HOW MUM GERRY REDISCOVERED HER FITNESS IN HER FORTIES

After having her two children, Gerry found she had lost her way – neglecting her health and her fitness, her confidence also suffering as a result. Now, at 41, she’s found herself again through exercise and can’t wait to take on her next challenge…

‘A t, 37 I was determined that I would not hit my forties an unfit, overweight, heavy smoker,’ says Gerry. By this point in her life, her children were in their teens and she had put so much effort into being a good mum for so long that she barely recognised herself.

Over the years Gerry’s weight had crept up to 78kg, she did no exercise, ate badly and smoked heavily. Gerry admits she was ‘terrified’ of the gym and the Lycra that she felt inevitably went with it. But as she approached her forties something clicked.

‘I definitely didn’t want to start another decade feeling like I had done for the last one. I realised there wasn’t any time left to think or talk about doing it, I just had to get on with doing it.’

She had moved close to Nuffield Health Plymouth and decided to join the fitness and wellbeing centre. For the first month or so, Gerry says, she did little more than splash around in the pool. But it wasn’t long before another member encouraged her to join the classes.

‘From that point I was hooked,’ she says. ‘I was doing three or four classes a week and it was improving my fitness, but I hadn’t really lost any weight and a lot of that was down to my diet being appalling. No amount of classes were going to cancel out the effects of my sweet tooth.’

So Gerry kept up her classes but started seeing Simon, her personal trainer, who immediately got her to keep a food diary. In the first week Gerry lost 4kg. So from that point on she kept it up.

Having lost almost 20kg and gaining new-found confidence and strength, Gerry says she wouldn’t look back. Gerry’s proudest moment to date has been completing Plymouth’s 12km Tough Enuff obstacle race with two of her gym buddies.