Angela Middleton, CEO of MiddletonMurray, always enjoyed exercising to stay healthy. She found it relatively easy to stay in moderate shape throughout her 30’s and 40’s. However, after turning 50 she began to see a hormonal weight gain that she couldn’t seem to shimmy away.
Angela, like a lot of other women, began to believe that increasing age and weight gain was something she had to resign to. Her typical exercise routine was not cutting it anymore. Angela watched her son, who had recently joined an Ultimate Performance location, begin to change the way he ate and exercised.
When Angela decided to join Ultimate Performance she was introduced to strength training. In her previous years of exercise using heavy weights was never an option. Even with a celebrity trainer, Angela was prescribed lighter weights. Her body began to change, dropping the unwanted weight and turning fat into muscle.
Want to know more about this woman with abs of steel? Check out her wonderful journey in an exclusive interview with Women Fitness below.
Women Fitness:
When did you realize that you needed to lose weight?
Angela Middleton:
My body was changing and not in a good way, thanks, hormones! I had been trying for about 5 years to lose weight, but it continued to creep on.
Women Fitness:
How has your weight loss journey been? What were the milestones that you had to overcome?
Angela Middleton:
During my 30’s, 40’s, I was very active, doing all the typical exercise classes populated by women (think cardio based classes). I had even trained for a marathon and completed 6 months of boxing training. The variety of exercises kept me in shape for years, but then I turned 50 – things all of a sudden slowed down and my healthy slim figure creeped away. I was reading all things fitness and diet-related and trying all sorts of remedies, but nothing worked. I joined UP Fitness and shifted my focus to my health and fitness goals, the weight loss was quick after that.
My main milestone was belief. As soon as I saw the first small weight loss, it clicked. I was a true believer in the UP Fitness system, I went all in!
Women Fitness:
What is your fitness regime like?
Angela Middleton:
Currently, I strength train 4x a week in the gym with my Ultimate Performance personal trainer Harry.
I also make sure to complete 10,000 steps every day. If I’m away for work or vacation, I try to keep up with the same regimen. A full night rest and prioritizing my water intake contributes largely to my success.
Women Fitness:
In a typical day, what do you take for breakfast-lunch-dinner? And what are your go-to healthy snacks?
Angela Middleton:
My staple for Breakfast before I train is Bulletproof Coffee with some sort of protein. After my workout, I eat porridge and eggs. Lunch and dinner always consist of protein and veggies! When I snack I will typically reach for yogurt, berries, nuts (a good fat), oats and honey, yum!
Women Fitness:
Who/What do you consider the greatest motivation behind your healthy weight loss journey?
Angela Middleton:
My biggest motivation is my trainer Harry, 100%. I also really enjoy reading the Ultimate Performance blogs and posts, they have a best tips and tricks for a healthy lifestyle. I get motivation from scrolling through Instagram, seeing women that are fitter than me, gives me a fire under my butt to get into the gym and put in some hard work, #fitspiration #womenpower.
Women Fitness:
What is your 2018 New Year Resolution to maintain a healthy & fit lifestyle?
Angela Middleton:
My New Year Resolution is to keep up this regime, and to learn how to confidently train on my own – I am a bit too dependent on my trainer! I am always looking to improve the look of my body and get strong enough to lift twice my bodyweight.
Women Fitness:
What would be your fitness tips for women in their 40s and 50s?
Angela Middleton:
Ignore the rubbish about ‘you can’t do it if you’re older’.
Prioritise your life around your health, let it become #1 (it’s your only body, you can’t get another one!)
Focus on the process, not the end. Results don’t show up after one or two sessions, it takes time so keep trying. Every day is a day to get stronger!
For more such real inspiring stories, check out here.
(P.S.: For all our L.A. readers, Ultimate Performance is opening a new location, in Los Angeles opening this February.)