Anna's story

Anna’s fitness journey began 9 years’ ago at a BBQ with friends when she realised she was struggling to simply bend down and light the BBQ, it was this moment that sparked a realisation that she had to make a change to her lifestyle! 

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The gym had always made Anna feel scared, thinking it was full of lots of "young, fit people who all know exactly what they are doing"… Since becoming a member at Wycombe Leisure Centre, Anna quickly realised, this was absolutely not the case! She comments; "I noticed everyone in the gym is on their own journey" and her fear melted away. One thing that’s aided Anna on her journey is her gym playlist which she has carefully perfected over the years "as long as I have my headphones and the gym, I am happy".

Safe to say Anna’s journey started slow and steady walking on the treadmill, and whilst her pace and incline increased as the years progressed, her weight and negative feelings associated with it, quickly decreased.

9 years on, Anna now enjoys a routine which sees her hit the gym twice a week, starting with a 5K run on the treadmill, followed by a stint in the weights section… A far cry from her once slow walk. Anna’s running doesn’t stop on the treadmill, she loves getting out in nature too, and often enjoys running along the River Wye.

Since the start of her journey, Anna says she has completely "halved" herself, having lost over 9 stone. Aside from the physical changes she has experienced, Anna said she now feels in a lot better state, mentally, no longer feeling depressed or lethargic and has a positive outlet to channel her stress: "For me, it’s the ultimate de-stress, when I am stressed, I go to the gym."

Perhaps the most significant improvement to her lifestyle is that she now has the energy to keep up with her 5-year-old granddaughter who often comments "today is a lovely day for a run nanny!"

Anna’s proudest fitness achievement to date is her Tough Mudder which she completed last year; she loved it so much…she’s completing another this year! And the future holds even more kilometres for Anna, she is keen to increase her fitness even further and to continue with her charity runs as these give her focus to keep pushing.