Before I started training I was in a pretty strange place, I would lie to myself and say everything was ok and that I was happy. I would avoid looking too deeply at myself in the mirror and photos but as I come to reflect on it I now know that I was not happy and in fact ashamed of myself!

There wasn’t just one tipping point but a lot! They all came crashing down on me like a landslide. Some of the bigger ones were that I didn’t want my boy seeing me and thinking it was healthy being my size or him secretly being embarrassed by me. I also wanted to start dating again but my confidence was at an all time low at the time and shopping for clothes was a nightmare, I had to shop online most of the time as shops wouldn’t hold my size! One day it was like a switch went off in my head and I knew I had to do something about the situation I was in, my sister had recently informed me about Impact and I have never looked back since first contact with them!

My biggest fear on starting down this path was having strangers looking at me and judging me on my size whilst I was trained. I actually started training in baggy clothes so my ‘curves’ couldn’t be seen whilst I trained!

My early sessions were really hard! It was all completely new to me as I have never lifted before so my body didn’t like it one bit! JP helped me through though, showing me the correct form for each lift and was (still is!) very motivating, explaining to me what muscle groups each exercise was working and how it was helping my body. My sessions are more than the training though, as JP would talk about my diet and nutrition and what foods I should be eating and how they would help with my training, it’s actually a very friendly atmosphere at Impact as everyone there has a great attitude and likes to have a laugh.

I’m close to reaching my initial weight goal now but I just use that as I reference, physically and mentally I feel a great deal better about myself, sure I have some times where I feel I’m not making progress but I continue to put the work in to get the results I want. I also feel my outlook on life is changing as well. I want to do more with myself now, it’s strange how changing your diet and doing training can shake things up! I can also go into a clothes shop now and be confident that they will have something in my size, my son has also taken an interest in my progress and is looking forward to the day when he can join me at the gym! I still have a long road ahead but I am now no longer ashamed when I look in the mirror although I still do try to dodge the camera!