A GRAN has revealed her secrets to looking younger after dropping two dress sizes.
Victoria Gee, 53, was unhappy with her size 12 frame coming out the Covid lockdowns.
But now she's shifted the extra bulge, people are stunned at learning her true age.
She tells Sun Health: "My trainer told me the staff in his office can't believe I'm in my 50s! People tell me I look 10 years younger.
"And I can't believe I'm wearing a bikini without a second thought for the first time in my life.
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"I feel great and I never thought I would look like this at my age. It goes to show, you're never too old."
Feeling overweight and lazy, Victoria realised as she turned 50 that her body was entering menopause.
Her son then told her that he was expecting his first baby with his partner, and Victoria decided it was time to "get in shape" - not just for herself but for her new grandchild.
She says: “Coming out of Covid and lockdowns, I’d put some weight on.
“A friend of mine was in the same boat, so we decided it was time to go for it and get in shape.
“Then when I found out I was going to become a grandma I thought, ‘I want to be feeling fitter than I’ve ever felt and stronger than I’ve ever felt so that I can be fit and healthy in the next stage of my life’.”
The mum-of-three found a 12-week transformation programme with Ultimate Performance - her local gym in Manchester.
Not knowing what was going to be involved, she went into it thinking the training would just be focused on cardio and diet.
Victoria says: “I came to it accidentally. I found a transformation plan that I thought would get me fit but didn’t realise how much it would be about weight training.
“What I didn’t realise about weight training is how quickly you can get results.
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"I had a PT who was good at pushing me and teaching me the technique.
“I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it too.
“Something I’ve realised as I’ve gotten older is that it’s not about killing yourself, it’s about enjoying it at an enjoyable rate.
"It’s not about going as fast as you can, or lifting as heavy as you can, it’s about doing what your body needs."
I can carry my grandson, he’s super heavy now and I don’t feel it.
Victoria
After just a year, Victoria had gone from a size 12 to a slim size 8 - back to the same weight she was in her 20s.
She lost 9kg (1st 5lbs) over four months.
“I feel the best I’ve ever felt, I feel strong," Victoria says.
"I can carry my grandson, he’s super heavy now and I don’t feel it.
"It’s not really about trying to look younger, it’s about keeping fit and enjoying this stage in my life."
COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION
Victoria, who is married to partner Neil, says she has always exercised but it's usually been endurance cardio training, such as marathons.
“What I realised is that you need to work on your muscle stance otherwise if you just do loads of endurance, your metabolism gets used to you doing lots of endurance and you don’t lose weight,” she says.
“I try to train three times a week and then do three lots of cardio a week, too.
"But I don’t do long-distance running anymore, I stick to a 20 or 30-minute run.
“I also try to do some stretching like yoga or Pilates for my recovery. It’s really good for my mental health too."
I have a wall chart that I write on every day because I find it motivating
Victoria
When it comes to weight training, Victoria has gone from knowing next to nothing to feeling confident enough to do most of her sessions on her own, with one weekly workout with her trainer.
She says: “I work out for an hour each session - that’s with the recovery.
“You need to pause in between to recover so it’s probably about 40 minutes of being active.”
Victoria uses exercises such as hip extensions for the bum and lateral pulldowns for the back, using a “challenging weight” so that by the end reps she is finding it difficult.
She keeps track of her exercise and food with a chart at home, saying: “I try not to eat until later in the morning when I might have some yoghurt and fruit.
“Then later in the day, I’ll have a protein, like chicken or fish, with salad.
“I have a wall chart that I write on every day because I find it motivating.
“I try to do one form of exercise a day and walk 11,000 steps.
"I drink two litres of water and I don’t have any sugar or alcohol and that’s consistently what I try to do.
“I don’t always achieve that but I find having something visual really helpful.”
And the hard work has certainly paid off. Victoria not only feels amazing but her family and friends can’t believe the transformation.
“My boys think it’s cool," she says.
"They’re proud of me and they think it’s good that I’m bothered and making an effort to keep fit, especially when it comes to looking after my grandson James, who’s now two."
