Four months after giving birth to her fourth daughter, Jenny was feeling sluggish and unfit. But it took a comment from her nine-year-old daughter to shock her into action. “You know Mum, you really have a big bottom. It’s so wobbly.” When Jenny tried defending herself, instead she found herself agreeing. “So do something about then Mum,” came the response. And so she did.

From the regional town of Bright, Victoria, Jenny faced more obstacles than most to complete the 12 week BodyBlitz Challenge. Working part time as a waitress, raising four children, and running a household for six, left little time or energy to work out. But Jenny had made up her mind. “I needed the 12 week BodyBlitz Challenge to give myself a time limit, so there’d be no excuses or putting it off. I was in the right mindset – I desperately wanted to succeed. I wanted it so bad that nothing was going to stop me!” she says.

So how exactly did she fit in all that training? “At times it was really hard. I was physically exhausted. With one or two feeds with the baby each night, I was only getting five to six hours sleep in between. My two older girls were at school and my two youngest at home, so I would put them both in the pram and walk to the town or into the pine plantation. When they were in the lounge room, I would do abs or an exercise DVD and as soon as my baby went down for a nap, I would go and weight train for an hour.”

“Some days the housework would really pile up, because cooking, washing and cleaning for six people wouldn’t leave any time to train during the day. I was putting myself first. As soon as my husband came home I would do a six kilometre walk and run, coming back in the dark. Then I’d cook dinner, put the girls to bed and weight train at 8.30 at night. At times I pushed myself so hard I thought I would burst!”

Fast facts Biggest inspiration Previous BodyBlitz winners. A picture of Monica Brant from the BSN ad that I stuck up on my fridge. Biggest challenges Not enough hours in the day! I still had to squeeze in my normal duties: cooking, cleaning, running around for my children and husband. I suffered a little bit of guilt with my youngest child, because she didn’t always have my undying attention for 12 weeks like she did beforethe challenge. Biggest help My girlfriend and I did the challenge together, which helped because we had similar lives – children, home duties, eating program and an exercise routine to follow. Best response My mother had gone overseas for six weeks, so she really noticed a difference. Biggest lesson Believe in inner strength, mind over body instead of body over mind.

Jenny’s husband Steve is a bricklayer and part time personal trainer, but didn’t have time to train Jenny himself. While most would assume this would be an advantage, Jenny says she succeeded in the challenge despite him. “My husband rolled his eyes and said ‘that’s good, love’ in a sarcastic tone, when I told him that I was starting the BodyBlitz challenge. I thought, ‘I’ll show you!’” Ignoring his lack of faith, Jenny convinced him to help her write out a program, which she implemented herself in their home gym (a converted shed in their back yard). With no professional gym, no personal training and no experience, Jenny managed to lose 12 kilograms during the challenge. So how did Steve react? “My husband was so impressed. He has definitely fallen in love with me all over again,” says Jenny.

Trained as a chef in 1990, Jenny had to scale back on the rich, gourmet foods she was used to preparing, and concentrate on feeding herself clean, fresh foods several times a day. “I ate a lot more protein in the form of egg whites, tofu, chicken, beef, tuna and almonds.”

When asked how the BodyBlitz has changed her, Jenny’s response is philosophical, “When you are happy in yourself, everything else just seems to fall into place. I’m stronger, still the same person inside though, with a new respect in regards to my achievement.”

The town of Bright is in admiration of Jenny and her success. “A lot of friends have asked me for advice and I was only too happy to write up personal eating programs for them. One of my best friends recently entered the Challenge with her sister. My friend lost 12 kilos, looks and feels amazing. Her sister unfortunately didn’t complete the challenge. I was a bit disappointed but reminded myself that you can only plant the seed. They have to really want to make a change.”

Jenny is the first to admit the results aren’t all about looks. “As crazy as it sounds, I definitely love myself more, I’m not so critical of myself, I don’t put myself down anymore and I praise myself all the time, especially when I run up that big hill or run that 100 metres considerable faster than usual.”

Now that she has achieved such an impressive milestone, Jenny is setting her sights high. I’d love to enter a body-sculpting competition and represent Australia in the 800m Athletics. Ultimately, I want to help people transform their bodies,” she says.

On being the 2006 BodyBlitz Grand Champion, Jenny remarks, “There are really no words strong enough to describe the feeling. It definitely makes all the sacrifice and hard work worthwhile. The greatest pride comes from knowing that although I won the title of Grand Champion, it was earned, not bought or won like a raffle, but earned through hard work and sheer determination.”

We agree Jenny. Congratulations.