Charlotte

Image: Charlotte, feeling good at her Dance Fit class in Hartcliffe.

I’m a single mum of five children, so I find it hard to get time to myself. I also struggle with my mental health and my weight.

I decided to try Dance Fit because it was local and only for an hour, so I could pop out and leave the little ones with their older siblings. Soon I started taking my little ones along with me and doing 3 sessions a week.

I’ve made so many new friends who like me have issues with something or other and use the dance as an escape. Since dance fit, I’ve lost weight which has helped with my confidence, it clears my head and gives me something to look forward to. Even if I’ve spent a day crying or woke up with a hangover, I still make myself go to class because I know after I will feel so much better. No matter how I feel, I can use dance to help deal with it – if I’m angry I push myself harder to help release it, if I’m sad then just being around others and having something to keep my mind busy helps.

I’ve learnt dance moves which I can try out if I ever get the chance for a night out. I have no co-ordination, but love dancing to the routines (even when they all laugh at my funny moves). If I’m moving, I feel good and I’m burning calories. My children even dance along with us now, we practice at home too.

It’s not only given me an escape from just being mum and mum-life, I have also gained a family of friends and confidence.