Everyone wants to look good and feel confident - but it takes work.
Shannon Collins, 44, AKA The Gym Nurse to her 140,000 Instagram followers, is known for sharing fitness advice online. But - even though she's the fittest she's ever been - it's not down to cutting out the food she loves.
She recently revealed it took her years to get into shape and feel strong in her own skin. There's no quick way to transform your bod - you just have to work at it.
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If you want to be fit and strong, she said it can take years as opposed to months. You'll need food, heavy weights and a lot of sleep to achieve success, according to the super fit mum.
When it comes to fitness, she said a lot of people need to rid their expectations and just go with the journey. It took her a while to realise this and now she looks amazing.
She often flaunts her toned abs in gym pictures, and she looks super strong in the process. Shannon is in the best shape of her life, but she admits it's taken dedication to get there.
Writing on Instagram, Shannon said: "Years not months. So many need to manage their expectations.
"They are constantly goal hopping or permanently trying the 'two for one deal', and are confused why nothing ever changes for them. Assuming you are actually training optimally, you still don’t give it enough time and expect way too much too soon.
"This doesn’t mean nothing is happening along the way, but it takes time for those changes to add up. You may also need a fat loss stage in future to reveal new muscle.
"Quit trying to lose 5-10lbs all the time when you have nothing to show for yourself. Did you spend a significant amount of time building anything?
"If the answer is no why do you think you’ll look different this time?? Put some time in so you can see some changes."
Since she shared the post over 1,800 people have liked it, and her followers were quick to comment too. Many were also quick to ask questions.
One person said: "I wish I would have started in my 20s or 30s instead of my 50s. But I'm glad I'm doing it now." Another added: "I just started lifting again a month ago. Normally I give up at this point because I’m starting to feel bulky.
"Your posts give me encouragement and keep me going. I won’t give up this time! Trying hard to be patient and kind to myself in the meantime. Thank you for your posts and info!!"
A third wrote: "Even though I have quite a bit of fat to lose, I’m in maintenance. Taking advantage of all these carbs and lifting like I’ve never lifted before."
Meanwhile, a fourth commented: "Ahhh the food part. The part uneducated people forget we need to thrive. Thanks for sharing!
"These are the types of posts we need to share across social media. Not the quick fixes with the calorie intake of toddlers."
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