Chrys Edwards, 45, had got used to looking after her Mother and the long hours at work. However, she soon realised that her own needs were being neglected. Chrys decided to take charge of her body, diet and exercise by making a commitment to gain a Body-for-LIFE.

Lack of exercise is a trap that many people can fall into when work demands a lot of their time. Chrys would do a bit of this but her schedule would slide as work got in the way. With the added responsibility of looking after her elderly Mother in the evening, the only way she could make a lasting difference and gain that strong lean body she craved was to take up the challenge, set some achievable goals and get help from her family.

Her local gym had a couple of trainers who were aware of Body-for-LIFE and what Chrys was doing although she took the time to explain to those who didn’t. People began to notice her working from her training book and give their support. Encouragement that was welcomed especially after a commute from London to her home each day!

During the 12-week Body-for-LIFE Challenge Chrys went from 12st 5lbs to 11st 1lb and dropped her body fat from 29.5% to 24.6%. It was a struggle to face the fact of how much weaker her left hand side was compared to her right. Yet, Chrys soon balanced the strength by using equal amounts of weight when training. At times she dug deep doing double sessions just to make sure that the full amount of cardio and weight training sessions fitted the time period given.

“I was determined to see the 12 week programme out – I almost wanted to prove the challenge didn’t work!” says Chrys. “I decided to do 12 weeks and then reconsider. I got into the rhythm, followed the book to the letter and enjoyed seeing my progress on paper with my reports and in the mirror.”

Chrys often used to miss out on having breakfast or sometimes lunch only to have a large meal in the evening. She had to accept the amount of food she would have to consume on the Body-for-LIFE regime that states you should eat small meals six times a day at 3 hour intervals. But she took comfort from not being hungry whilst losing weight. Her favourite EAS products were the Myoplex protein shakes and diet bars as they allowed her to eat on the go. However, there was an issue that threatened failure.

“My main obstacle was guilt. With a demanding job having a four and half hour round trip each day, I come home to look after my Mum,” explained Chrys. “I had to also find time to do the gym sessions and my job. It wasn’t easy but my sister helped a lot.”

Chrys set herself a series of goals, including keeping to the programme for the 84 days, lose 15 pounds in weight, gain muscle, feel strong and run a 5 KM race for charity! She achieved all of this, plus a promotion at work and learnt to love the person she saw in the mirror.

“Completing the challenge has proven that I can see things through. When you read about the ‘mind’ side of BFL you don’t believe it but I can tell you it does give a confidence boost, “says Chrys. “It confirms what I always thought; you get out what you put in. I’m totally convinced that Body-for-LIFE works.”