I’m writing this having just done something I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing six months ago but a bit first about where this journey started.

I was pretty fit as a teenager but over the years I got busier with working full time and raising my son and there never seemed to be time for exercise. To be honest I thought you had to spend hours on running machines or at a gym full of ‘meat heads’ and ‘bunnies’ and none of this appealed to me so I made all sorts of excuses not to do it.

Jodie Before, with her son.

Having gone up and down in weight for a few years with different diets and slimming clubs I found I was back in a space where I wasn’t happy with my body and that was making me fed up. I spent my holiday last September on the sun lounger looking down at a body that I really didn’t want to admit was mine. I still didn’t do anything about it though, just got another drink from the bar and buried my head further in the sand.

A few weeks later, and back at home with another alcoholic beverage in hand, I was sat on my sofa thinking about the impending winter and dark nights. I was flicking through social media and up popped PW Physique and Fitness challenging me to ‘Lose a dress size in 21 days’. I’d seen a friend posting about this place and having probably had one too many drinks I signed up. To make sure I carried it through I posted to all my friends and family what I was doing.

The next week was my first session and assessment and I went along with trepidation and in truth thinking it would just be another one of my fads. How wrong could I have been.

I got the friendliest welcome whichever class I went to. No one was judging you, if fact, everyone wanted to help and encourage.…