A Big Girls Journey to Lean - Motivational Seminar

A few months ago I told you about a Facebook group I had joined, A Big Girls Journey to Lean.  Well yesterday I was lucky enough to attend the first motivational seminar.

This group has been monumental in keeping me motivated and on track with my lean journey.  Getting fit and healthy at fifty!

Angela Cox set up a BGJTL as a way to record her own fitness journey.  And it grew and grew beyond all expectations and in less than 6 months it has nearly 20,000 members.  All supporting each other, offering encouragement and ideas, suggestions and motivation.

Angela has a wonderful 'admin crew' helping her run the Facebook page.  All volunteers who give hours of their time to keep this group a safe and supportive environment.  It is a credit to Angela and her team that the group is so friendly and safe.  And it was one of these lovely admins that first suggested the idea of having a seminar.  So many people in the group wanted to meet Angela and so the idea of having a motivational seminar began.

Yesterday it became a reality.  The seminar made no profit.,  The ticket sales paid for the venue.  Everyone gave their time for free.  And there were many wonderful companies that donated raffle prizes.  Angela was inspired by a member of the group currently being treated for cancer to fund raise for Macmillan and the seminar raised an astonishing £5262 (and counting) for this worthwhile cause.

And it was certainly motivational and inspirational.  To meet the woman who set up this group and who has posted daily messages of encouragement, vlogs and whose journey we have all followed from being 'a big girl' to a very much 'smaller girl' was fantastic.  And we hit it off and I hope I have made a lifelong friend.

Angela shared her story.  It was personal and moving but it was so well presented.  She clearly has an amazing ability to communicate and inspire.  There were quite a few tears shed as she spoke and her story resonated with so many.  A lifetime spent on diets, binging, diet pills, bullying and low self-esteem. She was always an attractive lady but she has now blossomed into someone that is clearly and finally confident in her own skin. She exudes health and vitality and she motivated everyone in that room to want the same.

From a personal perspective it was the first time I have ever joined some sort of 'diet or fitness group'.  Having been small all my life and even when I wanted to 'lose a few pounds' I was still too small to ever be eligible to walk into a Weight Watchers meeting!  Lucky me - probably a narrow escape.  But as I have grown older and wanted to get fitter and leaner and lose a bit of fat, it is a revelation to me to have found such a supportive group to help me.  There were many stories to inspire and not everyone is 'big' some like me just had a small amount of weight to lose but mainly wanted to get fit and lean.

I decided to  make a weekend of it.  The seminar was being held at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre in Milton Keynes on Sunday morning so I left Saturday lunchtime and took myself shopping into Milton Keynes for the afternoon.  I checked into the Conference Centre late afternoon and immediately bumped into the lovely Angela - it does seem quite surreal to finally meet someone in person!  There were a few others that had done like me and were staying overnight so we had a relaxing evening chatting in the bar (but not drinking)!!

There were 200 people from the BGJTL Facebook page in the room.,  There were many faces I recognised and I was thankful to see a friend who lives nearby so I didn't feel too lost.

A huge well done to Angela and her admin team.  It was just brilliant and good luck to everyone starting your lean journeys.  If you need support and advice do please go to Facebook and join A Big Girls Journey to Lean but a word of warning only positive supportive people allowed!

​Love
Michelle xx
​

Meeting Angela

Photo credit to Angela Cox

Wearing my new grey jeans from Citizens of Humanity