Fiona Livingstone
My Story
I first became interested in exercise when I was around 14, however this came from a very unhealthy place of struggling with anorexia. Excessive exercise with very little food. I would jog every day, do fitness videos and run everywhere in an attempt to burn as many calories as possible.
Throughout my teenage years I underwent a lot of treatment for anorexia and eventually gained weight. This was also unhealthy as I was now praised for gaining weight and so by my early twenties whilst at university I was now over weight. The endless battle with food, laxatives, restriction and bingeing was the main part of my time at university.
Excessive exercise still continued into my 30’s by which point my weight was low and food was used to deal with my emotion, mostly by restricting it when my life felt out of control.
Throughout my teenage years I underwent a lot of treatment for anorexia and eventually gained weight. This was also unhealthy as I was now praised for gaining weight and so by my early twenties whilst at university I was now over weight. The endless battle with food, laxatives, restriction and bingeing was the main part of my time at university.
Excessive exercise still continued into my 30’s by which point my weight was low and food was used to deal with my emotion, mostly by restricting it when my life felt out of control.
At 34 I fell pregnant with my son, this was when real body image issues started. My body was stretching in lots of different ways and for once, I didn’t have control over it. It was happening whether I liked it or not. This was hard for me. After the birth I had to have surgery which meant for the first few weeks I was resigned to the couch. Once I had healed I started the journey to lose the 1.5 stones of baby weight. I walked everywhere, I joined the gym and started going to classes. This is when I started to appreciate the mental health benefits of training. For 1 hour I didn’t think about anything else other than the fact I couldn’t breathe!!
At 36 I fell pregnant with my daughter and the body changing started again. This time however, I took it more in my stride – it was a difficult pregnancy and activity was very low. I gained A LOT of weight. No surgery this time so I was straight back to walking. Having 2 children so close together in age was difficult. The gym became the thing that kept me sane. I could go there and be Fiona, not mum. I could talk about normal things and not the how my child had poo’d that day!!
As I edged towards 40, I decided I wanted to get in REALLY good shape. I hired an online coach and started seriously weight training. The difference in my body in such a short space of time was amazing. On my 40th birthday was in the best shape I had EVER been in. I had the bug. I decided I had to share this with others so trained as a PT and started teaching and coaching in my spare time, early mornings and a couple of evenings a week. I LOVED it. I am now delighted to be a full time coach helping lots of ladies (and some guys) feel in control and have the bodies they have always dreamed of.
I kept weight training but without a goal I struggled to see progress. The following year I signed up with another online coach who seemed to be just like me. She persuaded me to have a goal of a photoshoot. Having a coach that understood me and that I trusted saw me do my first bulk. Having dealt with anorexia in the past, this was terrifying, but I had reassurance and went full into trusting the process. In August 2018, I did my photoshoot, it was amazing I didn’t feel awkward and I even had the balls to share those pictures on social media. Something I would never have done before – I mean what would people think? I loved it so much I did another two photoshoots the following year.
Training has given me far more than a great physique – the mental transformation is unbelievable. For the first time in my life I am genuinely confident, I am proud of myself and will openly tell others that. I am a better mother/wife/friend because all of the self doubt, poor self esteem has gone. The process of bulking and then cutting was hard, but I did it and its this struggle that has transformed my mental outlook. I am a positive role model for my kids, my clients and have inspired others to do the same.
Training has given me far more than a great physique – the mental transformation is unbelievable. For the first time in my life I am genuinely confident, I am proud of myself and will openly tell others that. I am a better mother/wife/friend because all of the self doubt, poor self esteem has gone. The process of bulking and then cutting was hard, but I did it and its this struggle that has transformed my mental outlook. I am a positive role model for my kids, my clients and have inspired others to do the same.
Empower You
A 12 Week Transformation