28-year-old Sophie Aris was once a UK size 14 (a size 10 in the United States), however it wasn’t until she went on a vacation to Cyprus that she felt she’d finally hit “rock bottom” physically and decided it was time for a change. Speaking to Mirror, Sophie says that she was always “a little bit overweight…like a small round ball” and that she felt her body “was really disproportionate – I had massive legs in comparison to my upper body.” Considering her high-carb diet and the fact that she reportedly would only do 30 minutes of cardio daily without breaking a sweat, it’s no surprise that Sophie was fairly out of shape.
However, everything changed three years ago when she was approached by a personal trainer:
But three years ago while on an exercise bike, she was approached by a personal trainer who persuaded her to try lifting weights instead.
Sophie began weight training and noticed an immediate effect but still lacked confidence, and it was watching a bodybuilding competition which gave her much-needed inspiration.
Two years ago when she tagged along to the North West finals in Warrington she told herself she would enter the same competition the following year – which she did, and won.(via)
Since finding success with fitness, Sophie launched her own online health and fitness network called “The Way To Glow” back in January, and is now on her way to becoming a personal trainer.
“Three years ago I was in the gym on the exercise bike, going at about 1mph and not even working up a sweat when a personal trainer came over and asked me what I was doing.
“He showed me into the weights area and I felt so self-conscious, but I eventually built up my confidence.
“Two years ago I tagged along to watch a bodybuilding competition and when I saw all the bikini girls, they just looked incredible.
“It was so inspiring – I set myself a goal that the next year I would compete in the same competition and when I did I won my category.”(via)
Sophie now reportedly exercises for about an hour every day and has changed her diet to include 5-6 high-protein meals.
Considering what she used to look like and how she looks now, we’d have to say the regimen change is several steps in the right direction:
[H/T Mirror]