From self-doubt to summit strength.

Before Goodnick

Before Goodnick, Lindsay was unhappy with her physical condition. "I guess I sort of loathed my body. I wasn't overweight, but I was very, very out of condition." A shopping trip for holiday clothes was the low point. "I could hardly look in the mirror when I was trying things on because everything was saggy." Turning 60 was the wake-up call. "I'd already had a bit of a meltdown because I was turning 60. I thought, right, I need to put some action in place now to try and face the future."

Her biggest fear was losing mobility. "My children are quite adrenaline junkies. Recently we went on a family holiday to Canada doing all sorts of things, whitewater rafting, quad biking, zip wiring. I would really hate to think that I couldn't take part in things like that."

She hadn't tried online fitness before. "I haven't tried any previously." The appeal was accessibility and focus. "The fact that I could do Goodnick at home in my own time, only 20 minutes a day, but regular and very good cost. I just thought this is definitely worth giving a go." She started with a two-week session, moved to a nine-week programme, then committed to the annual plan, now in her second year.

Getting started

Getting going was effortless. "Very easy indeed," she said, after finding the programme through an Instagram ad. The three 20-minute sessions fit a hectic schedule. "I work part-time, I do voluntary work, I've got an elderly mother, a dog, a garden and a husband. Every single day is different, so 20 minutes three times a week is great."

The at-home format is everything. "It's massive. It doesn't matter what I wear. No one can see me. If I haven't washed my hair, who cares? I couldn't stick to a regular time at a gym." She's even trained in a bikini in a heatwave. "I was really glad no one could see me." And Emma keeps her honest. "Some days I think, I just don't feel like doing this today. But then I've got Emma in my head going, come on, it's only 20 minutes, get it done."

She's genuinely fond of her coach. "My children come and say, how's Emma? My husband will say, how was Emma today? She is just brilliant." The changing settings keep it fresh. "This past couple of weeks have been in her garden with the dogs, and that's just been fantastic." And Emma's timing is uncanny. "She's just got this sixth sense of when to say keep going, don't give up, pull your tummy in, don't forget to breathe."

What changed

Lindsay noticed her progress on a walk with her Jack Russell. "I have very sore knees. They've been like that since I was in my 40s. There was one day when I was going for a walk and there were some quite deep steps. I just sort of hopped up on them and I thought, wow, in a minute my knees are going to hurt." The pain never came. Longer walks improved too. "I'm from the Lake District and we go back to walk in the hills. Any sort of climbing, especially coming downhill, would have been excruciating, and that's so much better now."

What she'd say to someone thinking about it

These days a steep climb doesn't faze her. "I can look at a big hill and think, no, I know I can get to the top." And she's clear it was worth persevering. "I'm not a quitter, but if I hadn't enjoyed it and it wasn't easy to fit into my life, I wouldn't have persevered with it."