Christmas is fast approaching, and I can already see on my clients how anxious they get about undoing all their hard-earned results this year. Are you also dreading Christmas Day and all the food and have already decided you won’t enjoy a bit of it to make sure you maintain your weight? I would advise otherwise. Christmas is for appreciating quality time with family and enjoying lovely food. 

​If you look in the mirror and are unhappy with your body or you constantly feel weak, you probably want to do something about it. You might have already considered strength training and more exercise, but you’re put off by the pain you have previously experienced. We’ve all heard horror stories about the pain and injuries experienced after strenuous exercise. However, with the right foods in your diet, you can prevent or significantly reduce this problem. 

​Are you tired of not having the body shape or figure that you desire? Are you fed up of constantly feeling weak after climbing a few flights of stairs? Secretly, you want to be fitter, stronger and to look in the mirror with pride at your beautiful physique. If this sounds familiar and you want to become fitter by your next birthday, it’s time to start thinking about weight training. Those two words may fill you with fear and dread, but they shouldn’t. Weight training could be the answer to all your fitness problems. 

Please show your support either by attending this Saturday 1pm to help out with the challenge in any way possible for sponsor us via the Just Giving page. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10000kbswingsforjemima

​The latest statistics from 2016 on obesity and overweight population rates show that 58% of women and 68% of men in the UK are either obese or overweight. On the other hand, 26% of adults were classed as inactive, that means they do less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week. 

There are many celebrity trainers and fitness figures who offer a variety of short and medium-term fitness programs you can join. The majority of these fitness plans include nutrition support alongside the workouts which is key when you’re trying to lose weight.

Where I started:
It’s fair to say that before Studio Twenty 3, I was not someone who enjoyed exercise. I knew other
people who saw personal trainers and did not understand it when they said they found it ‘addictive’, or when they said that it gave them more energy. I tended to think of people who enjoyed the gym as boring! Although I had started enjoying yoga classes, I had no interest in lifting weights or working towards any fitness goals. I did short YouTube workouts at home, which allowed me to mentally ‘tick off’ doing exercise, but deep down I knew I was not really trying enough. Coupled with this apathy towards exercise was the fact that I had managed to lose weight in the past through short term crash dieting. I kidded myself that I could do this again any time I wanted and that being fit and healthy with muscle tone wasn’t as important as being slim. To be honest I still occasionally battle with the urge to go on a crash diet but through the nutritional advice I’ve had from Studio Twenty 3, I’m able to think about the bigger picture and realise what my body needs to look and feel better. What’s nice is that they’re always happy to listen to my dieting dilemmas and talk through any nutritional issues with me.

Why Studio Twenty 3:
The simple answer is that my partner (now my husband!) was already training there and he always
had a lot of positive things to say about it. And when he started shaping up, I thought I better get in
on the action too! I was initially fairly sceptical, I’d always sort of mistrusted people who love
exercise and felt I wouldn’t fit in. After a taster session, I found that I didn’t feel judged or bad about
myself and I got along well with my trainer. It was a relaxed environment and it’s hard to explain but
I started to feel really positive each time after leaving. The team were encouraging about my
progress and I just started to feel better and better about myself. It was at this point that I began to
understand what people meant about finding training ‘addictive’. I had a great time in the sessions
and increasingly found myself wanting to improve. Far from dreading a training session, I actually
looked forward to it. I had quite a stressful freelance career and was constantly thinking about work,
so I really enjoyed the hour away from my emails doing something positive for myself.

My big day:
I was never obsessed about getting married and prided myself on being quite relaxed about it all.
Nevertheless, the thought of the photos lasting forever and everyone’s eyes being on me did make
me feel I wanted to look my best. It was certainly a good motivator! I didn’t want to wear anything
traditional and had my eye on bridal separates. For our evening reception, I planned to change in
into a tastefully cropped white sequinned top with my long flowing skirt. The top being cropped
really put the pressure on to shape up! I worked with my trainer Ellie on lots of ab exercises and
arms too and by the big day I felt good about everything. I loved changing into my party outfit in the
evening and danced the night away feeling confident and happy.

My learning's and achievements:

• I’m so much wiser about diet and nutrition now – I used to be purely obsessed with calories

counting but now I have a healthier attitude to food

• I learnt that exercise really does give you more energy, it sets you up for the day!
• Nothing beats the feeling of making progress and seeing how far you’ve come
• I couldn’t lift anything before Studio Twenty 3 but now I’m so much stronger which feels

amazing!

• Going to the gym or working out at home doesn’t compare to a Studio Twenty 3 session, the

trainers focus on you the entire time so you really get maximum benefits

• I looked just the way I wanted to on my wedding day and love looking back at the photos!

My advice for other brides-to- be:
Go beyond wedding goals: A wedding is an amazing goal but you can also take it as an opportunity
to bring about real, lasting change to the way you look and feel. If you’ve always wanted to ‘get
healthy’ or really commit to improving your fitness, now’s the perfect chance. Use the build up to
the wedding as your focus on stay on track and by the time the big day comes you’ll have cracked it
and won’t want to stop.

Talk to Studio Twenty 3:
Talk to the team about what you want to achieve, what you struggle with,
what your insecurities are and I promise you – they’ll listen and be understanding. Not only that,
they’ll come up with a tailored plan of action to help you meet your goals. The team always go above
and beyond to help you stay on track, my trainer once created a personalised work out plan that I
could do while I was away on holiday.
I can honestly say that going to Studio Twenty 3 twice a week has really made a difference to my life.

If you need any advice or have any questions on how to get in great shape like Fran, feel free to get in touch!

​In recent years, going vegan has become a trend. Having spoken to a few people who have been vegans for over 5-10 years, I found there is a major difference between “conservative” and “new wave” vegans. Are you considering eating only plant based foods for a period? Read on to see what benefits you might experience when doing so, but make sure you do research on the risks too.

Any questions get in touch.

Gareth
Head Personal Trainer.
Studio Twenty 3.

Kick start your healthy lifestyle by going sober this October.

Not only is this a great way to raise money and awareness for MacMillan Cancer Trust, this is also a great lifestyle change that could really kick start your progress.

It's only 31 days of your life. Plus, if we tackle this as a team, we have a great chance of success.

Register below to join the Studio Twenty 3 'Go Sober' Team.