by Hayley Robinson

Signing people up for gym memberships then seeing their bodies
transform was enough to inspire Emma Matson to do something about
her own weight.

At 16st 5lb, Emma, of Chegworth Gardens, Tunstall, was extremely
body-conscious, and with a holiday to Turkey fast approaching she
was determined to do something about it.

Fast-forward 14 months and the former Fulston Manor School pupil
has lost five stone in weight, shrunk three dress sizes from a size
16 or 18 to a size 10 or 12, and now works as a fitness supervisor
at Sheppey Leisure Complex, off Royal Road, Sheerness.

The 22-year-old said: "When I was working as a membership
adviser at Swallows Leisure Centre in Sittingbourne, I would see
people coming in quite large then they would change. It wasn't just
their bodies, they were coming out of the gym smiling and happy,
and I wanted to feel like that."

Emma's weight loss story began in February 2010 when she
sought advice from her gym colleagues.

After eating sensibly and working out at the gym two to three
times a week for an hour at a time, Emma managed to shed
two-and-a-half stone ready for her holiday in July.

But it didn't stop there. Emma continued to lose weight when she
returned from her break and as a result of feeling happier and more
confident in herself, she began a Level 2 fitness instructor
course.

After qualifying in October, she started her new career as a
fitness supervisor and she is now working towards a personal
fitness qualification.

On top of that she is training for her first ever
half-marathon - the BUPA Great North Run, which will take place
around Newcastle on September 18 - in aid of the charity Get Kids
Going.

"I never imagined I would do any of this," she said. "It started
off that I wanted to lose weight to go on holiday, now I'm waking
up and putting on a gym instructor's top!

"Shopping is now amazing. I treat myself to dresses - I'd never
worn one before, and I can now go into a shop and pick up a piece
of clothing without having to try it on."

To sponsor Emma visit www.justgiving.com/Emma-Matson