Great Bodies - Gemma Miller

We always hear great stories about great people that do great things. About people that have shaped the history of humanity in ways that no one will ever forget. However, we do tend to loose out of sight the little people that do great things. Things that don’t shape the course of history, that don’t remain in the annals of history, that only show and prove the will of the human spirit, and how one can change his or her life from bad to good.

Such story is the one of Gemma Miller. When Gemma Miller turned 30 she was handling multi-million dollar accounts for world-famous London insurer Lloyd’s. An Oxford graduate, she and her stockbroker husband Howard led the kind of City lifestyle that was as financially rewarding as it was physically demanding.

Three years later and her days could hardly be filled more differently. Gemma is now a full-time personal trainer whose fanaticism for fitness has led her to compete for Britain in the World Bodybuilding Championships. The hefty bonuses and the late-night drinking sessions are a distant memory…I dare say this is already a victory, a great victory. Her thirty-something career change proves it is possible to get off the nine-to-five treadmill and do something more rewarding regardless of how much is at stake, if you are determined enough. This is something that many of us should learn. But fitness has always been Gemma’s passion. She represented North Yorkshire in the 100 m as a 13-year-old and continued to shine in hockey, netball and rounders when she attended Wadham College at Oxford University, where she studied Japanese for five years, just because she heard it’s a difficult language to learn and she enjoys a good challenge.

After graduating aged 23 she taught English and music in a Japanese primary school before returning to work for Lloyd’s as a political risk insurance broker, which entailed insuring a bank that was funding an oil-for-food programme in Iraq against war breaking out. As Gemma’s new high-pressure lifestyle kicked in, her love of sport got pushed to one side and her weight shot up to 11 stone. Depressed by the extra pounds, she eventually consulted a personal trainer. That was the moment that made her really get into fitness. After her mother died she realized that there is no point into working herself out to exhaustion for a job that wasn’t even appealing to her anymore.

By November 2003 she had gained enough muscle to enter the under-52 kg lightweight class at the EFBB Stars of Tomorrow competition, where she soon discovered what serious bodybuilding was all about. She didn’t win but her potential, particularly her amazing calves, was noted and she was asked to represent Britain at the IFBB European Championships the following year in Portugal. It was an incredible honor for someone so new to the sport. She is now a trainer, helping other middle aged women keep healthy and in shape. She is happy with her results, and she focuses on getting on the higher tops of this industry. Her story is truly one to admire, and that I believe can inspire many to make a decision that may change their life to better.