"I joined The DVCC in July 2021. At a young age, I used to do field athletics and went on to play hockey for Bletchley ladies and then played netball way into my thirties.
When I was thirty we owned a pub – we had the barn converted into bedrooms and consequently, I kept relatively fit working many hours a week cooking, cleaning and servicing bedrooms with our brilliant set of staff.
We did this for 15 years and then decided to sell up.
I wanted to work and ended up working for myself and set up a promotional merchandise business.
I’m still doing this but it led to me having a very sedentary lifestyle which was even worse when the dreaded COVID 19 closed the country down. The beautiful weather didn’t help and reading whilst luxuriating in the warm sunshine with a glass of something cool proved to be a really bad thing for me.
My knees have been sore for many years but they had become so bad that I struggled to walk any distance without excruciating pain.
I couldn't get up and down from the floor and struggled to get going when I’d been sitting for too long.
I have an underactive thyroid and metabolic syndrome so losing weight was just not happening by diet alone and I knew that I had to do something about it and arranged to meet Henry at the DVCC to discuss the trial.
Apprehensively, I signed up for Team training and it was absolutely the most sensible thing I had done in a long time!
My concerns of holding everyone up during the sessions were unfounded and every trainer is aware of your limitations and always come up with alternative or modified exercises for those that you would struggle to do.
I am 68 this year, and so far so good!
I've gone down 2 dress sizes since I joined, I'm more agile, can walk so much more comfortably and I am getting stronger all the time.
It is also a great way to find time for myself - you don't think about anything else but trying to improve your strength when you’re in your session, everyone is friendly and encouraging, the trainers are all skilful, patient and very knowledgeable about body structure etc. We have a few giggles too – a lovely place all round.
I've got a few favourite old clothes that I'd like to fit into so this is a great motivator and I definitely don’t envisage not exercising here any time soon."
