A 65-year-old north Norfolk woman has spoken of how she has managed to lose weight through fitness training – despite being unable to walk.

Ann Argent from Erpingham is unable to walk as a result of a fall, making exercise all the more challenging, but she has managed to lose four stone over the past two years going from weighing 17st 7lb to 13st 6lb.

Mrs Argent is a member of the Kelling Heath Health and Fitness Club in Weybourne, which is managed by Fitness Express which is accredited by the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI).

The IFI scheme supports the fitness industry to make it more inclusive of disabled and non-disabled customers alike. For Mrs Argent, who joined the club at Kelling Heath in 2008, it means, with help from a trainer, she has been able to use the rowing machine, use weights in the multi-gym and also throw a medicine ball, a weighted ball roughly the diameter of the shoulders, often used for rehabilitation and strength training, and use bicep curls to gain strength in her arms.

The session takes her over an hour to complete and she tries to work out once a week. Being fitter has also had other benefits, enabling Mrs Argent to come off some of her medication.

She said: 'It definitely required commitment as it took a while for my body to respond to the exercise, but my trainers explained that this is normal and to keep going, which I did. Then after about six months the weight started to drop off.'

For anyone interested in finding out more about the IFI program at Kelling Heath, contact Leanne Blowers on 01263 589919.