I work in the City in London. I have a busy and very active professional and social life and my work demands long hours and several business meetings over lunch/dinner. I am 45 years of age and despite being relatively fit, I had begun to realise that I needed to change my lifestyle! I agreed to a 10-week course with Gemma that has now run for over 15 months. I see Gemma weekly and the results have been incredible. I have lost weight, lost body fat and gained definition that I never thought I would have in my mid 40s. The programmes are varied and challenging and Gemma's advice on overall training and diet have certainly contributed to the results. I would recommend Gemma, she drives you hard but the outcome makes it very rewarding. Most of all Gemma creates a great atmosphere when training you hard so every session is something I really look forward to.
Andrew
My journey with Gemma started in April 2010 where I weighed 102kg, and as a type 1 diabetic my main aim was to lose weight. I initially found it very hard, as I did not have the will power to continue being healthy and I did not listen to Gemma and her advice. Then during the summer months of 2010 I started to listen to her more attentively as she encouraged me to log down what I was eating. The training became more intense as I had signed up to do a mountain summer challenge for July 2011. She has been an excellent personal trainer and continued to push me towards my goals, which I never thought could have been possible last year. My diabetic control has pleased my doctors as it has been controlled the best in my 10 year history of diabetes. My last weigh in was 81.5kg.
Neel
Gemma trained me for 18 months covering the run up to both my wedding and the birth of my first child as well as general fitness training. Her abililty to tailor programmes to my changing requirements and keep me engaged when I was tired or un-focussed were excellent. Gemma is a great trainer whether you have specific goals or just want to increase your fitness generally.
Rachel
I am a keen athlete, regularly taking part in 200m and 400m competitions with my local athletics club. I wanted to work on my leg strength to improve my race start and my times. Gemma devised a programme which worked towards my goals, always pushing me to the next level and keeping me motivated to believe that I could reach them.
Seb
I have always found it hard to be motivated to exercise and was finally persuaded by my husband to try a personal trainer to improve my body tone and general fitness - and I am so glad he did. After only one session a week for a few months I could feel a real difference. My body felt more toned and I found I had a lot more energy. Gemma is great at encouraging me when I am feeling tired and helping me to improve week after week.
Emily
What can I say, this time last year I had never run and today I did the "Race for Life" 10k run in Stanmer Park, Brighton in 1hr - 6mins. What a challenge! Not only the distance, the pouring rain but the hills too. I would like to give a big thank you to Gemma who without her I'm not sure I would have even have considered competing. She spurred me on when my head was getting the better of me and made me attack the hills when I thought I could not run any further. She was both my nemesis and angel and without her constant support I'm sure the whole challenge would have been a lot harder. She is a force to be reckoned with and any challenge you set yourself she is the girl to get you there!
Phillipa
"After giving birth to my first baby I suffered from stomach muscle separation (diastasis recti) of 5-6cms. This resulted in a hernia through my belly button and I needed help to lift my new baby and had difficulty walking any distance. I was using my back to compensate for the lack of stomach muscles and had severe back pain. I was also left with around an extra 2 stone in weight. I started seeing Gemma around 4 months after having my baby. A lot of the initial work focussed on rebuilding my core strength, getting the stomach muscles back together and mobilising my back. Gemma gave me exercises to do inbetween our sessions to help speed up the process and after a few weeks I started to notice a big difference. The back pain was going and I was also losing weight. Five months later (nine months after giving birth) I was back to my pre-baby weight and had only a small gap left in my stomach muscles. The back pain was completely gone and I was able to easily lift and carry my (quickly) growing baby. Without Gemma's help I have no doubt that I would still be struggling hugely."
Emily
‘I had been suffering with inwardly rotating knees or ‘knocked knees’ since I was a teenager. Gemma took the time to show me a series of exercises to complete every day and provided me with a personalized program. When combining these with strengthening exercises for my legs, the results were remarkable! My knees appear to have realigned themselves, and they improve every day as I continue to do the exercises. This has improved my running form, balance and coordination. Thank you Gemma!’
Alice Hill
I have been training with Gemma for the past 5 years and have found it to be an absolute game changer for me. Not only have her workouts helped me achieve a strong and healthy body, but her enthusiasm and positive energy has provided me with great social and mental wellbeing which is just as important to me. During lockdown her classes continued online and it was (and still is) the highlight of my day! She has provided the structure to what has been a very uncertain time and has kept me physically and mentally strong by providing a variety of different classes to choose from.
I absolutely love all her classes, my favourites being cardiobox, HIT and circuit training. Thank you for being such an inspiration and awesome fitness instructor!I absolutely love being a part of the Gemmafitness community!
Melissa Lazenby
I tried Gemma's Piyo class in Shoreham back in 2018, and have trained with her ever since. I struggle to motivate myself to undertake exercise by myself, so Gemma's group exercise classes are perfect for me.
Gemma is a great motivator, and makes sure you are challenged and pushed to do your best through encouragement and support, rather than intimidation! I always look forward to Gemma's classes, even if I am tired and flagging after a day at work, as I know a session led by her will energise me.
Her classes are varied and fun, and she encourages me to try new things- I wasn't sure that boxercise would be for me, but it turns out I love it! I feel fit, strong and healthy as a result of training with Gemma, and I'm sure the work I do with her has helped me to improve my cycling and swimming too.
During the pandemic, her online group classes have been amazing- both to keep me fit and to feel connected with other people, even if we're not in the same room.
Rosie Foreman-Lonn - Class member
Gemma’s classes are fun, challenging and suitable for all fitness levels. Both in person and online she always brings great energy that encourages you to push hard but leaves you smiling. Her classes have improved my functional fitness, working on strength, fitness, stability and mobility, making my body strong and able to carry out any activity.
Tasmin Schofield - Class member
"I tried to remain as active as I could during the COVID-19 lockdown, but I was really struggling to maintain my weight due to reduced activity. The change of routine really threw me off and I realised that I had become too sedentary during the day. I also realised that the activity that I was engaging in was not enough and I needed to look at my food intake as well. Gemma's 6-week course helped me to establish new habits and routines, to work more activity into my days, as well adopt healthier cooking and eating practices. Throughout the course I felt supported and informed. Gemma explained why certain changes were recommended and incrementally introduced weekly goals so that it always felt achievable. I reached my personal weight goals and my mood and stress levels have improved due to taking part in the course. The best part thing is that what Gemma taught us feels sustainable, so I can maintain my activity and weight going forward." Fiona did amazingly well over the 6-week programme and was a pleasure to work with. She achieved half a stone weight-loss, 8 inches off her waist, and 7 inches off her hips. This is so inspirational and shows how just making a few positive changes to habits and lifestyle can make such a big difference.
Fiona MacNeill
'I couldn't recommend Gemma's 6 week programme enough. I lost over a stone, am so much more toned, I've never been fitter and I'm delighted with myself. I have so much more energy too and this kicked in from the first week. Gemma's guidelines are straightforward and easy to follow and really focus more on an abundance of healthy food rather than restrictions. The habits this programme have helped me form will definitely stick and I really feel completely re-educated and motivated. Gemma's personalised feedback is really informed and just spot on in terms of results. I have a baby and toddler and really thought I would never lose the weight I put on in two consecutive pregnancies. This programme has really transformed how our family eats.' Catherine did so well over the 6-weeks and really embraced everything that I asked her to do. She lost a total of 7kg, inches off her measurements and also halved her fitness test results.
Catherine Everett