THINGS have been going swimmingly in the first month of my quest to get fit after years of half-hearted attempts.

My regular exercise regime - which now includes three swims a week, a gym session and two exercise classes - has made me feel better, stronger and more confident than in a long time.

Friends and my super-fit hubby have noticed a distinct change in my outlook, while I've been keener than ever to take my young son traipsing for miles through the Wyre Forest.

As a result I've shed and kept off over half a stone in my first four weeks, to the delight of Lee Dickens at Kidderminster's new JJB Fitness Club, who has been helping me.

Lee and the rest of the JJB staff have in fact shown great pleasure in pushing me to my physical limit, particularly in the gruelling Navy Circuits class which runs at the centre on Thursday nights at 7pm.

The class instructor adopts the persona of a naval PT instructor, with the class his put-upon sailors and the exercise studio doubling as the flight deck of a frigate.

We are then ordered between exercise posts to carry out short bursts of activity using skipping ropes, exercise balls, steppers, low weights and floor mats before racing to the next station.

It all seemed very daunting when I first joined in four weeks ago, particularly as I seemed to be circled by younger, fitter and slimmer athletes.

But it is now my favourite class, due mostly to the sense of camaraderie and fun involved, and the fact that we are all encouraged to go at our own pace.

However, despite the success so far of my exercise regime, it is still with immense trepidation that I look ahead to July 4, when I will be taking on a triathlon in Towcester.

It's not the swimming, cycling or running involved that haunts me. In fact, in a masochistic way, I'm actually quite looking forward to putting all my hard work to the test.

But what's keeping me awake at night is my very wobbly tummy - well, more the fact that it will be so publicly on display!

For it's just dawned on me that I will at some point have to RUN through a crowd of people to get from the pool to my waiting bike - in just my swimming costume.

I'm sorry, I know people are in pain and facing genuine hardship all around the globe - but right now all I care about is whether I will survive the humiliation.

l To find out more about JJB Fitness Club, please call 01562 67661.