A lot has changed in a year for me, and looking back attending the boot camp in January, I realise that it sort of gave me the confidence to make some serious changes in my life both physically and just in general. I also made some wonderful friends while I was in Spain, we’ve set up a Facebook group and a few of us did the Colour Run in London in the summer!

I can hear you asking…what makes her story inspirational?

Well, following me returning from Bootcamp, I realised that I was probably more capable of things than I realised, and I started looking around for different things to do. (It’s Reading though, slim pickings :p). Also, thanks to the advice of some great ladies, I started to evaluate my 2 year relationship with my then boyfriend, it was sadly lacking in every aspect. I managed to break up with him in May of this year. It was awful and afterwards I found myself really lost without any direction. And then, to add to this, my parents decided that an arranged marriage was what I should have, as they are quite traditional and subscribe to the the ’27 years old, she should be married and settled down’. To cut a very long story short, it became a really toxic atmosphere for me, and it was only because of the girls that I had met at boot camp and the fact that I’d taken myself into therapy that I had the strength to leave.

In terms of exercise, my parents being very controlling did not want to let me do any of the following:

– Bellydancing (that’s what whores do)

– Martial arts (you’ll look like a man)

And when I stayed behind after my zumba classes to chat to people my dad (who picked me up) would ask me who I was talking to, what we were talking about. But as a compromise, I signed up to GoMammoth to play netball as part of a recreational league. One of the best things I did in the summer. Being part of a team and playing a sport competitively with like-minded people, was brilliant. It’s like bootcamp gave me an oomph to try new things (exercise wise) because I had been able to prove to myself that I was able to do it. After I left my parents’ place, I also tried Crossfit – which I love, but is too expensive and tricky for me to get to (without a car) at the moment. As a result I now do something called ‘Wild Training’ which is outside and there’s a lot of kettlebells and running and I love it! If it weren’t for boot camp showing me that I could do it, I probably would never have tried. And I still do yoga, I don’t do zumba anymore, and I also do the occasional Insanity class and play badminton with my (new!) boyfriend and his friends.

It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do because effectively now, I’m not on speaking terms with my parents but ironically my life has never been better. My career is actually looking promising (as much as a trainee librarian’s can :p), I’ve never felt better, physically and emotionally. It sounds really cliched but I’ve had such a terrible year and when I look back on it, going to bootcamp was one of the best things I’ve ever done.

I think I’m in better shape now than I ever have been. I’ve attached photos from what I looked like at boot camp, one from holiday and one from a couple of weeks ago.  I will never be tiny and skinny but healthy and shapely? Yeah I’ll take that.  Weight-wise I fluctuate between 9.5-10 stone, I have a better relationship with food, i.e. I’m not so strict but I am sensible. But I am more toned (it’s all the squats that do it!), it’s just been an amazing journey – one that you guys started me on.

Not running though.

I will never like running.*