A woman has gone from a size 24 to an 18 after losing weight in a bid to improve her mental and physical health.

Eleanor Wise, 43, joined ALM fitness, a health and fitness group based in Inkberrow, to improve her all-round health during the pandemic. 

She now aims to get down to a size 12.

Eleanor, from Naunton Beauchamp, near Pershore, said: "I work for a training provider sitting down all day so have a very inactive job.

"I'm quite different physically to when I first started as I have a lot more muscle than fat, so I'm not really sure how much weight I would like to lose in total. 

"I think I have more of a goal of wanting to fit into size 12 or 14 clothes.

"I've gone from a size 24 to an 18 so I still have a way to go but I'm feeling really positive about where I am right now. 

"I loved the group from the start, enjoying the different classes and meeting new people.

"I suffer with anxiety and taking that first step to come to class in person was a huge thing for me, but the members were instantly welcoming and the coaches were incredibly supportive.

"I wasn’t able to do a lot at first, struggling with a lot of the exercises due to my size and lack of core strength, but there are always lower impact or easier alternatives for every exercise, and the trainers are mindful of this all the time.

"I lost an amazing 18lbs in that first couple of months and my holiday was everything I wished for thanks to being fitter and slimmer.

"When I came back I signed up to be a permanent member, but covid hit and within three weeks we went into full lockdown.

"I needn’t have worried though, ALM set up online sessions over Zoom which work surprisingly well.

"I was able to keep up with my classes and continue almost as I had before.

"I honestly believe they are the one thing that kept me sane during that time as I dealt with furlough and home schooling and the stress of the pandemic. 

"I’ve had some health issues recently which have meant I’ve not been able to lift the weights for a few weeks, but I’m hoping this is temporary."

Eleanor said she hoped she was not back on track.

She said: "I also reached out to the team to try to get my nutrition back under control and have had extra support in tracking and monitoring this, which has meant my weight has come off again.

"I would say that my weightloss journey is still a work in progress, I have more weight to lose.

"But more than that, my mindset has now changed forever I hope.

"My weight issues couldn’t be fixed with a hasty remedy, I needed to change my whole outlook on life."