RUNNING IN A GROUP HELPED ME LOWER MY BMI FROM OBESE TO OVERWEIGHT

Name: Joanne Jeffery
Age: 46
Role: Runner, RunTogether Oakwell Running Bears and Cubs

Since joining her local RunTogether group, Jo has lowered her BMI from 57.5 (obese) to 29.6 (overweight). Jo began her weight loss journey in 2014 when she joined a popular dieting programme and took up walking in a bid to begin exercising. Walking helped Jo reach an impressive 100lb weight loss, but she noticed that the weight loss began to slow and she needed to naturally progress on to a different form of exercise. That’s when she focused on completing her first 5K.

 Having successfully completed her first 5K, Jo was encouraged to join the RunTogether Oakwell Running Bears & Cubs group to focus on training her as a ‘Cub’ in the ‘Get Me Started’ group for beginners. Since joining the club in September 2016, Jo has progressed from being a ‘Cub’, to a ‘Bear’ in the ‘Keep Me Going’ group - and completed a half marathon in under three hours. Running has helped Jo continue her weight loss, contributing to dropping a further five stone. “Joining the group has changed my life completely and with the support and motivation of the other Cubs, Bears and coaches it has helped me to achieve things that I’d never even dreamed of achieving.”

 “Running has massively improved my fitness, helped my BMI go from 57.5 (Obese) to 29.6 (Overweight) and has helped me tone my body to lose lots of inches and go from wearing size 30 clothes to size 12/14 clothes. Seeing the improvements in my fitness levels while also feeling healthier and seeing the changes in my body shape, has encouraged me to continue and enjoy my healthy lifestyle. I can honestly say that I have made friends for life through joining the group. These people believe in me and are so encouraging of my weight loss journey.”

Since beginning her weight loss journey, Jo has lost an astounding 12-stone over the past three years. Jo plans to continue running and stretching herself with different running events. Crediting running with clearing her mind and acting as a therapy, running has also improved Jo’s sleeping patterns and she has no plans to stop.