"My journey with The DVCC, by Sooty Smith aged 27 and a bit*
*Very big bit. More than 100% big...
I have been overweight for most of my life. As an adult, I have lost and gained the same four or five stone countless times. As a child, I was extremely unathletic, which set a pattern for life. The only exercise I enjoyed was riding, and I eventually became too fat for that, so instead, I opted for eating. So far, no doubt, so familiar. But wait! What happens next? My low-energy, disappointing body decides to destroy its own thyroid, and become allergic to gluten. Except it didn’t bother telling me. The medical professionals were not interested in my symptoms, and said: “Go away and lose weight”. Yeah, okay. So I did. All The Diets. Fast forward to now; diagnosed Coeliac, two replacement hips (one each side), spinal surgery, atrophied thyroid gland and heavily overweight. Anyone who knows how hard it is to get a disabled parking badge won’t be surprised to hear that I was eligible for one. I was broken.
Then the realisation hit me. Do something now to deal with this brokenness, or just get worse. I saw an osteopath, who encouraged me to try relying on my stick less for walking. I have a friend who went through something similar, and fell in love with weight lifting. So I asked for gym recommendations on a local page. I got many. I tried a few. They felt wrong; I didn’t fit and they didn’t understand my issues. A lot of the recommendations were for the DVCC, so eventually, I made contact. Reeni rang me, and it soon became apparent that we have a similar sense of humour. And what more do you need? She got me. So we had “the chat”, and I did the four-week trial. Every exercise was modified to fit my ability. Can’t get down on the floor? Modify the warm-ups. And so on. I was taught how to do movements to the best of my ability, which over just a couple of months has changed beyond all recognition. I still have a huge amount of weakness in my lower body, but this is improving all the time.
After the trial month expired, I felt sad. I really wanted to join, but was put off by the price, and the length of commitment. I know I have never stuck at anything. Apart from parenthood, because that is kind of part of the deal. So I umm-ed and aah-ed, rang other trainers, sulked a bit at home, then joined. And without wanting to sound like one of those sucky creeps, it is one of the best things I have ever done – for myself.
I will admit I do not bounce out of bed on gym days looking forward to it. I approach each session with trepidation, but the minute I walk through the door I get such a warm greeting, and often a hug, that I instantly relax and switch into “Let’s do this” mode. I have worked mainly with Tim and Tom (Trainers), who are the most patient, humorous and incredibly knowledgeable people I am ever likely to meet. If I am in a group with other DVCC clients they are all positive and encouraging. It is corny to say it feels like a family, but it does. Because apart from anything else, usually only your actual family sees you red in the face, dripping with sweat and cursing like a sailor.
My ambition is to walk up and down stairs in the normal manner, rather than one at a time. I don’t even mind being overweight as long as I can be strong and fit. My goals have changed.
So, in short – the DVCC is great. Everyone is friendly. It is in a small environment with no mirrors and it is worth every penny." ❤️