of different things. There was a lot of high intensity, a lot of cardio, and the thought of being at a gym without setting foot on a treadmill – to me, that made my head explode. That’s something that never even occurred to me. I was not a stranger to weight training, but I’d never done weight training in the way that I’m doing it now.
It was just this amount of reps, three sets go, and then next week we’ll do the same thing again. Not actually seeing progression. Completely different to what I’m doing now. And I’m so pleased that that is the case, because high-intensity cardio – three weeks down the line, you’ve had enough and you just want to quit.

How do you feel your transformation has impacted your overall health?

Massively, because the transformation has been physical as well as mental. I’ve partnered up my training here at U.P. with going to a therapist. So I have not just done one thing, but because I’ve been coming here – because I’ve had a challenge, a goal, something to concentrate on, something that I can go ‘these are the figures’ and something that I’m accountable for – it’s actually giving me something to focus on. For me, that’s been amazing because it takes your mind away from whatever problems, whatever things were not working, and it gets you concentrating on the solution.

What aspects of your journey are you most satisfied with?

Everything. You start feeling different because you start gaining your energy. You start getting your zest for life again. You start thinking like, ‘Yeah, this is the person that I remember being before everything happened.’ And also that has a knock-on effect – you start looking better… you start not having to dress for the clothes that you have to because there’s nothing else you can find. When you’re nearly 100kg (220lbs), you end up dressing according to what you can fit into. Whereas now you can actually go into a shopping mall, and think ‘I like that – that’s my style!’ And then go back to regaining your personality and express that again. Then you get your confidence back. That has a knock-on effect to being able to just go about life, just being the happy, chatty person that talks to everybody – and that’s amazing.

What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?
  

I’m the kind of person that I need to be able to look up to someone to take direction. I am very, very quick at dismissing somebody if I get a whiff that they don’t know what they’re doing, that they’re not prepared, or that they’re only here for the money.

I’m very quick at becoming a little bit defensive. So the fact that my trainer was always two steps ahead, saying, ‘This is what’s going to happen in a week’s time, this is what’s going to happen in two weeks.’ That’s given me the understanding this is something that’s been well-prepared, there’s a lot of background and research behind it. But also my trainer’s demeanour – super patient, super beautiful, always encouraging – and that’s amazing.

What are your biggest takeaways from this journey?

When you get to my age, you’ve always grown up in a generation of people that tell you that when you’re over 40, things are very different – you can’t change, you can’t do this, you can’t do that. This actually goes to show that you probably can do everything you want. If you decide to change something, it doesn’t matter what age you are – just decide on it and get it done. Make sure you get the right professionals behind you and make sure you get the right mindset. If you give us those two things together, it doesn’t matter that you’re 46, 56, or 86. It’s the attitude and the consistency – the right program, the right education – it’ll get you where you need to be.

Since starting U.P., how have other areas of your life improved?

Nothing and everything, meaning I can’t pinpoint a single area of my life that has improved, but everything has. Now I’ve got a routine that I enjoy, I’ve got something to look forward to, I’ve got a challenge, and I’ve also got the awareness. When you actually see those things in numbers in front of you day in, day out, then you’re able to see what you need to tweak. Those things have given me the awareness of understanding myself better and knowing what I need to do to be at my optimum level of functioning. It’s the awareness and being able to make an informed decision – that’s changed everything.

How do you feel physically and mentally now compared to when you started?

Chalk and cheese. When I started I was shortly before 100kg. Physically, I was lethargic, constantly tired. You don’t necessarily see it happening. Then when you start dropping off the weight, becoming more active, drinking the three litres of water I’d never drunk in my life – and my energy levels have gone through the roof, which has a knock-on effect on how I go about my days. You become more patient, more aware that you don’t want to spend your energy on things that are not necessary, but you also have more energy to dedicate to the things and people you like. So everything changes because of that. It has had a domino effect on absolutely every single area.

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