Charley explains how The MoonWalk changed her life

Charley’s story:

“My first MoonWalk London was in 2013 and it changed my life. I’d never done any sort of fitness challenge before and was very unfit and overweight. Ten years later, I’m a totally different person! I’ve lost a total of eight and a half stone and even changed jobs and become a personal trainer.

I was only 18 when my Mum died from lung cancer. I’d never been massively overweight as a child, but I’d always been bigger than my friends. When Mum was ill, my weight really started to go up, as I turned to comfort eating. There was a lot going on at the time and food was just there and something I could rely on. I reached my heaviest ever weight around the time my mum passed away – I was 18 stone.

Even before Mum died, I’d always wanted to get fitter and lose weight, but nothing I did every really seemed to work. For years, I’d yo-yo dieted, trying various plans – I’d lose about 12 to 14 pounds, but then put it back on, plus a little more. The trouble is that the bigger you are, the less you feel able to do – it’s a vicious circle. It’s very hard to motivate yourself to get started.

Charley, pre weight loss

I was 24 by the time I took part in my first MoonWalk. I’d already lost a couple of stone by then, but training for and completing that MoonWalk marked the proper start of my fitness journey. Through all the walking I was doing, I not only started to lose more weight, but in a much healthier way.

Raising money for breast cancer was also a great motivation, as we’d experienced quite a lot of breast cancer in our family. I’ve lost two great aunts and an aunt to the disease. Breast cancer is something we’ve always been aware of, so doing The MoonWalk was an obvious choice.

I’d been thinking of signing up for a while, but when I finally took the plunge, it really gave me something to focus on. I was determined to complete my 26.2 mile challenge, no matter what! I followed the training plan provided by MoonWalk organisers, breast cancer charity Walk the Walk and it was a massive help. Without that plan, I would have had no idea where to start.

Charley with her mum

I started to get so much fitter, I lost more weight and this time I didn’t put it all back on! I walked on the treadmill at the gym, as well as outside. I started weightlifting too and it just progressed from there. Over the years, I’ve obviously had some ups and downs. Sometimes, when life has got in the way, I’ve gone backwards a little, but I’ve always had the drive to get the weight back off again.

My relationship with food is so much healthier now.  Doing so much more exercise, and particularly getting out in the fresh air and walking, has improved my mental health as well as my physical health. In the past I just tended to use food as my emotional support system. 

After taking part in The MoonWalk in 2013, I also walked in 2014 and 2018, as well as taking on a number of other fitness challenges along the way. This year will be 10 years since my first MoonWalk and the start of my fitness journey, so I decided I should do another one!

Aside from the motivation which training for The MoonWalk gives you, the whole night is just amazing. You get to see parts of London at night, which you’d normally never get to see and the atmosphere is incredible. To know that you’re supporting a great charity just adds to whole experience. I’m encouraging friends who haven’t done the event before to sign up in 2023 too. Some of them are fitter than others and some are just starting out on their fitness journey,  like I was. It’s lovely to be able to share the experience and to get others involved.

Before I did my first MoonWalk, I used to work as a chef, but thanks to my own fitness journey, I changed career and am now a personal trainer. Since the pandemic, I’ve started doing a lot of my work online. Especially for mums who want to get fit, doing personal training sessions over Skype and Zoom means that they don’t have the hassle of travelling – they can just pick a time, do their training and they’re done. It fits easily into their day.

When I was heavier and much less fit than I am now, I was much more self-conscious. A few years on and I’m happy to share my story and hopefully inspire others who are in a similar situation. If I can do it – they can too!”

Thank you for sharing your story Charley and we look forward to seeing you at The MoonWalk London 2023!