How fitness helped heal “desperately unhappy” Sarah after losing her father

“I’ve got more energy, I’m performing better at work, and I’ve started to fit into clothes that had previously been too tight.”

Sarah could not come to terms with the passing of her father. Her life had been turned upside down.

As soon as she got home from work, the first thing she did was open a bottle of wine. Alcohol and takeaway food had become her way of coping – but they were only making things worse.

Sarah felt overweight, far older than her age, and hated the thought of leaving the house in clothes than no longer fit. Her situation had spiralled further out of her control than she could ever have imagined.

So, there seemed no better time to put her faith in a personal training program with Ultimate Performance. Just over 20 weeks on, the results speak for themselves.

In fact, Sarah can’t remember a time she’s ever felt so happy and confident after her 9kg weight loss.

For the first time in years, she felt good in her bikini sat around the pool while on holiday, and now has the freedom of her wardrobe knowing everything now suits her slim waistline.

While she admits the grief might never disappear, Sarah feels resilient, and believes she’s in the best headspace possible to deal with losing her dad.

Read her story, here…

Tell us what motivated you to start personal training with Ultimate Performance?  

My motivation for starting at U.P. was because I was desperately unhappy. I’d lost my dad and was really struggling to deal with that. It really knocked me for six. It was like pain I’d never felt before. I just didn’t know how to deal with it.

I was using alcohol as a way to try and cope with it, but it wasn’t helping the problem. It was just making it worse. But that obviously got me into a huge rut. I was mad with myself because I’d always been very active and played a lot of sports.

So, to let myself get like that was really frustrating. 

How was that lifestyle making you feel? Did you feel uncomfortable in your body?  

I felt absolutely disgusting. I was uncomfortable in all my clothes. I hated the thought of having to go anywhere and go to an event or anything because I didn’t feel comfortable. It caused arguments at home because I didn’t feel comfortable, so I didn’t want to go out, and that was ruining a lot of my nights.

And like I said, I’ve just never felt like that before, because I’d always been active and in shape. To not fit in my clothes and to feel like that was just horrible. I’d always put something baggy on or something that wasn’t normally what I would wear just because I wanted to hide the fact that I was feeling like that or that you couldn’t tell.

I wasn’t wearing what I would normally want to wear. I just felt uncomfortable, bloated, tired. I felt like I looked tired, looked older. I just didn’t feel like me at all. 

What did your diet look like before you started working alongside your trainer?  

Well, my diet was non-existent. I just used to start the day on coffee or a Diet Coke. I’d go all day just on that. The first thing I’d do when I got home from work was open a bottle of wine. I’d think about wine before eating, and then if I did eat, it’d be a takeaway.

And then I’d be mad at myself for doing that because I knew how it was making me feel. It wasn’t helping. I was getting upset because of losing my dad and the drink was making me feel like that.

I’d always tell myself tomorrow would be a fresh start and I’m not going to do this again. Then tomorrow would come and it would just be the same.

I’d been in ruts like that before and always been able to get out of it. But it was different this time. I was really stuck, had lost my way, and didn’t know how to get back out of it. 

How quickly did your figure start to change, and what was it that kept you so motivated?  

What kept me motivated throughout the whole process was the change in how I was feeling.

Each week, there were only little changes at first, but they made a massive difference to my day. I had more energy. I was starting to feel motivated to do things.

Work was better. Things at home were better. I was starting to fit into clothes that had previously been too tight, and then things started getting too big for me.

So, all those little things, those little changes for the better, were just keeping me going.  

You mentioned you’d worked with personal trainers in the past but never got the results you wanted. What do you think makes Ultimate Performance so different? 

The quality of the trainer here is incredible. My trainer’s knowledge of everything is on a different level to anything I’ve seen before. It’s so far apart.

The training is different too because you’re focusing on me and the unique look I wanted. Then there’s my diet. I’ve never had any guidance on my diet before.

I just assumed that not eating or just having a bit of fruit and salad would be fine, and that would keep me going. But you can’t train like that and develop the muscle that I have now by it.  

Let’s talk about your photoshoot. How rewarding was it to yourself in such good shape after all your hard work?  

I never envisioned myself doing a photoshoot. Not in a million years. I didn’t like having my photo taken; it was just something that I hated or was so far out of my comfort zone. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if my trainer hadn’t encouraged me.

The photographers really helped put me at ease as well, and everybody else in the gym. As we were going along and he was showing me the pictures on the screen, I couldn’t believe that it was me. I looked like an athlete which was just incredible.

I’m so glad I did it, and if I’m having a bit of a wobble now about things, I have a quick look at the pictures and just remind myself how far I’ve come from the start. 

It was just a much better-rounded holiday and we felt more relaxed. 

Would you say this transformation has improved your self-confidence? 

Massively. My confidence has grown so much. I’ve always struggled with self-confidence for a few different reasons. I’ve never believed in myself and always put myself down.

But it is getting better. For example, I haven’t driven for over 20 years, and now all of a sudden, I’ve started getting in my car and driving. So that’s made a massive difference in my life.

It’s given me some independence back that I didn’t have before. 

A few days after your photoshoot, you went on holiday! How good did it feel to be able to sit around the pool without feeling self-conscious?  

The first day around the pool, I was still quite self-conscious. I covered up for a little bit. Then I went to the bathroom and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and I just thought, “You look really good.”

It was the first time I sort of stood there and said to myself, “You look really good, and you’ve worked really hard for it. What are you doing?” So, when I went back to the sunbed, I took my shirt off and I felt great about myself.

On holidays in the past, getting ready to go out at night would always be massively stressful. This time around, I’d pick something out my wardrobe and feel nice straight away.

There were no arguments at all either. It was nice to have a relaxing holiday because of the way I felt.  

Finally, Sarah, what would you say you have taken away from your time with Ultimate Performance? 

I’ve learnt that I’m a lot stronger than I ever thought I was. Not just physically, but mentally. I’m also a lot more resilient than I ever thought I was, especially when I’m pushed out of my comfort zone.

I’ve learnt to be confident and not be so harsh on myself. I do still beat myself up about things, but I’m thinking a lot more rationally now because I’m not drinking.

I can obviously still get upset about my dad all the time. That’s never going to change. But I can get upset, have my moments, and then move on from it because I can deal with these situations much better.  

Personal training has given Sarah a life-changing lift that she never thought possible. See how a tailored fitness program with U.P. could revamp your self-confidence in just weeks.  

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