My Health & Fitness Journey

I have spent the majority of my teenage years and adult life unfit and overweight. I tried so many diets, often faddy ones that were unsustainable and left me feeling humiliated during the very public weigh in and role call of shame when i hadn’t lost weight that week.

Some of the diets also made me feel really unwell. 

I did lose a fair bit of weight for the short time i was doing some of these diets but i can honestly say, the way some of them made me feel wasn’t worth it.

Oh, and i put all the weight back on and more soon after i returned to my normal eating habits.

On 24th June 2019, i started to see a personal trainer with his own amazingly equipped gym in his back garden. He had been recommended to me by a friend and he was brilliant. He was kind, caring, encouraging and very knowledgeable. He was also firm and very realistic in his approach. 

He talked a lot about losing weight and getting healthy in a realistic and sustainable way. No fad diets (he had very strong views on these) and instead talked about the only way to lose weight was through a calorie deficit and that exercise should be done to aid weight loss and for the health benefits that it gives to our hearts, minds and bodies. ( I owe him a lot)

I discovered i actually enjoyed exercise but i was still struggling with getting my head around losing weight.

Then in April 2020 we were forced into our first Covid Lockdown and seeing my PT had to stop.

BUT, i carried on exercising at home. Unfortunately during the pandemic, my husband had an accident at work which required surgery. He no longer had the use of his right arm due to him completely detaching the ligament in his shoulder. He wasn’t able to work due to his injury and because it wasn’t seen as an emergency, surgery had to wait. This meant our income reduced considerably and i was unable to return to my PT once covid restrictions had been lifted.

Months went on with the scales going up and down but i was still exercising at home. I loved running, slow and steady was my pace and I loved lifting weights and using the TRX straps in my home gym.

Then on Wednesday 13th April 2022, i decided i’d had enough and needed to do something about my health and fitness. Call it an epiphany, a lightbulb moment or a wake up call when i saw a photo of myself taken the day before on my daughters 21st birthday, but whatever it was, i downloaded the Nutracheck App and started calorie counting. By Christmas i had lost 21lb and i was so proud of myself.

I decided i wanted to help others move away from faddy diets and weight loss groups. They hadn’t worked for me and maybe my way would work for others. 

So i embarked on a level 2 PT course and on 1st September 2023, I achieved it. 

However, having completed it, i decided being a one to one PT wasn’t what I wanted to do. I like being with people and working in small or larger groups is more my thing and I still wanted to help others like me. I’m a menopausal women and have learned from experience how important it is to keep active as you get older, so i embarked on a level 2 exercise to music course which i loved and that’s how i ended up doing exercise classes for the over 40’s.

However, things are never straight forward and during 2023 i started to have problems with my lower back, right hip and right thigh which meant running was too painful. After visiting the GP and being referred for an Xray on my hips and an ultrasound scan on my right groin which took the best part of 18 months, I was  given a wrong diagnosis, along with the advice that it was probably best that I didn't run anymore.  

I was gutted but followed his advice because he said that if I carried on, the degeneration of my spine would speed up. I loved running. It wasn’t just about the physical benefits, it was what it did for my mental wellbeing as well. Being outside in the fresh air, in my own space with my own thoughts was what i really loved. I didn’t run fast or far but it was my time for me. I decided to see a private physiotherapist who after a few sessions with no improvement, referred me for an MRI scan. 

I was diagnosed with Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome. (Look it up, It's painful) I was told I needed a steroid injection in my Gluteus Medius which sorted the pain out for a while but the pain soon returned. After a further consultation with a different spine surgeon, it turned out not to be my spine that was the problem but  my hip so he discharged me from his care and referred me to a hip surgeon. After a thorough examination and consultation, it turns out that I don't have arthritis in my spine or hip, they actually look pretty healthy for someone in their mid fifties.

Over a twelve month period,  I saw two spine surgeon, a hip surgeon, a physiotherapist and a sports therapist. I’ve had x-rays, ultrasound scans, examinations, physiotherapy and massages, (through the NHS and private). It took a lot of persistence and constant nagging on my part but I’ve eventually been told that it’s not my spine or my hip joint that is the problem. 

Apparently the muscles in my right thigh are much stronger and tighter than those in my left one which has caused an imbalance in how I move. It’s caused considerable pain and discomfort at times. 

With regular physiotherapy which I will continue to do in my own time, this should improve. It won’t happen overnight, but with hard work, commitment and dedication over the next few months, I should see a significant improvement. 

And the best news ever was being told as long as long as I’m not stupid or overdo it I can start running again.

So here I am. Mid 50's, body degenerating with some aches, pains and stiffness but with a desire to stay fit, active and healthy and to help others do the same in a fun way.

🐝 💪🏻 🐝 🏋️‍♀️ 🐝 🥦 🐝 🍫 🐝 🏃‍♀️