A diabetic woman who was tipping the scales at 350lbs has credited the National Sports Centre with helping turn her life around.

Now Lucrecia Ming, who lost 150lbs in four years, is training to take part in the Ironman World Championship to be held next June in Hawaii.

Ms Ming, 57, is using the sports centre to get fit for the Half Ironman, which covers 70.3 miles of swimming, bicycling and running.

She had been inspired to change her lifestyle after meeting children training for a triathlon at Clearwater beach in St George’s, and joining in.

Ms Ming said that the sports centre had “something about it”.

She added: “It is the best place to be for training. You can find personal trainers in swimming, running and weights.”

Ms Ming said she opted for low-impact exercises that would be easy on her joints, and trains every day with walking, cycling, swimming and weights.

High blood pressure and diabetes run in her family, she said, and her condition would lead to eye disease and kidney problems without exercise.

She said: “When I am training, my muscles are learning to use glucose efficiently and it limits my eating.

“My weight has declined significantly — so has my glucose level.”

Ms Ming’s sugar levels are now at their best since her diabetes was diagnosed.

She said that each day’s training at the NDC cost her less than $5, adding: “People need to exercise; there is no way of getting around it.”

Craig Tyrrell, the operations manager at the NSC, said Ms Ming was “an amazing person and sets an incredible example for all of us”.