My Story

I haven’t always lifted weights, it’s something I’ve only been introduced to in recent years. My younger years were filled with team sport and continued while I was studying Sports Science at university but I never went to the gym, I much preferred playing sport instead.

When I had children in my late twenties/early thirties and we moved around the country a couple of times with work, I didn’t make enough time for myself so barely did any exercise at all!

Funny how when life gets busy, we lose focus on ourselves. Who can relate?

I reached a turning point though. Maybe something to do with my 40th looming, but feeling totally fed up with being unfit and tired all the time, it was time to do something about it. I think we all reach a turning point, don’t we?

So I started training. With the help of a PT this time so I didn’t just spend an hour on the cross trainer! My journey, learning to lift weights and realising how good it made me feel, inspired me to qualify as a personal trainer so I could help more women who have reached their turning point get stronger too.

It’s hard to navigate all the information (among the mis-information) out there for health and fitness so it’s really worth finding someone who can support you to reach your goals and keep you on track. Even as a coach now, I still have mentors and sometimes have another coach plan my training for me and hold me accountable to it so it gets done.

I love weight training. I understand how intimidating and confusing it can be and why women shy away from it but it’s one of the best forms of training women can do and why I encourage my clients to include it in their programmes.

As well as a number of health benefits such as reducing the risk of osteoporosis, it gives you more shape and better fat loss than just doing cardio alone. It doesn’t have to be with heavy weights, body-weight exercises can be really effective too. Being stronger made me feel amazing, don’t let anything put you off giving it a go!

If you would like to feel strong and confident, I offer 1:1 personal training sessions to help women like you. Click on the link to find out more.

I never stop learning as a coach. I did my original qualification in 2016 but there is always new research and evidence especially around women’s health and fitness so I’m constantly updating my knowledge.

In early 2020 I completed a course in Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise to be able to better support women with their training if they have had a baby or have core and pelvic floor weakness.

Although postnatal care is improving all the time, with more women’s health physios offering specific pelvic health services and more info online, lots of women are still not being given the right support to return to exercise safely after having a baby.

They’re either putting themselves at risk of problems further down the line by rushing to ‘lose the baby weight’ rather than re-building their core strength first, or they’re avoiding exercise because they do have issues and don’t know how to manage them.

I have been one of these women - 2 children and pelvic floor dysfunction from pregnancy that only appeared once I got back into exercise 5 years later. I don’t remember being given much advice as a newly postnatal mum and I didn’t think to discuss exercising at my 6 week check. I thought my concerns were just something I had to accept from having children, what else is there to think when no-one tells you any different?

Through my learning, I now know us women don’t have to put up with core or pelvic floor dysfunction. Improving your strength through the right training can really improve symptoms and leave you confident to continue doing all the activities that you love.