Client of the Month: Shaima

Mother-of-three Shaima had always promised herself that she would get her dream body before she turned 40.

But everything she tried just ended in failure – she was on the verge of giving up and giving in to the middle-age spread.

It was not until a couple of months after her 40th birthday that she really decided to take action and finally turn this dream into a reality.

Her Instagram feed had convinced her that Ultimate Performance Dubai was the best place to help her achieve the transformation she wanted.

Her faith in the tried-and-tested U.P. methodology was proven right.

“It was great to see in the photos what my body could look like with the right trainer and the right direction. It felt amazing to see that change.

“I knew I had skinny legs underneath all that, and I am pretty sure I have skinnier legs to come if I keep at it.”

Not even lockdown could stop Shaima getting to her goal. Virtual workouts with her trainer kept the momentum going and helped her halve her body fat and slim down 6kg in 15 short weeks.

Life as a mum had always meant that her health was put on a backburner – but coming to U.P. was a chance to focus on her fitness and wellbeing for a few hours a week.

“Having three kids definitely affects your self-confidence and changes your body.

“My kids were born back to back, so my body never got a chance to get rid of the fat. Before U.P., I was counting calories and macros, but it wasn’t working out great. Exercise-wise I was doing a bit of this and a bit of that.

“I had a couple of PTs, which was a waste of money. Nothing was working! I would only ever lose like a kilo, and it would stop. I felt like I was hitting a brick wall. And I felt that just because I am 40 with three kids, I should give up and become the typical paunchy mum everyone expects you to be after having kids.”

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Thankfully she didn’t. Shaima decided to give personal training another shot and this time made the right choice. Of course, signing up was the easy part.

“The first two weeks were the hardest, obviously adjusting to the new diet and workouts. But within two weeks I dropped a couple of kilos, and my energy from eating right kicked in.

“I thought I knew all I needed to know about diet and exercise before starting U.P., but as it turns out, I didn’t. I wasn’t eating enough and doing far too much high-intensity cardio which was leaving me exhausted and mentally drained.”

Shaima found U.P.’s personalised approach a revelation to her past training experience – her training and diet was tailored around her goals, her abilities and her lifestyle.

“My trainer constantly asked how I was doing and was on top of my nutrition as well. It made me feel more accountable to myself because now I know how to eat right.

“I have had trainers in the past who are on their phone texting when I am working out; they are not even looking at my form or reps. They never asked about my diet or followed up.

“The level of care, attention and detail at U.P. is millions of miles apart from anywhere else. It’s amazing; from the minute you step into the gym and work out, their attention is on you the whole time.”

Shaima was well on track to achieving her goal when the lockdown came into force in Dubai.

With just a few more weeks to finish, she buckled up and decided to recommit herself to her exercise routine during the quarantine. Her trainer became her pillar of support online as well.

“I was new-ish into my transformation when we went into lockdown due to COVID-19, and I had a meltdown because all I could think was that my diet is going to go out of the window, I am going to drink every day because of the stress.

“It’s going to be cake in my life every day! Stuck at home with three kids, endless snacks, food and wine, I was sure I was a goner!

“But my trainer Vuk assured me it would be fine with a custom home workout and daily support.

“Without fail every day, he sent me voice notes of encouragement and helped when needed, and we did video workouts together.”

Shaima’s at-home plan proved to be super effective and kept her progressing.

“To my surprise, I did my workouts and stuck to my diet and the weight kept coming off, and my muscles were popping.

“I proved to myself I could do it and get through this lockdown with exercise and not wine! I still can’t believe I was so motivated and disciplined.”

Shaima’s only regret is that she wished she had come to U.P. sooner. We say ‘better late than never!’ She now has a body she always dreamt of and some important life lessons to keep her on track for years to come.

“The biggest benefit from my time at U.P. is learning about the importance of strength training and a good diet and learning to be accountable for my body, the only person I’m cheating when I neglect my diet or workout is me.

“I feel I have learned so much from my time with U.P. from diet to tempo during reps. I have loved every minute of my time with Vuk, and I am so thankful for what U.P. has helped me achieve. I feel so proud of myself and am more confident now than ever.”

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