THE thought of pounding a treadmill or lifting some weights may bring some people out in a cold sweat.

But for some women, stepping foot inside a gym is the first step to rediscovering the person they thought they’d lost after their battle with cancer.

Cancer survivor Paula Bull, 66, says her weekly workouts following successful treatment for breast cancer have changed her life.

A former cancer and Macmillan nurse at Bournemouth and Christchurch hospitals, she was diagnosed with the disease four years ago, going through a year-and-a-half of intensive treatment including chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

But since stepping foot in the Curves gym in Christchurch, she says she hasn’t looked back.

“My body image changed enormously and I just felt a bit of a wreck after my treatment”, Paula said.

“As well as swollen joints and other things, the steroids had made me put on weight.

“I felt completely battered by the disease and the treatment.”

She added: “I actually feel fitter now than I did before I was diagnosed.

“Before, if I went for a walk with my husband, he would have to leave me in my wheelchair and say ‘See you in two hours’, but now I’m there with him.

“The doctors and hospital can only do so much. The rest is up to you.

“Having cancer is a horrible experience but it is not the end. For me, so many good things have come out of it.”

Debbie Shepherd, co-owner of Curves in Christchurch said: “The important thing we have found is that people do not feel different here.

“While we are aware of all the ladies’ different history when they sign up, we would encourage people to do as much as they feel comfortable with.

“It seems to make a tremendous difference to people’s self-esteem and while they are here their cancer is not an issue.

“Really the only time they think about it is during October.”

To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Curves will be holding a number of events to raise money for charity.

To find out go to curves.co.uk