I have always kept myself fit in the form of running, yoga and hill walking with my beloved dogs but rarely in a gym! So when I started having back pain and was advised not to do exercise I was gutted but didn’t give up. I sought advice and was recommended a local gym. After…

In my teens I suffered a nasty fall from my horse which broke my pelvis in 2 places. Everything healed but not quite correctly. Gradually over the years my pelvis gave me ever increasing back pain to a point where I struggled without painkillers every day. Despite being a sporty person all my life I…

Just over two years ago I was diagnosed with an auto immune disease called Dermatomyositis, which mainly affected my muscles. I had got to a point where I was finding my illness was taking over my life and what I perceived were my physical capabilities. It was at this point that I decided to get…

I left the Army in 2014 with a patella tendon issue that 2 rounds of rehab had failed to fix completely. I also had core and back issues having had three children quite close together – I was pretty broken! I truly believed that my running days were over and I would forever be limited…

I have always been one to value my health and fitness, and for as long as I can remember my life has revolved around sport. I have run a half marathon, cycled London to Paris and taken part in many dance competitions, all of which I have loved.

I mark up my Diary every year with ‘G’ for Gym on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I’m in there by 0900 and back at work at my computer by 10:00 at the latest. I am 82 this year but I began this more intensive training five years ago. You have to put the time in…

In 2014 at the age of 62 I was unfortunately involved in a serious car accident which resulted in spinal, hip, sternum and foot injuries. I spent several weeks immobilised at the Queen Elizabeth Military Trauma in Birmingham. The paramedics and hospital medical staff did a great job and prevented my condition from becoming much more serious.

At home I spent many months wearing a body brace and my mobility was further impaired by a pronounced limp caused by a severe trauma injury to the right hip. I found it really hard to make the adjustment from an active exercise orientated lifestyle to a sedentary existence. It became clear I needed specialist help.

I went to the Doctors three years ago with intermittent back pain. She told me that I had poor ‘Core Strength’ and advised me to improve my fitness and strength. Well I had last been in a Gym in 1961 when I left school, but I went. It was a totally alien environment, I might…

At the age of 28, I came to realise that I was never going to be the slim figured woman who could eat what she wanted and never put on weight that I was a decade ago. I had tried fad diets and 7 minute workouts, bought the books and downloaded the apps and I…

For 27 years I have lived with a rare condition called Sarcoidosis, which mainly causes a constant shortage of breath and also tiredness and a general feeling of being unwell. I had reached a point where the medication I had been taking didn’t seem to be having much effect on my condition anymore.

I was always sporty at school, often playing school matches every weekend, but I was also one of the bigger girls. Finally, I now look at myself in the mirror and I can honestly say I’m totally happy with how I look.