Bev’s Story

“I knew I couldn’t continue this way, and I knew the change had to come from me.”

My family rallied around: Dean revolutionised my diet, while Cameron provided motivational dancing in our living room as I attempted to walk on a treadmill – but I could only manage one minute before crying. I knew I needed professional help…

“The fear of ‘gym culture’ terrified me.”

In my head, a gym was going to be an intimidating environment, full of perfect people staring at me. I agonised over where to turn, googling endlessly and indecisively. And I kept coming back to Moor Park gym.

“It was a decision that changed my life forever.”

Dax, my first instructor, inducted me with an accessible programme; restricting certain exercises because of my stroke history and high blood pressure. He also gave me a vital piece of advice that became my mantra: ‘Consistency is key’.

Knowing I had the support of a qualified professional, who really cared about my progress, spurred me on. I felt safe to try everything I could and it opened a whole new world to me. I was sleeping better, my painkiller dependency was dropping and, within the first 12 months, I lost 28.5 kg.

“The real magic of Active Blackpool is its community.”

The managers at Moor Park, John and Danny, were my greatest champions. With their encouragement, I began to set what would have previously been unthinkable goals.

One month, I challenged myself to cycle 300 km on a recumbent bike. When I smashed my goal three days early and stepped off the bike, Danny, John, and a crowd of gym members were there to celebrate with me, clapping, cheering, and smiling. The ‘awful gym people’ I had feared didn’t exist. Instead, Blackpool’s fittest residents were my biggest cheerleaders.

By 2019, I was a size 18, managing my remaining pain with just paracetamol and maintaining my fitness through home workouts – and then the pandemic locked the country down.

When the world got back to normal, I did a short stint at a commercial gym nearer to home, but it just wasn’t the same. Missing the support and sense of community, I returned to the Active Blackpool family at their Palatine site and was inducted by Lee onto the EGYM system – an incredible piece of technology that feels like having a personal trainer at every workout.