Pte Jessica King (RLC, shown) embarked on the challenge in aid of Combat Stress after completely overhauling her diet and fitness.
The 28-year-old explained she decided to make changes a year ago, cutting back on calories and upping her phys routine with the support of colleagues from the East Midlands recruiting outreach team in Chilwell.
“I wasn’t happy with the way I looked and I wanted to improve my performance,” she told Soldier. “With the help of my PTI I started enjoying fitness a lot more, found a gym and got stuck in.”
Having swapped late-night snacking for “endorphin-boosting” workouts, Pte King said she quickly began to see progress, especially in her soldier conditioning assessment results.
“Within around six months I cut my run time from 15min to 11min 30sec,” she continued.
“I want people to know it doesn’t matter where you’re starting from, you can get better.
“Look at your personal journey, not anyone else’s.
“Set your own goals and challenges – that’s what the military is about.
“When I was climbing Snowdon I turned to the guys walking with me and said, ‘I can’t believe I used to be this heavy’.”
Pte King has cut her weight from 115kg to 88kg and is still aiming to lose more.
She is also fundraising for Combat Stress to “give something back to a charity that does so much for veterans”.
To support her cause visit events.combatstress.org.uk/fundraisers/jessicaking/hike-for-hope
For advice on fitness, nutrition and losing weight speak to your unit PTI or visit the Army health and wellbeing page on Defence Connect via the QR code.
