‘I hated exercise… now I compete In 10-mile races!’
Laura Dowds, 27, lives in whitburn.
Height: 5ft 5in Lost: 2st
Something I don’t miss, whenever I’m getting dressed for a night out, is Spanx. These days, being able to slip on a size-8 bodycon dress or a pair of skinny jeans and know I look fine without squeezing myself into one – sometimes even two – pairs of control pants is a big victory for me!
It wasn’t until I started going out drinking in my twenties that the excess pounds crept on. My weight inched up to 12st, so in March 2015 I joined Weight Watchers. When I lost 6lb in the first week, I felt great. But while I’d certainly slimmed down following the plan, I hadn’t taken up any kind of exercise.
I thought it was time to try, but on my first run, I had to stop every few minutes. Still, I’d told my partner Colin, ‘I’m going to be able to run five miles by next year,’ and I wanted to stick with it.
I built up my runs day by day around the streets or some local woodland, as well as going to the gym and trying out classes. As the weeks passed, I found I could run further and further… until one day I managed five miles!
It had been tough, mentally and physically, but achieving it gave me the confidence to set a new goal. In 2016 I took part in the 10-mile Great Edinburgh Run, completing it in just 1 hour 50 minutes!
I’ve gone from despising exercise to running 10 miles, and if I can learn to love exercise, anyone can.