I try a pole fitness class for the first time - now I hope to stick to it better than my legs did to the pole

Exercise helps to release dopamine, also known as the 'happy' hormone. Not only helping us physically, but with our mental health. It reacts in areas of the brain to give you feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. Now a new gym in Wavertree is hoping to empower people through exercise.

I was lucky enough to get a space in a class at Babe Fitness Studios in Wavertree. They're so in demand that they sold out their places before they even opened, and they have a waitlist of around three hundred gym-goers.

Finding something that you enjoy that keeps you fit can be quite tricky, so I tried something that was totally out of my comfort zone: pole fitness. Although I wasn't a natural, I really enjoyed my first attempt at the class. Let's hope I can stick to it better than my thighs did to the pole.

Made up of three large studios, Babe Fitness offers members more traditional fitness classes like kettlebells and hyrox, alongside the likes of pole fitness, reformer pilates and yoga. Co-founder Harriet Jefferies said: "Since we've opened, we've got so many amazing women and guys from totally different walks of life who would never in a million years have come together and started socialising that are now the best friends in the world. That's the best thing about it. I just wanted it to always be just really nice, sound people all in the same place that are just there to have a bit of a laugh and feel a little bit better. It was more for people's mental health than the physical side at first."

They want the studio to be inclusive and a safe space for everyone as they break away from male dominated and girls only models. Harriet said: "Where does someone who is trans go? Where does someone who is queer and feels uncomfortable going into a guys gym or girls gym, where do they fit in? Why should they be left out? So when we set up, we said this isn't going to be a female-only gym, it's going to be the girls, it's going to be the gays, and it's going be the theys."

• Watch the video above for our full feature on pole fitness and wellbeing.