Not too long ago I was one of the top female jumps racehorse jockeys. My racing career was abruptly ended after a serious head injury left my doctors wondering if I would ever walk again. Being stubborn by nature, I was determined to prove them wrong and embraced a strong desire to ride and race again. I followed an intense rehabilitation regime with the help from some brilliant physiotherapists. Having youth and fitness on my side helped me to recover speedily.

I was able to walk out of the hospital only a few months later. However, as much as I didn’t like it I had to accept that the road to complete recovery would be a long one, and my race riding dreams had to be put on hold indefinitely.

My confidence was shattered. I could no longer do the things that I could before, and I had gained a fair bit of weight. With my basic knowledge I was trying everything to shift this excess weight, but my usual “jockey’s mentality” ways of dieting (unhealthily starving myself) and exercise weren’t working. I started arduous running as soon as I had strength in both legs. To my dismay, this didn’t work either. After studying the hormonal system, I now know that this was because running is counter productive and ultimately leads to further fat gain. Drawing from my own experiences I came to truly appreciate how important fitness and health is. My studies helped me to achieve my own goals, but also inspired me to offer a helping hand to others with their own fitness goals, fat-loss and injury rehabilitation. This led me into the ideal career of Personal Training, and ultimately to set up BodyFormat.

In 2008 I moved from Dorset to London and worked for several household names, including Claridges Hotel and Virgin Active. I spent over 3 Years working for Dax Moy, one of London's leading Personal Trainers. As a team we were constantly learning and were given invaluable tools to use with our clients. During this time I worked with a wide range of clients with varying goals and training requirements, including fat-loss, putting on muscle, sport-specific training and injury rehab. In the same period I was on the other side of the fence, too, as a client of some of the top Personal Trainers in the country.

Having studied and learnt at the hands of industry experts, with years of experience helping clients and having a very personal connection with the importance of fitness and health I am happy to be in a great position to help others with their own physical training.

Lucy Bridges Personal Training & Sports Therapy in Sherborne