When the pandemic hit, Viktorya stopped exercising completely. Her health and emotional wellbeing suffered because of it.
Home working through lockdown made things worse – the more weight she gained, the worse she felt, and the more she ate. It was an inescapable vicious cycle that left her feeling at her lowest point.
After falling ill with COVID-19, she found the recovery tough and was struggling to find the drive to exercise and get fit again on her own.
The turning point came when she barely recognised the reflection staring back at herself in the mirror. She knew it was time to get the support of a professional personal trainer to turn things around.
Ultimate Performance helped her completely transform not only her body by losing 11kg of fat, but also her confidence and her mindset – all through weight training three times a week.
“I think the most important part of weight training is how powerful it makes you feel.
“You even notice others in the gym not lifting as much as you do – even males – and you think ‘oh wow! I can do this!’ And that motto of ‘I can do this’ also goes into your personal life.
“Apart from the amazing impact it has on your physique, also mentally it gives you this push and this empowerment that you can do this. That’s very helpful in your personal life too.”
Lockdown lifestyle and feeling low
Like so many people, Viktorya’s health and wellbeing had been badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“My lifestyle became very passive working from home for over a year. The only movement I had every day was from my bed to the living room; the desk to the kitchen. That’s it.
“There was a point where I couldn’t recognise myself. It also affected my mental state.”
It wasn’t just a lack of exercise she was struggling with over lockdown. Healthy food habits had slipped and she was barely making any nutritious, home-cooked food.
“With my diet, I was just ordering in. I was not cooking for a whole year when I came to the Netherlands.
“I would just order fries or pizza. I would try to get healthy options, but I would overeat easily. The sweets, bakery, croissants and pastry – I would overeat those. It was a vicious cycle.
“I didn’t like how I looked, so I would stress. When I was stressed, I would eat more. I just couldn’t get out of that vicious circle. I didn’t like how I looked or how I felt.”
After a long hiatus from exercise and the gym, she tried to start working out by herself. But it felt like a struggle, and she needed help.
“When the pandemic started, I had stopped working out.
“Then I got COVID. I tried to go back to the gym myself. But after COVID it was hard for me physically. I couldn’t breathe normally and I was having trouble working out.
“I thought it was time to get myself together, but I needed some help.
“I was looking for a gym or a trainer when I was at my lowest. I saw Ultimate Performance and all the results were really impressive.”
A fresh start focused on fitness goals
Viktorya started her transformation journey in the middle of lockdown when all the gyms were closed.
Luckily, Ultimate Performance gave her the option to get started straight away and train outdoors with her personal trainer.
She grabbed the chance with both hands and never looked back.
“When I started training at U.P., the pandemic was ongoing and we had a lockdown in Holland. So I started working out outdoors. I needed to do it right then.
“I was very happy we started working out outside because we had a chance to get in better shape so that when we got back into the gym, I felt more empowered.
“I started noticing the difference within two weeks because of the proper diet and workouts.
“I started losing weight. And I could already see the decrease in the mirror.”
What Viktorya loved was that her program was results-focused and built around her goals.
Right from the start, her trainer helped shape her goals and then keep her accountable every step of the way.
“I fully trusted the trainer. We talked about the goal and what I wanted to achieve. That was improving my strength and getting my stamina back to normal, but also looks-wise it was fat loss.”
With her goals in place and a tailored training and diet plan to follow, Viktorya quickly saw the fruits of her hard work in the mirror.
Her progress snowballed along with her confidence and self-esteem. Not just in the gym, but the way she felt in everyday life.
“When you start looking better, your confidence increases, your mood improves. And when your mood improves, you become more positive.
“When you are positive, you take life easier. Your stress goes down, and your efficiency of work goes up. You are more efficient, you are more positive, and when you are positive everything works better than if you are negative or unsatisfied.”
Changes that last a lifetime
Viktorya has noticed a significant shift in her diet too. Gone are the constant takeaway meals, replaced by foods that make her feel good, healthy and energised.
“It’s less following a diet and more embodying a true lifestyle of health and fitness.
“In the beginning, you get the instructions, then you learn to make the right and smart choices with your food.
“For me now, my diet is very understandable. I know what I can eat to feel good. It also affects your skin amazingly, the ‘clean’ diet that I have been maintaining for this last 15 or 16 weeks.
“But it also doesn’t feel like I am cutting or depriving myself of anything. I feel like it’s very balanced getting the chance to eat some fats, nuts, meats and fish. The variety is pretty big. So I don’t feel limited.”
Going from strength to strength every week in the gym with a sustainable diet that supported her outside of it was a revelation to Viktorya.
Pushing herself in training and seeing the results of her hard work was tremendously gratifying.
“Hitting the target that my trainer Gio and I set up was incredible. But most importantly, it brought up my self-esteem, improving the mood, affecting both work and personal life.”
Thinking back to when she first started training with U.P., there really is no comparison.
She is a woman transformed.
“To compare myself from before to now is incomparable because the change in my strength and the way I feel is drastic. It’s unbelievable how I change physically and performance-wise.
“I’m feeling very happy about the result. I’m very thankful because I couldn’t do this by myself.
“The magic ingredient at U.P. is dedication. It comes both ways. Dedication from the client. And dedication from the trainers.”
- We show you the best, we don't show you the worst.
- We show you people who follow the plans, not those who are all talk.
- We show you those who inspire even us with their commitment to their results.
- You cannot get results exactly like these. You are unique and that means you can only get your own best possible results.
- Your results are a function of time spent following the plan; your genetic response to the right exercise and diet program; how hard you train; how consistently you come to the gym; how disciplined you are with your diet; & your starting point.
- Oftentimes the lower your starting point (poor fitness, terrible body composition) the better your results.
- We cannot do the work for you and the results you see here are a testament to the work ethic of our clients.
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Our reputation is that we are the best trainers in the world for helping you to unlock your potential, & we can lead you to the door, give you the key, even turn the handle and push the door open, but we cannot walk through it for you.
In the end the result is down to you.
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