Hi! My name is Fiona and I have been training with Claire for a year now. 13 months ago, I would never have thought I would have been making that statement, but my training sessions are an essential part of my week now.
A year ago, I was experiencing many symptoms of perimenopause and was desperately trying to find a way to help myself out of a very deep, dark hole. I am 47 years old, and had about 4 years of experiencing perimenopause symptoms before I met Claire, including a rapid and dramatic weight gain, short temper, sleep problems, pain everywhere, headaches, confusion and many more. I did not recognise the person in the mirror, or the person inside. I couldn’t perform simple tasks like putting my shoes on with ease, I had become very weak and anxious, and I more-or-less stopped seeing my friends because I felt so tired, uncomfortable and muddled. I had worked through a self-help book, which suggested writing how I felt about myself then, in 6 months and one year. In the first entry, I used words like ‘upset’ and ‘worried’ and wrote, ‘so heavy and inflexible, sore everywhere. Feel like this body isn’t mine.’ I was unhappy and knew something had to change.
Just before Christmas last year, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a post by Claire which resonated so clearly with me. She spoke honestly about how her body had changed due to perimenopause and I could almost have written it myself. She also wrote about how she had turned it around, using her extensive knowledge to train and nourish herself back to health. I sent her a message right away, and within days, I was in her private gym (another reason why I feel so happy going there- just Claire and I in the gym, no mirrors, no judgement).
At first, I struggled to trust myself, worrying about whether the equipment could take my weight, and constantly thinking I wouldn’t be able to do this or that exercise (of course it and I could!). Claire is the best cheerleader, always reassuring and encouraging me and reminding me of personal bests, giving me a high five and getting me through the last few exercises when they are hard. If something isn’t working for me, she always knows other ways to use those muscles and doesn’t bat an eyelid about changing to adapt for my quirks. The sets change every month, so I feel I am achieving and progressing but I never get bored. I enjoy it so much that I invested in a small set of quality weights and added an extra app session as well as the two I do in person with Claire each week.
I have achieved so much! We work hard but we also chat and laugh, time passes so quickly and I LOVE it! I lift pretty big weights. I am strong again. I am much more in control of what I eat and I understand how to make good choices to keep myself full and healthy. I can do press ups on a small step, planks in a variety of ways and I can hang from the bars and raise my knees!
But more than that, I have no pain. I have lost over 6 inches from my torso alone. I sleep well. I have started joining in with social things again. I have confidence in myself and, incredibly, I miss the gym if I can’t make it to my session!!
I revisited my diary recently and found my choice of words was quite different. ‘I have never felt so STRONG!’, ‘hard to believe’, ‘I feel lighter, mentally and physically’ and ‘I amaze myself’ are just some of the exciting things I wrote.
I plan to continue to amaze myself, and with Claire’s unwavering support, I feel I could achieve anything!