Latisha Lister-Burgess will likely be forever grateful that she decided to get fit.

She believes it sparked her boyfriend Charles Burgess’s wedding proposal in 2013, and led to her getting pregnant earlier this year.

“It made me feel so powerful in every arena of my life,” she said of Beat the Couch, the ten-week running programme she embarked on in 2013.

“Before that, I had reached a point in my life where I thought this was what my life was supposed to be, but by doing Beat the Couch it opened up my mind to the fact that I can do more. When your body and mind feel strong, then you feel connected and powerful.

“I think the proposal happened because I was at a stage in my life where I said, ‘This is what I’m looking for. This is what I want. Is this what you want?’”

Mrs Lister-Burgess was a competitive runner as a child but lost interest in her teens.

“I did the Front Street Mile and all the Iron Kids events, but by the time I hit 15 or 16 it was really more for the boys,” she said. “They were the ones that kept at it and got noticed more in track meets.”

She later joined gym and fitness classes but nothing stuck long term.

“I became what I lovingly call a gym dropout,” the 32-year-old said. “I had hit a point in my life where I wanted to be fit and active again, but it felt unreachable.

“One thing that has always been hard for me is self-motivation. I found I always did well in my group activities so when I saw Beat the Couch I figured there would be a bunch of us getting ready together. It wasn’t necessarily for just the fittest of the fit and I liked that because it was intimidating to get back into running for me.”

Once the programme started, she was certain she’d made a huge mistake. All she noticed was how out of shape she was.

“But we kept at it and kept getting better,” she said. “By week six I thought, ‘I’m past the halfway point. We’re doing real distances. It’s starting to come together and I’m doing it’. I was eating better and feeling better and my body felt cleaner.”

Her body shape also changed.

“For the first time in a long time my stomach went flat again, my legs were lean and my energy levels were great,” she said.

“Even after it ended I was doing about ten to 12 miles of running a week, so to keep that up was really encouraging.”

She married last August and signed up for a second Beat the Couch in February. In June, she discovered she was pregnant. Mrs Lister-Burgess believes it’s because she kept up with her fitness regime that she was able to conceive relatively quickly.

“I definitely credit the programme with helping me with that,” she said. “It takes some women [in their 30s] some time to get pregnant, but it happened for me within two months — and that’s not typical. It’s usually three or six months. But I feel that because my body was in a really healthy space it was possible.

“I was eating a lot better thanks to the programme. [Beat the Couch organiser Catherine Burns] is really big on the green smoothies and putting healthy grains into your body. I’m not necessarily the healthiest girl, but through the programme I learnt how to fuel my body by eating right.”

Mrs Lister-Burgess is doing aqua aerobics and yoga to stay fit during her pregnancy. She plans to continue running, and even bought a jogging stroller for once the baby is born in four months’ time.

“My advice to people is that you’re stronger than you think,” she said.

“We had so many people in my running groups and we all started at totally different weights and fitness levels, but still finished in the end.

“It’s really inspiring to see a programme that’s really serious about helping people get off the couch and get fit. Not everyone is going to continue with running, but this gives you the encouragement to try other things. Some people really love it and go on to compete in 5Ks, 10Ks and even marathons. Really, it’s all possible once you get started.”

• Today is the last day to sign up for the next Beat the Couch. Register here: www.natural.bm/sport/