Christine North just oozes success. At 46, she runs her own business, has a list of qualifications as long as your arm, a beautiful house and enviable figure.

In her spare time Christine North runs to keep fit, teaches aerobics in Yeadon, and socialises with her kids. In fact, you would be hard pushed to criticise her.

Apart from the fact she's late.

As she dashes into her office, conveniently located in a former vets' practice at the back of her Menston home, she apologises profusely, while dragging two young children behind her.

"I'm really sorry, it was an emergency. I had to pick up my partner's children," she explains, sweeping the cat off her office chair.

Her energy is infectious, as you might expect from a trained fitness instructor, and her schedule is packed. But there is more to Christine than meets the eye.

From leaving school with no qualifications, her path to success has not been smooth. She has had to cope with a failed marriage and life as a single mum.

"Life has been hard for me in the last few years," she says. "But I've got the children and the people I teach to inspire me. I have a zest for life. And I have a lot of young friends through work and since I became single."

Although Christine rebels against the classic image of your typical fitness instructor, she's always been the energetic type. Born in Cornwall, she spent the first 17 years of her life in the outdoors, a natural sprinter and keen horse rider.

"I was active as a youngster. I ran, enjoyed ballet, and had my own horse. I also did a lot of walking and thought nothing of walking ten miles into town and back. It was just something I enjoyed doing.

"I wanted to be a PE teacher but I didn't achieve academically at school. It's quite a joke because since then I've got thousands of degrees!"

Christine is currently the owner of Northern Fitness and Education, one of only four YMCA centres of excellence in the country which trains and runs courses for exercise instructors. Qualified with a Cert Ed in sport and exercise and a degree in health and exercise studies, her life took a turn when at the age of 20 she moved to Yorkshire.

"I went on a secretarial course at Park Lane College. But then the fitness boom hit the country and I thought, 'I'm interested in that'. I started going to classes and that's how it started."

She became one of the first people to become YMCA qualified in the North East and was soon promoted to Senior Development Officer, responsible for courses in the north of England. But two years ago, she was offered a further challenge.

"The YMCA became an awarding body for exercise and fitness and you can't train people and be awarding body at the same time," she explains.

"So I set up my own business. I thought it was a change. I was really excited and promptly registered myself on management courses. But it's not easy.

"It's a constant challenge but I wouldn't have been satisfied if I'd just left school and plodded along in the same old job."

She now works full time, employs four staff and trains 500 people a year from instructors to personal trainers. And the centre has recently extended its area to cover the full breadth of the north of England from Newcastle to Carlisle.

But despite her new responsibilities, Christine does not confine herself to the office.

"I still run. I had a bad accident last year when I fell out of a tree and completely tore my ligaments. That stopped me running for a year but I'm in training for the Leeds half marathon and Great North Run.

"But the business has got so busy. Before I could just take off for a run during the day. It's a brilliant form of stress management."

Christine also runs an exercise studio at Dragon's Health Club in Yeadon and teaches body conditioning and aerobics.

And if that wasn't enough, she has her two 16-year-old twins to look after, Dominic and Rebecca, and also enjoys being with her new partner's four children. But it's not been a simple transition from the married life of only a few years ago.

She says: "Life isn't as easy when you're single. You lose financial support and you have to change your outlooks. But I'm very young at heart."

Her efforts have inspired her son to aim for a career in the Royal Ballet and her daughter's interest in dance and exercise. But when the family does take a breather, they still enjoy the simple pleasures of domestic life and find time to go out together.

"You can often find all of us in the kitchen," says Christine. "I enjoy cooking things like pasta and being quite a strict vegetarian, I enjoy finding new recipes. And with the house being just by the office, it's very easy for Dominic and Rebecca to keep in contact with me.

"It's an unconventional life for someone my age but it's also very happy and rewarding.''

And Christine says the future is even brighter with lots of new beginnings. She is flying to Australia in May to give a series of lectures and plans to travel as much as possible.

For some of us, it's a struggle to even find a gym, let alone go to one regularly. So what are Christine's tips for a healthy lifestyle?

"You've got to work fitness into the lifestyle that you've got," she says. "A lot of people embark on a programme and by the end of the week give up. If you have family pressures and can't get to the gym three times a week, don't do it.

"You could join a running club that meets once a week or if you've got children, go swimming or walking at weekends, or biking. It doesn't have to be expensive

"If you like dance, look at going to a club. I do a lot of ballet and tap, but there's line dancing and other social evenings. It helps keeps your muscles and joints strong.

"Whatever you do, don't try to jog for five miles or play squash or badminton. Think about getting fit for these activities as they're a shock to the system. "It's not only thinking about fitness, it's thinking about life as well."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.