Before discovering Slimpod, Loopy Lou, as we know her in Slimpod Club, was battling some significant challenges. She was a heavy drinker, struggling with deep unhappiness and a lack of desire to exercise.
The weight of feeling “too old” to change her exercise habits hung heavily over her.
But everything shifted when she joined Slimpod. For over three years now, she hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol, and her transformation has been truly remarkable. It has been a joy to watch!
Before and After with Slimpod, by Loopy Lou
Fast forward to today, Lou is a globe-trotting, or should I say, globe-hiking Simpodder! She has set the group five walking challenges for 2024 (Aberdeen was added later).
Her Plodding Podders World Tour is already making waves, having recently conquered the Moonwalk, Aberdeen’s Wee Wander and just this weekend the Gower Peninsula Mighty Hike!
Four of five hikes Lou’s doing this year (Aberdeen’s Wee Wander was added after)
The Mighty Hike - training phase
The Gower Peninsula Macmillan Mighty Hike is a whopping 26 miles long, full of hills and fantastic scenery!
The elevation profile of the hike
Views during the hike taken by Amanda
Joining Loopy Lou on this hike was the wonderful Lisa Sinclair. Both of these wonderful Podders have been training hard for the hike for months.
Lisa and Lou getting ready to start
Just Because You Didn’t Like Something Then, Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Like It Now
Loopy Lou says: “The old me would have planned to ignore my entry and wouldn’t bother going…(well, no, the old me wouldn’t have entered in the first place) but Trevor has decided this is totally doable, albeit at a snail’s pace.
“So….for the girl who once caught the bus on a school cross country run to save having to…well…run it, I am going to embrace my fear of not being able to ascend and descend very easily, my fear of being airlifted off and my fear of letting down anyone joining me, and actually put some effort into training for it!”
“Don’t listen to yourself when you say you can’t do something. If you want to, you will do it. This may not be physical activity, it can be anything you tell yourself you can’t do….YOU CAN!”
Training was not all straightforward, as nothing truly is. Prior to the hike Lou and Lisa both were nervous at the thought of the hike filled with daunting hills.
But with inspiring determination they both kept at it, with added humour. “Wobbles are fine! They drive us on!” said Lou.
“Not only can I do a spectacular wobble, I can also do steely determination and wicked humour so those two things combined with, of course, my very funny, maybe just as wobbly walking partner Lisa Sinclair, means we will do it.
“We may not be home in time for tea, and we may crawl it, and we may cry, but we will do it without so much as a visit to A&E.
“Trevor assures us we can do this, so who are we to argue?”
Doodle of her walking boots by Loopy Lou
The hike
“Believe in Yourself, You’ll Be Amazed at What You Can Do!”
The day arrived on Saturday July 6 and it was a whirlwind of emotions. “Excitement to see Lisa Sinclair, who had driven 400 miles to join me, fear of what was ahead, joy at meeting another Podder Lyn Fox who came to support us, and an unwelcome emotion of self-doubt…oh..and of course the dread of pain!”
At around 12 miles in, Lou felt like quitting. She took five minutes to calm herself, asking if she truly believed she could do it. Thankfully, the answer was yes otherwise Lou might still be on that cliff!
“ As for self-belief….around mile 12 I’ve never had to look so hard at myself, and imagine what if I quit and Lisa finished? Absolutely no way!! We were in it together! Could I get a grip of myself?
“Lisa went on ahead and I sat down on the cliff. I did deep breathing, I could hear Trevor and you Sandra somewhere in me saying “you can do this”.
“I looked at Lyn’s positive pants gift and I knew I just needed to calm down, and believe in myself. Five minutes later, I was back on my feet and plodded on. Lisa was waiting further up for me, she was pretty low too, but we decided to carry on to lunch stop and see how we felt….the rest is now history!”
Lou, Lisa and Lyn
“Podders….never doubt yourself, dig deep, get support, (I couldn’t have done it without Lisa spouting words of encouragement and swear words as we went up and down cliffs).
“Keep going Podders, in whatever you do. Believe you can do anything, (from ditching the scales to climbing a mountain) You really can do things you never imagined!”
Not only was Lisa walking with Loopy Lou, another Slimpodder came to cheer them both on, Lyn Fox and her husband waited on the sidelines to encourage them as they passed, giving them a gift.
“The fact Lyn bought us the positive pants little gift meant more than she will ever know. It will come with me on every single challenge in the future!”
Positive pants gift for Lou and Lisa from Lyn
Lisa said: “If Trevor sets a seed in your head Podders, he usually wins and wow what a win it can be. This was one of my goals on my latest goal map so now for an updated one. Keep podding, keep winning and never give up.”
Do let Lou and Lisa know what you think
Please do leave a comment below to let Lou and Lisa know how well they’ve done. All comments are monitored by the Slimpod team, so yours make take a little while to appear.
Every day I share helpful motivational tips and advice on Instagram and I’d love you to follow my page @sandraroycroftdavis
55 thoughts on “Conquering the Mighty Hike: From self-doubt to triumph”
A truly inspirational story! Well done! 😍
well done 😊😊😊 I myself have been paddle boarding twice with my grandaughter ! somthing I thought at 54 I was too old for lol
But Trevor made me 😅 good luck on your other walks. amazing 👏 💛
Great positivity and a motivational boost. well done girls. Thanks for the story and motivation.
Well done 👏!
I have had about a month where my motivation, mainly due to external stresses, was plummeting. Having read all the coaching videos, listened to all the pods religiously and really starting to feel motivated, I couldn’t believe how quickly I have lost it all. Then Loopy Lou’s blog arrived in my inbox and suddenly I repeated Lou’s words “You can do it!”
So, I’m going off for a walk and am determined to get back on the coaching videos, stop the constant snacking and restart the daily workouts. At the end of the day, as Sandra says, ‘You can’t fall off the wagon, because there isn’t a wagon to fall off!’ So thank you Loopy Lou for convincing me that I shouldn’t give up!
very well done. be proud. I can’t is not in our vocabulary any more.
an inspiration to all podders.
Well done absolutely amazing you both are truly inspirational
What an awesome achievement!! you both must be so proud of yourselves!
Ladies, what an inspiration! Thank you. your story has brought tears to my eyes, because I know I am going to get out of life what I want because I’m committed.
Well done Lou and Lisa, you are both an amazing inspiration to us all, keep up the good work 👏xx
Wow such an honest inspiring story thank you both for sharing
You know how proud I am of you. One of the best buddy a podder could ask for
Fantastic, you both are an inspiration to us all !!!
An inspiration, thankyou, truly remarkable
Wow!! That’s a truly amazing and inspirational story! Thanks for sharing 😊
Thank you for sharing. Very inspiring. I use to do running and was part of a running club. Since my weight has increased I have done less and less exercise. I am going to take this as a starting point to do more. if you can do. I can do it. Positive pants.
You’re not old at all, Loopy Lou. Well done you.
Well done both of you, great achievement.
Well done ladies, truly inspirational and I love the positive pants. Keep up the good work 👏
This is excellent, well done ladies. I did the Thames Path 26 mile mighty hike in the past, and this year we’re just doing the 13 miles. But I’m nowhere near as fit as I was then and it’s worrying me. However, having read this, I know we can do it xx
wonderful to read this, so inspiring!
How wonderful….you set these remarkable challenges and did it…..really inspiring…I love that you share your doubts challenges and “ wobbles” ….lovely you found other podders to go along and cheer you on…..that Trevor was right about you being able to do this. You are fabulous and again so inspiring!!
Wow , you two are amazing. I only did 13 miles on my Thames Path Mighty Hike 3 years ago. You are both so inspirational, I will dig out my walking boots soon .
Congratulations 👏 👏
Huge win and well done 👏 I’m truly inspired by you both – I did the moonwalk and I said never again BUT I may now have another go 👍🏻😀
So well done ladies 👏 👏
fabulous work ladies! that’s an incredible achievement – you should be so very proud of yourselves. and you’ve given me a much needed hit of motivation too – so thank you 🤩
I admire your determination and courage! That’s a long way to walk! Well done! ☺️
Well done! Amazing! Inspirational! Thank you! My first day with Slimpod and your story has given me so much hope and motivation. I will get on top of my sluggish feelings … with the help of my new friends! 💜
you were both so inspiring. It was my pleasure to support you and you have motivated me to do much more walking myself and hopefully to do a walk myself next year 😘💖 x
Well done girls
you must feel so proud of yourselves and rightly so
👏👏👏
Amazing ladies well done 👏 👏
What a wonderful adventure and accomplishment! And a fun read. And super artwork! You are an inspiration. (It’s truly special being a part of this community.)
There’s a book called “What to say when you talk to yourself” – (I have a copy). It’s all about self-talk and the positivity one can achieve. So, many congratulations on your self-talks and a stunning victory at the end.
Am in the middle of two huge independent theatre projects – my particular passion- almost on edge if a wobble, terrible self doubt – and then this arrives…….one foot after the other, small bites of tasks … planning …. I think i’m “Loopy” too ….arrived at perfect time to re motivate me and overcome fear
Well done 👏👏
That’s amazing! Congratulations. I’m new to slimpod and I was on that Mighty Hike too with a group of friends. It was a tough route, you should be so proud!
What an inspirational story! I’m truly moved by it and feel much closer to the front door than the sofa !! Well done and how wonderful of Lynne and her husband to support you like that. I wish I was at your position on my own personal route but will get there one day encouraged by stories like yours. Well done!
Totally inspiring. Well done for continuing and breaking through that uncomfortableness. I love reading about other people’s achievements, it just goes to show how amazing our bodies are.
Fantastic achievement ladies. You are both amazing. Truly inspirational. 👏🏻👏🏻❤️
Thank you for sharing how amazing it feels to conquer your fears and do what you have set out to do. Well done to both of you.
Well done Ladies, I know just how challenging the MH can be I did the Lake District MH 5 years ago (my 60th year ☺️) I was slimmer & fitter & feel I could never do it again, however your story has made me think, “yes I can” maybe with more podders?? FANTASTIC 👏👏👏
What an amazing and inspirational story. Well done!
Truly well done, My friends call me Lucy Lou, so I was immediately drawn to your post
I’m walking to town today instead of driving, it’s a start
wow, just wow! congratulations 👏. I have a goal to get up at 5.30am and go paddling with my husband next summer. we live 5 minutes from the bay and my kayak stands ready. with Trevor’s help I hope to get going to be ready in 3-4 months time. If he can do it at 73, I can do it at 67!
Absolutely amazing you’re a true inspiration 🥰
Lovely post and well done to both of you x
Hey, well done you two! I bet those endorphins really kicked in at the end and hopefully inspire you to do more. Speaking of inspiration, I think your story has encouraged me to come back to Slimpodding after a long hiatus. Thank you and all the best.
Look at what you can achieve when you believe in yourself. Fantastic 👏
Wow so proud of you. You so encourage others and one day I will join you on a stroll wearing my positive pants x
Congratulations, well done to you both. 👏
Wow what an inspirational pair. You are brilliant and thank you for sharing 👏👏
What a truly inspirational tale! Not just your physical determination, but your mental determination to set it up in the first place and then see the task through. Lovey story to read. Thanks for sharing.
Congratulations you are all so inspiring!!
well done ladies
Well done to you both. Truly inspirational