I didn’t know it was possible to love and loathe something (I’m talking about Burpees here!) in equal measures until I became a Burn It regular.

My Burn It journey started back in 2013. I’d had my first baby the year before and was looking for a way to get back into shape. So my husband bought me some flexi passes for Christmas to get me started. Unfortunately for me, my journey didn’t last long due to me falling ill with meningitis and I was unable to exercise for many months whilst I recovered. Fast forward to 2018, and another baby and a second bout of meningitis later, I saw an advert for the Burn It Transformation programme which caught my eye.

It sounded exactly what I needed to get me back into exercise, and I knew I would enjoy Burn It from when I had gone to classes before. A quick message to Paul who reminded me of my unused credits from 2012 (they really do never expire!) and he encouraged me to come back and give it a go.

This was the most positive thing I could have done to get my health back on track following years of battling recovery from meningitis. After one class back, I decided to sign up for the Body Transformation Program, persuading my friend Miranda to join me.

The ten weeks that followed were the most challenging, eye-opening, swear-word-inducing, positive, horrendous (detox week!), educational and ultimately rewarding ten weeks that I could imagine. The other people doing the program were so encouraging, everyone supporting each other and wanting people to achieve their goals. There was no feeling of being first, being last, being better or being worse than anyone else. And that is the absolute beauty of Burn It. Everyone is there to support each other and keep each other going. This is invaluable support that I have never experienced in other exercise environments.

Once the Body Transformation was finished I decided to become a member of Burn It and bought an annual multi-pass. However, yet again illness played it’s part and I was diagnosed with a chronic neurological disorder in February 2019. This stopped me in my tracks a bit and I was unable to exercise, old eating habits crept back in, and i felt like I’d lost my way. I also had to take medication which put some limits on what I could do and that took some getting used to.

And then, I saw the advert for this year’s Burn It Revolution. I really wanted to get back into my fitness classes and knew that the ten week revolution would give me the structure and motivation that I needed. I just wasn’t sure if I could do it given my medical issues and was worried that it might push me too much. I was so frustrated at my body not being able to do what I wanted it to do. So, I contacted Paul who discussed everything with me. He was so supportive, listened to my concerns, had solutions for the problems that I had, and was able to reassure me that I could achieve it if I wanted to, I might just need to alter my expectations of what my body could do. That chat was just what I needed and I signed up for The Revolution which I am proud to say I have just completed.

I can honestly say that Burn It is one of the most positive experiences of my recovery journey, and with the support of fellow Burn It members and Paul and the team, it is true that you can achieve your goals if you want to. It’s amazing the difference that an hour of outdoor exercise in any weather can make to your overall wellbeing.

I’m really looking forward to continuing my journey with Paul and the team and I would encourage anyone to come along and try it out. We are the 70 or so crazy looking people running around in all types of weather, having fun, sharing banter, hating burpees, and achieving our goals. Thank you Burn It!!!