I changed my shape, improved my health & brought my cholesterol down...

It was in the January of 2003 that I stopped doing the Atkins Diet and there'll be no surprises here but the weight came straight back on, pretty much all 2.5st - I'll explain exactly why that happens another time. After my trip to the docs, the shock of learning of my dangerously high cholesterol level and the realisation that at the age of 22 I was going to be on pills for the rest of my life, I decided to stick the

two fingers up at Statins and do what the doctor should have prescribed in the first place - EXERCISE!

And so it started...

I bought a bike, set myself a goal, and enrolled on the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride. An excuse to visit home but a goal none the less! Guess what? Good intentions and all, but I never really got round to training for it because I didn't have anyone holding me accountable! A few weeks passed and I had a change of plan. I remember it like it was yesterday. I turned up on the Saturday morning to my first ever fitness class. I rather nervously introduced myself to the instructor who patted my on the arm and said "don't worry, we'll get you some tone in these arms" - Cheeky Sod! It all started with Body Pump, then Legs, Bums & Tums and before I knew it I was doing nine aerobics classes a week, sometimes more. I was

determinded for this to work and got the bug to say the least!

I travelled round to different leisure centres (there's been a few memeberships over the years!)

to attend the classes I enjoyed and that fit around my 70+ hours per week that I was putting in as a Photographer back then. I barely saw my fella of the time and despite bringing my cholesterol down by a whopping 1.8 to 6.4 within a few months, I was actually told by my GP to cut back on the exercise who then proceeded to prescribe me Statins again! Can you believe that? I change my shape, improve my health and bring my cholesterol down from 8.2 to 6.4 by exercise alone and the GP says I should reduce my exercise and take pills. Now, I’m not going to digress too much but as a qualified Exercise Referral (GP Referral) trainer, that doctor makes my blood boil!

This time I gave the doctor the two fingers (not literally!) and continued on my way enjoying being active. In total I lost the 2.5st I had piled back on and brought my cholesterol down to a much better 5.6. Not a single pill taken! OK it took me much longer than the first time but it was maintainable, I was much healthier and I could even enjoy a glass of wine! :)

All was good, I was slim (ish!) and it stayed that way for a few years, not always doing classes as they can get very samey. When I got bored I gave the gym a go, I’d never done that before either, but I plucked up the courage and got on with it. I'd spend hours in there, sometimes 7 days in a row doing the same thing over and over again! 40 minutes on the cross trainer, a small stint on the bike or treadmill and then off to play with the machines doing a couple of sets of 20 reps on each machine in turn, finishing off with a few crunches using that metal contraption thing on the mats! Sound familiar??!!

Fast forward to 2008 and I’d moved back up to Stockport. I kept up the gym for a while but didn't really put my all into it and slowly the weight started creeping back on. Every now and then I re-joined the gym and gave it another stint, but I really struggled with motivation so I soon gave up again. That was until 2011 when Tim (my now husband) had proposed, the wedding date was set and the dress was bought. I did what most brides do and quite happily bought a dress that was a size two small so off to join the gym I went... AGAIN!