I'll never forget it...

The first time I ran with a local running club.

Not a race or anything - just a training run.

I was in my 30s then - back in the day :) 

We did some kind of warm up and then set off on a very steady jog to wherever we were heading. I must have jogged say 50 metres and then face-planted over a kerb edge, straight onto the pavement. Grazed hand and a hole straight through the knee of my running tights.

What a plonker!!! Well...that's certainly what I felt like anyway!

Luckily for me, I was with a friend, so between us we were able to laugh it off and I just carried on.

I'm not sure that I would have felt quite so comfortable without her though, as everyone else kind of ignored me and left me to it.

It's a big thing isn't it? Making a fool of yourself in front of others! Especially when you don't know them very well - as in, you're not 'comfortable' with them yet.

It's like the yoga or pilates classes that I have been to in the past. Everyone is very quiet. Everyone seems to know everyone else. They have their spots in the room or their mats and you have to fit around them. You start the class and they seem to know how to do everything while you're fumbling around at the back tying yourself up in knots and trying to keep up with the instructor.

It's something quite common in the fitness world really. I know it puts a lot of people off trying something new. They don't want to be the 'new' person, they don't want to feel out of place. They don't want to be the least fit person there or the one that can't keep up. The one that gets it wrong or has to give up before anyone else.

One of my biggest desires when I started up FitForLife Mums was to create a group of inclusivity . I wanted everyone, whoever came, to feel welcome instantly. To feel that even though it was their first time, someone knew their name. That they belonged.

For the emphasis to always be on having fun, having a laugh with friends. Never to feel inferior, excluded, embarrassed, not part of 'the gang'.

And you know what? It's one of the proudest achievements of the group for me. Ladies come for trial sessions and feel part of it instantly. The coaches are expecting them, the members greet them and they're made to feel at home in the first few minutes. And that's before we even get started on the exercise.

Why is this so important to me? To us?

Because we know how hard it is for you to take that first step! We know how long you've been meaning to do something about your weight, your health, your fitness. We know the courage it's taken to make that decision to get in touch with us. So, the last thing we want to do is make it harder for you. We make it as easy as we possibly can to take that first step and make your first experience a fun and welcoming one.

You'll get to know people straightaway. You'll have a laugh, you'll have a giggle and you'll realise that actually, exercise can be fun.

And the rest of us? We're just like you really. We're women, a bit older than the average gym-bunny - having fun, moving our bums and grabbing some 'me' time with like-minded women.

And after that first session...you'll look back and be glad you took the first step. Because after that first step, the second and third are much, much easier - I can promise you. And then you find yourself doing that thing that you've been meaning to do for all those years...doing something about your weight, your health, your fitness. Doing something for YOU!

And most importantly...actually enjoying it!