Living the 360 Lifestyle

I've always loved sport and being active and decided when I was 11 I wanted to be a Physical Education Teacher.  After 12 years of teaching in various Secondary schools, I wanted to broaden my interest and knowledge in Nutrition and Fitness and studied to be a Personal Trainer.  Both jobs have very different challenges but remain linked to my passion of sport, health and fitness and I love them both.

 

At 17 I had a skiing accident which required a helicopter trip off the mountain.  I thought I would never be able to compete in sports at the level I had done previously which was difficult for me to accept.  However, encouragement from a friend who was an ex international athlete was the catalyst to the snowball effect that changed my life.

 

When I turned 35 I re started my athletics career.  My aim was to run faster and jump further than when I was 17.  I trained hard and every match I was running faster and jumping further.  I loved it.  I competed at Senior Women's and 'Masters' Athletics competitions and in 2009 became UK National Long Jump Champion both indoor and outdoor.  I held club records in 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m and achieved lifetime personal bests in Long Jump, 200m and 400m jumping further and running faster than when I was 17.

 

What happened next was something that would change the course of my life again.  I tore my hamstring in a Triple Jump competition.  What I thought would be a few months out of training and competition eventually ended with the realisation that I would not be able to run competitively again. I took some comfort in the fact that I knew as I got older, the chance to continue to improve was declining.  I had achieved what I had set out to do so maybe it was time for a new challenge.

 

I needed something to focus my training on and again as a result of encouragement from others, I entered a Fitness competition.  I had always trained for performance related reasons and not aesthetic so was not overly comfortable with the whole concept of such a competition.  It was also important for me to teach my 2 daughters to exercise and eat well for health reasons and not in order to conform to looking a certain way.  However, I  began to enjoy the new style training and regardless of training for aesthetics or performance, the 3 things that stay consistent are effort, discipline and progression.

Success is often about overcoming obstacles and perseverance in the face of adversity.  I had to see the positive side to my injury and it was that I was learning a new skill and this newness had given me a renewed enthusiasm.

 

I knew I would be one of the oldest competitors as most of the girls in my category were in their 20's. But, In 2011 at 38 years old I came 2nd Place UK FAME Fitness Model behind a 19 year old.

I believe that no matter what you have done previously, you can get in control of your body. The best time to start anything is NOW!  We need to ask ourselves what we can do to get the most out of our bodies for as long as possible.

 

I have learnt so much about myself and my capabilities over the last 8 years and have to admit lots of the positive things that have happened have been due to my injury and other peoples influences and encouragement.  People who made me step out of my comfort zone and try things I had  never thought about or would even have wanted to.  I can now look upon those things from a perspective that I could not see at the time and also see how they have contributed to shaping my plans for the future.

 

There are still many things I want to do.   I want to encourage, help and motivate as many of you as I can.  There is so much conflicting information out there with regards to fitness and nutrition and I will provide you with the benefit of all my research and experience.

 

Ultimately, my values and goals in life include being happy and healthy everyday, the meaningful relationships I have with so many people, working on projects I connect with and to continue to experience and try to take on as many new challenges as possible.  The next few months are going to be very exciting times.  I hope you will join me and realise there is extraordinary potential within us all.