Having been in the Military since the age of 19, training has been always been a part of my everyday life. But when I left 6 years ago I joined a civvy gym and really struggled to stay motivated…..no one talked to one another and I felt like I was just going through the motions.

We all went in, did our class, then walked back out without saying a word: there was no camaraderie, and very little support. I tried various classes at different gyms but I sort of lost my way after that. I then fell pregnant with our second baby so I found that an excuse to stop training.

Struggling to find motivation

After the birth of our daughter in 2014, I struggled with my weight and really struggled to find my love for training again. My weight slowly crept up while my body confidence and self-esteem went down. I found it easier to stay away from the gym and as a result harder to do something about it. My husband had started at Southern Legion the year before and he kept saying to me that I would love it and I should give it a go. He would tell me what WODs they’d done that day and I could see the positive effect it had on his fitness, but I thought it sounded too difficult for me to even try it and I was too shy to take that first step.

Something inside me was awoken – I loved training again!

Eventually, 8 weeks after our daughter was born, I gave in and went down for my first session. I felt so nervous and thought that I would never fit in with this group of such fit and strong individuals…….but I couldn’t have been more wrong! As soon as I walked in there the coaches introduced themselves and made me feel at ease. That first session was so hard and I thought so many times about stopping, but the cheering and encouragement from the others there made it so much easier. There and then it woke something inside me, I actually wanted to do this again!

The fittest and Strongest I’ve ever been

I started off a complete novice, not having a clue how to do the movements and very unfit but with the help of the coaches, the camaraderie and the support network at Southern Legion I was able to re-discover my love for training. Not only has my self-esteem grown, but I am the fittest and strongest I have ever been as I have now found a way of life that I can love again……and that’s what it is for me, a way of life, not just a gym. I’ve been going to Southern Legion for 3 years now and I can honestly say I love it just as much then as I do now, if not more!