LJM Fitness

𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲.

And for years, I allowed that one opinion to stop me.

Looking back, I’m grateful for how everything worked out because the delay ultimately put me exactly where I needed to be. But it also taught me an important lesson: never allow someone else’s fears or limitations to decide what’s possible for you.

Do your research. Make a plan. Speak to the right people and then back yourself.

You might try and fail, but at least you’ll learn. The real regret comes from never giving yourself the chance in the first place.

If there’s something you’ve been thinking about doing, this is your sign to take the first step.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.

You might recognise Shannon from my page already, but when you look at how far she’s come, I feel like her progress deserves to be shared again.

When Shannon started her journey, she weighed 46.7kg.

Today, she’s sitting around 57kg - over 10kg heavier.

And that weight gain represents so much more than just a number on the scales.

She’s stronger.
She’s eating more and eating better.
She has more energy.
She’s more confident in herself and how she looks.
Most importantly, she’s prioritising her own health.

When we started, Shannon struggled to even take one paracetamol because of how little she weighed. Swipe across and you’ll see the message she sent me when she was finally able to take two - something that might seem tiny to most people, but at the time it was a massive milestone for her.

We’re so used to seeing transformations where the number on the scales goes down.

But sometimes progress means watching that number go up.

Gaining muscle.
Gaining strength.
Gaining energy.
Gaining confidence.

And ultimately, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.

Fat loss isn’t the only transformation worth celebrating.

Over 10kg gained, stronger than ever, eating better and feeling more confident in herself.

Absolutely class work, Shannon 👏🏼💪🏼! Very proud of you always!

𝐈𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤.

🥈 2nd place in my age category.

When you see someone’s end result, it’s easy to look at the transformation, the photos or the podium and think “I want that.”

But what you don’t see is everything that came before it.

The date nights sacrificed.
The nights out missed.
The social events turned down.
Training when I didn’t feel like it.
Getting my steps in when I’d rather sit on the couch.
Sticking to the plan when the easier option was right there.

And doing it over and over again for 12 weeks.

𝐈𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭.

And there’s a reason why so many people struggle with this sort of thing.

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.

Changing your habits isn’t easy. Saying no when you want to say yes isn’t easy. Staying disciplined when motivation disappears isn’t easy.

If it was easy, everyone would do it.

That doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice every night out, every meal with your partner or your entire social life to make progress.

But if you want to achieve something that genuinely challenges you, there will be times where you have to choose the goal over what feels good in the moment.

There were plenty of times I wanted to say “screw it.”

But every time I chose to keep going, I moved one step closer.

Coming 2nd is something I’m incredibly proud of. 🥈

But I’m even more proud of what it took to get there.

The result is great.

But becoming the person who was willing to do what it took to achieve it means even more.

20KG DOWN!! 🤯👏

What a milestone for Del.

20kg gone, but more importantly, a completely different level of confidence, fitness and strength 💪

This hasn’t come from being perfect every single week.

It’s come from consistently showing up, putting the work in and getting straight back to it whenever life gets in the way.

That’s what real, sustainable progress looks like.

And judging by the fact he’s casually holding a 20kg plate like a trophy… I think we had to get this photo 😂🏆

Absolutely buzzing for you mate. You’ve earned every bit of this!

20kg down. Stronger. Fitter. And we’re not finished yet 👊

If you’re looking to make a change yourself and want some help getting there, my messages are open 📲

I’ve gained 7 kg since my holiday and surprisingly, the world is still spinning 🤣

No panic deficit. No food punishment. No living on chicken and fresh air.

Just back to tracking, training, steps and my usual routine.

A holiday hasn’t ruined your progress. Give your body time to settle and keep moving forward 🙌

If you need help getting back on track, my messages are always open 📲

𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞. 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭.

Both of these photos were taken in Salou.

The first was four years ago, just after I qualified as a personal trainer.

On the outside, we were smiling. But behind that smile was a lot of uncertainty.

I was working in Superdrug earning minimum wage, hoping one day PT would become my full-time career. Megan was heading into unemployment, unsure of what came next. Money was tight, and we always said we’d come back one day and experience Salou differently.

Fast forward four years…

I’m now four years qualified and three years fully self-employed, doing a job I genuinely love.

Megan is thriving in her full-time teaching career after working incredibly hard to get there.

This holiday felt different.

Not because the place had changed…

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝.

It reminded me how important it is to stop and self-reflect.

We’re all so busy chasing the next goal that we rarely look back and appreciate how far we’ve already come. Sometimes you don’t realise how much you’ve grown until you compare where you are today with where you once were.

One thing I’ve learned over the last four years is that who you surround yourself with matters.

Having someone by your side through the uncertainty, setbacks, and wins makes all the difference.

If you’re going through a difficult season right now, keep going.

𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲.

This is your sign to grab some supplies, head to a random beach, and watch the sunset 🌅

A core memory that I will remember forever ☀️♥️