Marie joined THRIVE Personal Training & Health wanting to improve her overall strength and health, get back into shape, and lose a little bit of weight. A big priority for her was building core strength to help with lower back pain, so she could feel confident running if she wanted to and moving more freely day to day.
Underlying all of this was a simple but powerful motivation — staying fit and healthy for her children.
The Challenge
Before starting the 6-Week Foundation Programme, Marie experienced lower back pain and didn’t always feel confident in her strength or fitness. Busy family life made consistency, sleep, and nutrition more challenging, and weight training — particularly upper body work — was something she wasn’t fully comfortable with.
She wanted training that felt motivating, supportive, and realistic alongside everything else going on in her life.
The Turning Point
One of the biggest shifts for Marie was how motivated she felt to train. She pushed herself in sessions and gradually built confidence with weight training, especially with upper body lifts.
A standout example was her barbell bench press, where both her confidence and the weight she could lift improved significantly over the six weeks. She also discovered that she really enjoyed the small group personal training format — something she hadn’t done before — and found the social element and shared energy hugely motivating.
The Results
Marie saw strong improvements across her lifestyle scores:
- Fitness increased by 3 points
- Sleep improved by 2 points
- Hydration increased by 3 points
- Diet improved by 1 point
- Relationship with alcohol improved by 1 point
- Relationship with stress improved by 2 points
- Overall happiness increased by 2 points
While her overall body composition didn’t change dramatically, this was actually a positive outcome. Her InBody scan showed that muscle balance in her legs improved significantly, addressing a previous imbalance. This shift in body composition and movement quality is likely a key reason her lower back pain has improved.
Just as importantly, the strength she built in the gym translated directly into everyday life. Movements that used to cause discomfort — like the SkiErg — no longer hurt her lower back, and she no longer gets out of breath lifting her baby up the stairs. These real-world changes were some of her biggest wins.
Marie recognised that with a busy life she could have slept a little more and managed nutrition more consistently, but her progress shows what’s possible even without perfection.
As Marie put it:
“I feel stronger, more confident, and much more capable in everyday life.”
What This Means for You
Marie’s experience highlights that training isn’t just about numbers on a bar or the scales. Building strength, confidence, and better movement can reduce pain and make everyday life feel easier — especially when you’re training to keep up with your kids.