"IT'S my last chance at being a 'babe'," simpered one of the celebrity "fatties" on TV's Fit Club series as she outlined why she was desperate to shed weight.

Well, I know just what she meant. I had my first and only child, a son, over three years ago, but in the wrong light and with my favourite baggy jumper on it can easily appear that he never found his way out.

And with the big 4-0 approaching too rapidly, it's clearly time for an all-over makeover before I lumber whale-like into middle age.

Thankfully I've enlisted some expert help, in the shape of Lee Dickens, assistant general manager at JJB Fitness Club, the new "super gym" in the heart of Kidderminster's Weavers Wharf development.

His first advice was to set some real, attainable goals. "You need a set of targets to aspire to in the short and long term. You might want to take on a sporting challenge, drop a dress size, get a better blood pressure reading, anything personal to you which will help you keep going."

So that's precisely what I've done. I am now committed to taking part in a triathlon in June, involving a terrifying combination of a 400m swim (16 lengths), followed by a 12 mile cycle ride and a three mile run.

Lee's second piece of advice was, not surprisingly, to join a gym. Now, I'm not a fan of gyms in general, due in the main to a history of joining clubs at great expense where I've found the surroundings uninspiring and the exercise dull and repetitive.

But Lee assures me that the programme of activity he will draw up for me, using all the facilities on offer at JJB Fitness Club, will keep me bouncing and buzzing into the summer and, most importantly, will ensure I complete that triathlon with a smile.

The scheme of exercise he outlines certainly sounds impressive - a heady cocktail of exercise classes based on salsa dancing and boxing, resistance weight training (for burning off fat and improving bone density), cycling, circuits, brisk walking and gentle swimming.

Lee has also pledged to help me eat a more balanced, healthy diet - the key to my long term success in staying healthy. "The last thing you want to do is diet," he told me - music to the ears of anyone who, like me, has been a yo-yo dieter of ill repute for some years. "You need to combine good, quality exercise with healthy eating."

So, I'm up for it. I'm going to give it my best shot. And if you spy me at a cake counter, give me a kick in the right direction.

l Find out how Jane is progressing in next month's Woman to Woman.

If you want to join her fitness challenge contact the JJB Fitness Club in Kidderminster by calling in or ringing 01562 67661.