The first thing I have to say is a huge thank you to Hannah for agreeing to let me share this with you. Hannah has been attending my classes for over a year and sent me a before and after photo of hersefl along with a very nice email that made me very proud and I am glad to say she is happy for me to share it with you along with the hope that it will motivate others to battle their demons and make the healthy option a change for life.

'hi cori, just wanted to let you know how much you've helped me change my life and the way I look :) i did a before and after picture thingy the other day and the photo speaks for itself, but it wouldn't have been possible unless I'd started your classes, and the fact that they are soooo much fun that i kept coming back and i still love them now!:)'

When I contacted Hannah asking her permission to publish this, here was here response.

'yeah of course you can use it:) anything to help people achieve what I have and more !! - my treat on Easter is the Easter roast not the eggs ;) !! so I'll be sure to be gooooood.'

This is what I LOVE about fitness. It isn't just about body shape, fat and inch loss it is also about the change in you as a person and Hannah is proof of this. When she first started attending my classes she came to a couple and then disappeared for a few weeks only to return a few months later and this time she stayed. She started off with just one class and week and this slowly grew to two and for a few weeks even managed three.

Nowadays she is a once or twice a week girl but the thing is she has stayed focused, even when she had blips she didn't focus on failure or guilt she just picked herself up again and re focused and carried on and I have to say I am very proud of her. She shows that if you have got the focus right then it is all there for the taking and I will gladly support you to help you achieve your goals.

On that note I am going to continue my theme from last weeks blog and will be continuing this over the next few weeks to try and help you to get in the right frame of mind for changing lifelong habits, be they aimed at food, exercise or both. These principles really can be applied to any area of your life where you want change.

Allow enough time for change. How many of us jump on the scales after a week of 'dieting' only to be disappointed by an insignificant or no weight loss? I never weight people more than once a month and usually only weigh people once every six weeks. This way they are more likely to see a positive result and having a positive outlook as opposed to a disappointed and negative one and this really does make a massive difference. Never underestimate how long it took you to get overweight. If the comment 'I don't know how it happened' rises in you head then the likelihood is that it took several years, allow the time to lose it.

Keep the negative thoughts out of your head. If you see weight loss as you depriving yourself of something you will NEVER succeed. Remember to focus on the positive and not the negative. Think of yourself as slim not as overweight. See yourself as fit and healthy, this really is key.

Get strategies in place. I used to be a heavy smoker but once I made the decision to quit I focused on that 100%. I saw myself as a non smoker and I put all my energy into developing strategies to stay off the cigarettes. I wasn't naive. I knew that I would crave a cigarette and I worked out where my danger areas were. Like going out for a drink and in the morning with my coffee. So, I developed these strategies to help me cope, I cut out coffee and drank green tea so the association was no longer there and I chose my quitting date to tie in with the smoking in public places ban. Weight loss is not about will power, it is about being honest with yourself and putting the right strategies in place.

Write down everything you eat. Seeing it in black and white can and will make all the difference. Be 100% accurate and honest, this is key. Write down portion sizes and everything that you eat along with sauces and drinks. Even a handful of crisps, two minstrels, whatever it is write it down. Keep a notebook with you so that you can note it as you go, trying to recall at the end of the day is unlikely to be as accurate. From the people I have worked with, those that kept continual food diaries were more successful at weight loss and kept it off than those that didn't.

Don't keep 'problem' foods in the house. Identify the things that trigger you to eat these foods and while I never advocate banning foods if there are foods that you know that you binge on then don't have them around you because you are just making it that much harder for yourself.

Eat regularly. I am always given the excuses that it was a busy day, didn't have time to prepare, went out with friends so had no choice what to eat. RUBBISH, you ALWAYS have a choice. Eating regularly does not necessarily mean a full meal. It could just be a snack to keep you going. If you know you are going to a friends for dinner and this is unlikely to be a healthy meal, eat something prior so you don't eat too much or let them know that you are trying to lose weight so not to put too much on your plate. This is neither rude nor offensive and they are more likely to try and support you.

Never, ever, ever under eat! The second you do this is the second you have a big blip! Your body will crave sugar and you are far more likely to reach for an unhealthy processed food choice. Always have a healthy snack choice with you wherever you are. maybe a bigger handbag is in order!

80 / 20

When trying to lose weight it is important to focus on what you do most of the time - 80%, not what you so some of the time - 20%.

DIETS DO NOT WORK LONG TERM!

In 2007, the University of California reviewed 31 studies and found that during the first 6 months of a diet people typically lost between 5-10% of their body weight but within 5 years 2/3 of those people had put more weight on than they had lost. Most would have been better off not going on the diet at all!

Have a brilliant week and if you have any thoughts or comments please feel free to post them!