When Joanne Pearce and her husband moved to Nanaimo to retire, she finally had time for herself. For most of her life, as most mothers experience these days, her family and employers came first. There was precious little time for her.

Like most of us who have reached retirement age, she had her share of aches and pains. Eight hours a day standing on cement during her retail career had taken its toll. She had sore feet as well as hip and other joint pain. She also had high blood pressure.

But as she settled into retirement, she finally had time to put her feet up, relax and enjoy the odd treat...so she did. In fact she treated herself so well; she put on twenty pounds very quickly.

Fortunately that's when she read an ad in the paper promoting a fitness class for 'full figured women who had never exercised before,' a program lead by last week's Hidden Hero, Tara McNeil.

'That ad described me perfectly,' she told me; 'so I signed up.'

She was scared as she arrived for her first class but she soon felt comfortable in a room full of other full figured women all being led by Tara who at one point had, as she says, dieted herself up to 273 pounds. So their leader knew how every woman in the class felt and she knew how to inspire each one of them to reach toward their goal.

After a short time, Joanne enjoyed the class so much; she started taking dance lessons lead by Tara as well as a lifestyle workshop, which included a focus on good nutrition.

With this commitment, she dropped from 180 to 135 pounds in just six months, graduated from the full figured class, and she's been at that weight for the last two years. But she's quick to point out that she has been successful because of ongoing support from Tara and her commitment to daily exercise and proper nutrition.

'I'm just feeling so positive,' Joanne told me. 'I'm feeling so healthy and vibrant it's amazing. I'm also mentally more alert and I'm looking forward to many more years of healthy, productive life.'

If you find Joanne's story inspirational, you can get in touch with Tara McNeil through Parks, Recreation and Culture at 756-5200. If you join a class, you're likely to find Joanne there as well. You can't get too much of a good thing.