AN AYR personal trainer has helped local girls battle through difficult times to achieve amazing results.

Nikki Jamieson, 21, from Coylton, has been driven by her own personal experience to help understand the mental health of clients before tackling their physical health.

And the fitness coach admits she is on a mission to save other girls after exercise “saved her life”.

She told the Ayr Advertiser: “Mental health is something that is close to my heart. I struggled with a lot of changes. It (exercise) totally saved my life so I know I can save other girls like me.

“I have had very big body issues my full life. I have been on very extreme diets before, I have been 15 stone, I have been underweight. Maybe not to the extreme as anorexia. But I can relate to them.”

During Mental Health Awareness Week last month Nikki shared testimonials sent in by some of her female clients.

Nikki added: “Once somebody trusts you enough to say, ‘this is why I’m not eating, or this is why I am binge eating’ once you know the reason why, then you can actually do the right work for someone.

“They are not in a clinic where they have to come and see me. They are doing it because they want to.”

It’s well documented the benefits that exercise can have on mental health, but Nikki believes that someone can be feeling positive after just two weeks of sessions.

She added: “I always say if you listen to me, if you do exactly as I tell you, if you work with me and are totally 100 per cent honest with me you’ll feel better in two weeks.

“You might not have a drastic body transformation, but you will feel better your endorphins will be flying in two weeks.”

One of Nikki’s big success stories is Lucy Johnstone, 21 who she started training in November last year.

After losing her brother three years ago, Lucy was struggling and was severely underweight.

Lucy told the Ayr Advertiser: “I was stuck in a rut. I just did not know what to do.

“I noticed her work on Instagram and I thought I’m going to try something different because I’ve exercised before and it does really help.

“She would just push me and keep me going.

“ If there were days I didn’t want to come in, she would tell I’d feel better for it and I would. It helped my confidence so much.”