"I’d had a baby, lockdown, and hadn’t been looking after myself and mentally I was feeling pretty stressed. I had put on a lot of weight.

I wouldn’t look at any pictures of myself and my self confidence was low. I just didn’t feel like myself, and I wanted that back.

I had a friend that had trained at Thrive, so I felt good about coming in.

Coming to Thrive just represented getting out and doing something for me and that was the most important bit to get me started.

Now I have lost 15kgs over 5 months, I never used to be able to do a single push-up and now I can do 6.

The social side of the gym helps, because you get to meet similar people in the sessions. I started to feel more like myself and have a laugh.

There is a great atmosphere and you naturally get more out of yourself in comparison to being by yourself.

I feel healthier, more like myself, I feel more confident, I’ve made new friends that I see outside of they gym as well as in it."

“I was generally feeling unhealthy, even though I had convinced myself I didn’t need to do anything

Eventually it catches up to you and you need to make a change

It took me a good few months to get myself in the right place mentally to do it.

I was a bit nervous trying something new, as I had never joined a PT Gym before, it took me all of 10 minutes to feel comfortable when I arrived.

Now after 8 months I have lost 32kg of fat (5 stone) of body fat whilst maintaining my muscle mass

When I started I had lower back pain, now I can deadlift 140kg from just starting of with a 15k empty barbell.

The coaches are great at getting the movements right when you first start and then adding in the small details as you progress.

You just have to give the kickstart a go.”

"I had problems with my foot ligaments and my knees before I started at Thrive. I really couldn’t do anything, but I needed to get fitter.

I had tried the NHS and a private physio, but hadn’t made any progress.

I saw a social media post about the kickstart and decided to give it a go.

I hadn’t been to a gym for a long time so I was nervous before I came in but the introduction session was fine and I instantly met people who made me feel at ease in the session.

During the kickstart I felt like everything was being adjusted to suit me but without being made to stand out, I felt included.

Its good fun, you work, and everybody is really supportive.

Now I can do a full sit to stand with no foot or knee problems, and I am still progressing.

I know feel that I have the confidence and strength to go and try all different kinds of exercise sessions.

The coaches know how to give you a target in the session that is just the right stretch for you as an individual.

It’s a really supportive environment, and you will be accepted whatever level you start at without being looked down on.”