SURREY - A 52-year-old mother has turned her life around by cutting her weight of 220 lbs. in half.Now at 110 pounds, Gabriela Porcina is proud of winning a Steve Nash Fitness World award. The award is given to the clients of the gym who have shown to lose the most weight through endurance, above the expectations of their age, and who have proven their determination through healthy living. The contest is open to clients all across the 15 locations."All my friends were telling me, 'You will never lose weight,'" she said.According to Stats Canada, those aged 45 to 64 have the highest selfreported overweight or obese rate at 60 per cent in 2011. Women are susceptible to difficulty in losing weight after menopause.Porcina was determined to change her lifestyle after her eldest son's wedding in 2010."When the photographer posted the wedding photos online, I wasn't in a single one," she said.After two years of mental preparation and motivation, Porcina decided to prove to herself she could do it."The day that I turned 50, I stepped out of my bed and said, 'This is it.'"I told my (my husband) I didn't want a party. I want something bigger. I'm changing my life today," she said. "I enrolled myself at the gym, and that same day I started."Husband and home coach to the lifestyle change, Robert Porcina, saidwhen Gabriela first started hitting the gym, it was almost impossible to keep her there."She gave up many times at the beginning," he said. "She was struggling and (would) only go halfway through the class and make excuses."Her husband constantly encouraged her to eat healthy, which Gabriela says was her biggest challenge."The beginning was hard because I've never worked hard," she said.Porcina began to notice changes in her health, including her sinus problems disappearing.Porcina recalled the day she won the award."I was emotional because I realized I became somebody else," she said. "That was the day I had realized I finally changed my life."Porcina now has her sights set on the Master Women's Bodybuilding Competition in October, which she is preparing for."People told me when I turned 50, to improve would be hard," she said."I still feel like a young woman. Now I'm somebody."