A fitness fanatic has gone through a stunning transformation after dramatically cutting her weight to be in the best shape of her life – at the age of 51. Jane Woodhead thought she wouldn’t be able change her body at her age, but she's lost more than a stone-and-a-half since setting herself a challenge in January.
The gym bunny is so ripped she’s even known in the dentist as ‘the patient with the six pack’ after wowing staff with her figure. Her regime includes working out seven days a week and a strict low-carb diet and hitting 20,000 daily steps.
She went from 62kg (9s 10lb) to 52kg (8st 2lb) in just five months to show what can be achieved through hard work and discipline. She’s so chuffed with the results that she’s now set her sights on entering a masters bikini competition.
Jane said: “I’m happier in my body now at 51 than I have ever been. I did this because I wanted a goal, I wanted to see what I could do with my body at this age.
“Being confident in your work is one thing, being confident in your life is another thing. This has given me a level of confidence I never thought I could achieve.
“It’s made me feel incredible, I have so much more energy, I’m more focused and productive. This has all been about doing something for me. I wasn’t massively overweight, but I wanted to improve myself. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.
“I am proud of what I’ve achieved. I’m an only child and I’ve lost my mum and dad, but I think they would be looking down on me and they’d be proud of me.”
Jane, who’s always been into fitness training, set herself the goal of getting into the best shape she’d ever been in at the start of the year. She gets up at 4.30am every day and does a 45-minute cardio workout at the gym before work.
She then returns to the gym after work and completes an hour-long weightlifting session four times a week with personal trainer Jack Laughton. Despite working a ‘full-on job’ as a PR director, which can see busy days involving travelling around the country, Jane never misses a workout. She’ll book hotels with a gym or buy a day pass for a nearby gym while she’s on the road.
Jane, of Parkgate in the Wirral, added: “I owe so much to Jack, he inspired me into my next phase of life. He makes me feel like I’m 21.
“I believe that exercise is really good for your mental health and makes you perform better at work. What’s really important when you have a busy job, you need something that’s a total break from the job.
“It is a full-on job, but it’s a job I love and the gym is my release from it. My work and my training are my two loves in life. I do cardio before work and it makes me more focused and energised at work.”
Jane has cut out carbohydrates on days she isn’t weightlifting and makes sure she gets 20,000 steps in every day to burn the calories even when she’s not working out. While she never ate a lot of takeaways, she’s totally cut them out of her diet since January and has even turned down invitations to social events to avoid eating meals out. But she does allow herself a bit of chocolate every day – in 20g measurements as long as it’s dark chocolate with 70% cocoa content.
She added: “People will ask how I’ve lost the weight, most people think I’ve been on a big diet, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve been eating four meals a day. It’s just been good foods and it’s been strict.”
Jane’s coach, Jack Laughton from Train Fitness Centre in Chester – himself an award-winning bodybuilder - said of her progress: “It has been a pleasure to train Jane, she always gives 110% in every session and she really is proof that age is just a number.
“She followed the plan I set and she got the results. She’s focused and committed. I couldn’t have asked for anything else.”
Jane’s typical meal plan:
Breakfast: Porridge oats
Lunch: Salmon and veg
Dinner: Chicken and veg
Snack: Protein yoghurt and 20g of dark chocolate
