Fran has joined Achieve Bootcamp this month.  She hasn't really trained much since the start of the year, a couple of bike rides here and there but not really anything structured.

We have a hilly 10k run coming up and she has set herself a goal of completing it in under 60 minutes.

If you have met Fran you will know that she is tiny, she just has a small frame which led to some assumptions being made when she joined the first session.  A couple of the group asked why she was there and when she said she needed to get fit, they told her that she already was fit.

And that is a common misconception.

A persons size doesn't really relate to their level of fitness.  Fran is genetically gifted in the sense she has a six pack without trying, however, fitness wise she struggles with the level of training that some of our 'larger' ladies do.

One of my greatest memories from Achieve Bootcamp was during a session a couple of years ago when we had a little competition and race session.  The boys were getting really competitive against each other, really trying to push their pace but got their asses kicked on speed by one of the girls who was a little chunky.

Watching their faces as they realised she was overtaking them with ease was priceless.  They had wrongly assumed that because of her size she would be slow.  I never mentioned to them that she used to be a sprinter when she was younger and just let them suffer :)

Our goal at Achieve is to help our members become the best version of themselves that they can be, shapes and sizes differ from person to person, we don't believe there is a one size fits all approach or that everyone should strive to fit the norms.

The norms which are generally set by people who know very little about health, fitness and nutrition outside of the lab.

Thin does not mean fit, fat does not mean unfit.  It's a sliding scale and we all take our place along it, finding the place where you feel happy is the important thing and that's what we are here to help with.

Darren "a little chunky but happy to do an ironman" Checkley

P.S. we are just about to put an order in for www.getleanwithgreens.com.  If you want a tub for £42.00 including postage, let me know and I'll add you to our order.