“My name is Becky Scott and I am a This Girl Can Ambassador and a mum to an 11 and 9 year old.

I love to dance – I started as a kid with ballet and tap and then returned as an adult to try Zumba and street-dance inspired group exercise classes. I have since trained as an exercise to music instructor, and teach my own dance-based exercise classes now. I also enjoy dancing around my kitchen whilst making the dinner and have recently taken up powerlifting training.

Time – fitting it in around work and family commitments isn’t easy. Costs – gym membership isn’t cheap. Fear of being judged – it stopped me from going to classes for so long. As a plus sized woman I’ve felt out of place and judged in fitness spaces – which used to sometimes stop me going back.

My advice is find something that brings you joy – it doesn’t have to be gruelling to be beneficial – there are so many benefits from dancing around your kitchen or following a 10 minute workout online. Try as many things as possible to see what feels good for you.

Turning exercise into my job, and inspiring others to move with me has made me (and my kids) feel incredibly proud. It has changed my life and helped me to feel strong and confident in the body I have, it has improved my mental health and given me the confidence to share my experience with others – to be visible as a plus size 40 year old mother enjoying fitness and feeling the benefits.

You don’t need to have goals to stay motivated to move more – but if you find them motivating, try not to make them appearance-based goals – try to make them functional fitness goals (like lifting a certain weight or getting up off the floor more easily or being able to run up the stairs more easily) – that’s the change that stopped me from giving up over and over again – now I feel the benefits of moving in my body and it keeps me motivated to keep moving.”

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Two people playing catch

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