Welcome to my site! I am a first-year undergraduate on the Health and Wellbeing Practitioner BSc course. I am also a qualified level 3 personal trainer and have been teaching fitness since I qualified around the year 2012.
The experience I’ve had in working in the industry has taught me that in order to help more people, I need the right connections and more education so here I am.
Improving health and getting people moving are my passions. Having had personal experience of chronic illness, I want to help those who feel like there is no hope, to be able to improve their quality of life and even, where possible, overcome chronic illness. Helping people to move is a huge component of that in my opinion.
My fitness loves are running, kettlebells including HIIT circuits and weight lifting and I love trying out new challenges. In the time since I started my fitness journey I’ve completed the 3 peaks challenge, competed in CrossFit and Powerlifting competitions, ran a number of half marathons and a marathon, and participated in many obstacle races. I don’t have one area that I love the most, I just love movement and being fit and strong!
My academic interests are:
The negative effect that the fitness industry has on the perception of body image: Is the perception of body image a huge barrier to exercise and what, as an industry, can we do about it if it is? (Google search fitness images and see what comes up. It perpetuates the idea that you have to ‘look’ fit to be fit).
ME/CFS: Management, treatment, and physical activity.
Exercise research: Fitness, exercise, anything movement based excites me. I have many burning questions so am thoroughly interested to find out if the research is already there or if not, to hone my own researching skills to answer them!
Helping everyone, from all walks of life to MOVE: I’m extremely passionate about movement, we are made to move! I have experienced multiple walks of life who struggle to become active, from the stressed out and overworked office workers to new Mums who struggle to get childcare to be able to join community fitness activities. The idea that those in deprived areas find it harder to get into physical activity weighs heavy on my heart and I would like to be involved in change in all of these areas.
I’m sure there will be more academic interests as I progress through this journey but I realise I must narrow my aspirations down to the most important. I’m hoping this course will guide me.
