Gemma Atkinson’s Training Blog: How I Keep My New Body in Shape

Finishing my 12-week transformation with Ultimate Performance was both amazing and scary.

I’ve achieved so much in just 12 weeks (and I can’t wait to share my final results with you soon) but there’s always that fear factor that you will undo all your hard work.

Because for anyone who’s had guidance throughout something, once that guidance stops there’s an element of panic of being on your own now.

It’s almost like when you come out of a relationship and the routine’s finished you think ‘Oh my gosh! What am I supposed to do?’

My initial panic was ‘I’m going to rebound! I’m going to put it all back on!’

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I think that only happens with a fad diet or if you expect a quick fix, whereas with UP it’s been three months of learning about training and nutrition that works for me – there’s nothing fad about it.

It’s not like I’ve been on a ‘diet’; it’s been a whole lifestyle change.

The training fits into my life – I make it a priority. I always try to give myself an hour, four times a week. I put my training sessions in my diary like an important meeting. 

I then work everything else around that. I always think that training is like my form of therapy.

I think that’s why I won’t be rebounding and won’t be going the opposite way because I’ve not had to drastically change anything.

Finishing something like this can still feel daunting. You’re accountable to yourself once you finish.

But now it’s about being independent and carrying on your journey on your own, and UP have given me the tools and the knowledge to do that.

I am still training with UP and I know the guidance is there and the plan is there to help me stay in great shape.

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Now it’s a case of slowly introducing things back in (like my weekly pizza).

It’s also things like not being so hard on yourself if you have a day where you mess up a bit.

You think ‘you’ve got a plan and you know what you’ve got to do to rectify it tomorrow’.

It’s about having a balance; a healthy and enjoyable balance, but one that’s sustainable to you, your work and your daily life, but also one that’s going to give you the best results moving forward.

I know if I am training hard and eating well the majority of the time, those occasional treats are okay.

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I had my Saturday night pizza after I completed my transformation.  

At the time, eating that pizza felt great, but afterwards, I felt horrendous. I was so tired and sluggish, and my skin went bad, I didn’t sleep well and after all that I thought ‘oh my gosh, that pizza really wasn’t worth it!’

I think it’s the same way who has a bad diet, once they switch to something healthy, they get the headaches and the withdrawals; it’s the same for someone who has been eating clean for so long, they feel the same way.

But I almost feel ‘hungover’ now if I eat stodgy foods. I feel tired today, because I didn’t sleep great last night.

It’s a good sign that my body isn’t used to it, but I’m also disappointed that I’m that girl who now can’t finish a full pizza.

I was knackered instantly after eating it, my stomach was making all these gurgling noises, I was thinking that my body’s working so hard to digest this meal I’ve given it – greasy cheese, garlic dip and bread and stuffed crust. It’s probably thinking ‘what the hell have you done to me?’

When you step back and look at everything you’ve done and what you’ve gone through both mentally and physically, you don’t want to go back that old person you were before.

Catch up with Gemma’s Week 1 blog and how she lost 5lbs in just seven days weight training at UP. 

It’s kind of like shedding your skin, because it’s a new you and you have a new outlook on life and you’ve got a new respect for your body.

I think that for me now is the main thing – I have a lot more respect for my body and the foods I put in it, the amount of movement I do and the amount of rest I get.

You’ve got to look after your body. For me, it’s a lifestyle now.

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