One of my client highlights this year is Annie (not her real name, she would like to be anonymous), a lady who came to me over a year ago now, needing to improve her general fitness. Annie was finding it harder to perform some household tasks, even walking was a struggle, and wanted to reverse the onset of middle age. She had been into several gyms and been very disappointed with the lack of personal attention she felt she needed from them and been put off with the ‘Mirror Muscle’ clients.
Once we started chatting about her health and fitness there were quite a few issues we were looking at improving, which she understood and realised needed attention, in order for us to move forwards. The biggest hurdle was that she didn’t particularly enjoy exercising. On top of this her posture, after years of sitting at a desk, had caused issues with her upper body. Her lower body has suffered with health issues, especially her feet, causing her to fall over. She also has several injuries, most recently ligament and muscle damage to her right shoulder.
From the assessment we agreed to concentrate on general mobility and movement exercises. Firstly, get her body used to doing regular exercise again, (one aim was to get her to stand up on her feet without a struggle or holding onto something). Secondly, I wanted to build up her confidence so we could move onto more complex and dynamic movements that her body should be able to do (which we have now achieved).
Within the year, Annie has made big improvements across the board. Coming once a week for a personal coaching session her confidence has blossomed, muscles and joints are working together as a unit so she can perform more complex movements with minimum effort. It hasn’t been easy for her, she has had to deal with continued sciatic issues that flare up, but we always manage the injury and through trust in my ability as her coach we have overcome these barriers. She recently went to The Lakes and hiked up a hill she had climbed a few years earlier and managed to get up it without being out of breath. A big gold star in my book!
Annie shows that no matter where you start with your health and fitness, if you have a desire to change, with a little help and support you can achieve your own personal goals. The emphasis in her personal training sessions now has changed to reflect her progress. It takes time, commitment and a little bit of sweat 😉 but WE ALL can do it.
