Gilly had always been a keen runner. But the sudden loss of her Mum during lockdown, followed by a debilitating foot injury, left her feeling stuck. Here’s how coaching supported her back to her old self.
Fitness is one of Gilly’s core values: she knows how important it is for her physical and mental health. So when she broke her foot shortly after her Mum passed away, life felt extremely challenging.
“My Mum passed away out of the blue and I hadn’t seen her much due to Covid,” she explained. “The loss was devastating. I was dealing with shock, grief, and the logistics of travelling back up North to sort things out. Exercise went out of the window. Later that year, I felt ready to get back into running. But I broke two toes and had to be in a boot for 10 weeks.”
At a low ebb without her favourite healthy coping strategy
“After the 10 weeks was up, I wanted to get back into running but was terrified of hurting myself again,” she said. “I felt like I was back at square one.”
Gilly approached me for a simple coaching plan that would kickstart her fitness and guide her nutrition. She wanted to lose about 10lbs, rebuild her running fitness, and find her mojo.
“Joe and I met in November 2021 and I remember saying “what’s the point in starting just before Christmas?”, said Gilly. “He came up with a positive way of looking at things which helped me reframe the situation. That was the first sign that Joe is much more than a fitness coach, he’s great at the mindset side of things.”
As it turned out, starting in November helped Gilly ease into coaching and meant she enjoyed Christmas but felt more in control – a feeling she had been missing since her Mum passed away.
Coaching gave her back a sense of control
“That first month gave me something to focus on that wasn’t Mum, and wasn’t my broken foot,” said Gilly. “It felt empowering to think about myself and my future goals.”
After Christmas, our coaching continued. Gilly’s life was busy as ever, with work, family, pets and house to think about.
“Our sessions gave me space to think about myself,” she said. “It was just about me doing the best I could, which is exactly what I needed.”
Gilly knew that she could have lost a bit of weight joining a gym or going on a diet plan, but the beauty of my 1-2-1 coaching was having me in her corner. The motivation, accountability, and support made all the difference as she rediscovered her inner drive.
And of course she got results. During our time together, Gilly rebuilt her strength (especially in her lower back and core), lost weight, and got back to her previous running form. In fact, she’s faster than ever.
Gilly’s transformation in numbers
From 30.5% to 21.8% bodyfat
Gained lean body mass
3 inches off the hips
2 inches off the waist
Back to her old self – and more
“When I was in that boot with two broken toes, I never imagined I’d set a 10K PB within a few months,” said Gilly. “Joe’s support and education around nutrition, strength, fitness and mindset helped me turn everything around.”
My 1-2-1 coaching is always completely personalised, and in Gilly’s case we focused on resistance training and HIIT workouts, with a running plan between our sessions. To tackle her nutrition blind spots, I helped Gilly understand the details of macronutrients and protein.
“Joe is very good at making it all about you,” she said. “He’s genuinely interested in people. He remembers the smallest things about what’s going on for you and adapts the coaching. That’s why it works so well.”
Helping her feel in control of life
“Fitness coaching with Joe really helped me with my grief,” she said. “It gave me something to make sense of and got my mind back into exercise, which stopped me spiralling any further. I still had low moments, but I had something to focus on.”
Gilly has transformed her fitness and her mindset since those challenging days of late 2021. The old Gilly is back, and focusing on the future.
“I’m working with Joe to lose another 3lbs, and I want to drop 3 minutes off my 10K time,” she said. “It’s a big goal, but I’m excited to achieve it. Joe encourages me to just try my best – and I know Mum would agree with him on that.”
Well done Gilly, we are very proud of what you’ve achieved.
Want results like gilly? Get in touch today to see how we can help!
UPDATE FROM GILLY ON THE 23RD JUNE 2023:
Coach Joseph Webb.
‘The number one rated Personal Trainer In Henley and Oxfordshire’
