Taking on Your Best Year

Good Luck

To those taking on New Goals in 2019!

New Year is a natural time for reflection, the idea of change seems more appealing, to try something new or something that has previously seemed beyond our grasp. However, as many of us know, simply setting the goal isn’t enough to guarantee they’re completion. It can often seem like a never ending cycle where the goal is set but always stays just beyond our grasp for one reason or another. It doesn’t always have to be this way.

Over the years working with a wide variety of clients, people of differing ages and backgrounds, a number of common themes become clear in the process of achieving goals.

Here are a couple of these to help you achieve your goals:

• Work out why achieving this goal is important to you.

This may seem like too much overthinking. But, taking the time to think about why achieving your goal will make a difference to you, will really help your motivation when making decisions gets tough.

• Connect with like-minded individuals.

We all need a support crew, no matter whether this is a patent who asks the questions, ‘Do you really need that?’ Or the partner/ friend who doesn’t dangle the chocolates, cakes or takeaways. But it may also be a club or a group of people who simply want to support you to achieve your goals.

• Reflect and evaluate what has and has not worked in the past.

Be prepared, create the circumstances that help you succeed, be prepared for the events or obstacles that take you off the right track. An example may be, chocolates in the office. They are near your desk, you have to walk past them regularly and you find it tough to not pick away at them. Ask if they can be put somewhere else, not so easily seen. Take healthier, lower calorie options that are easy to access.

• Consider where you prioritise your time.

It can seem like we are not making progress at various points along the way. It’s important that we take an honest look at where we are truly spending our time. What we prioritise is where our time is going. It doesn’t mean your goal has to be at the centre of every decision, however it does need a certain amount of investment in order to create that new habit. Occasionally, we can think we are giving a lot of time but actually when we track our habits and commitments we are not giving what we initially thought. It may be time to change that if you wish to achieve that goal.

• Goal achievement is not a linear process.

You probably know this from your own previous goals set, but it’s always worth repeating. Working towards goals is not an A to B process, there is progress, plateaus and setbacks. It is what you do when you hit them that makes a difference, re-evaluate, adjust your path and try again.

If you need any help, please feel free to give me a shout at louisept4u@yahoo.co.uk or message me on my business Facebook page: Louise’s PT 4 U

Stealing your own energy?

Changing the Goal Posts

Over hearing a brief snippet of conversation this morning, it set me thinking (dangerous when this happens).  We are always waiting on something to happen, a date, a time, a goal before we are okay with ourselves or our bodies.

So my question would be – why are you not good enough now?  Why is it not okay to be happy with ourselves now?  That doesn’t mean you don’t want for better circumstances or to improve yourself in some way, it just means your happiness and acceptance of self is not based on this.

Take this scenario, I’ll use myself, I have spoken of my leg injury previously.  A nerve injury to my lower leg, it’ll be there forever, nothing in the grand scheme of things of levels of seriousness.  Huge to me, it was affecting my ability to be me, it can really impact on my pain levels daily and on an ongoing basis.  Having been in the fitness industry I felt my body had let me down, the pain was and can wear me down.  Anyways, my point is, now I can run ridiculous distances (I would have told you, never possible haha, I can complete in OCR races, I have even (naughty I know)
returned to rugby to some extent.  You know what my body, that I constantly hammer to be better, does me good.  Its gotten me through a lot, stood up in adverse circumstances, mentally and physically been stronger than I thought possible.  Now ask me should I be happy with it, with me?  100%

Do I want better levels of fitness – always!

 

In today’s society, it’s always about ‘once you lose weight’, ‘once you tone up that wobbly butt or tummy’, it’s largely about being different, being seen to be ‘stronger, fitter, faster’, fitting in with the stereotypes.

This applies to males as well as females!

Pressure to change those external appearances is strong! (Yoda style)

We are constantly waiting for ‘perfect’ circumstances, I have bad news – they just don’t exist!

This coming from a true perfectionist at heart.  I tell people that I am better now and they laugh, you know who you are.  Truly I am, I don’t put the same pressure on myself I used to, that kind of pressure can be paralysing.  I feel lighter and more able to make decisions, the difference is that I don’t feel like I am wading through tar, clogging myself up with the intricacies of making that perfect decision.  Apply this to making thousands of decisions in a day, HUGE pressure on myself.  Does this mean I am not good enough?  100% not actually now I am relaxed and make better decisions with less perfect (but still good quality) outcomes and funnily enough I am happier with me.

We need to stop looking for these conditions and reflect on what is good and what we do well.  It just might propel you to make those changes that really do make an impact on your life i.e. the weight loss you’ve been reaching for, the fitness levels you believed to be unattainable.  We are robbing ourselves everyday of time and energy.  All sounding a bit airy, fairy?  Take 5 mins and think about it.

Let me give you one final example, I have had lots of clients come to me, primarily for weight loss.  But in some instances, I have had those who would be considered to be overweight/ obese but their goal is not to lose weight but to be the fittest and healthiest they can be.

Ultimately, yes for health, discussion comes around to weight loss BUT (big emphasis here), they can out-perform many individuals from a fitness perspective.  So based on the pressure to be a certain weight, a stereotype, should they not be happy within themselves? – 100% they should.

I love it that people can buck our preconceptions, really giving power to those who do not have that confidence themselves to be who they are, whatever weight they are and empower themselves!  Brings the old phrase to mind of never judging a book by its cover.

I have started a ‘gratitude jar’ this year, tried it before – epic fail!  But I am determined to finish this and read these at the end of year.  Every day a note must be entered with a minimum of 2 things I am grateful for.  This makes me happy, happy with me and my circumstances.  Is it really the body we must change or is it our attitude and mental approach?

I hope my ramblings and examples help you to gain some perspective.

Why should I take part in the National Fitness Day on Wednesday 9th Sept 2015?

At this late stage many will be thinking this (see title) and maybe even since you heard of this day to celebrate and encourage physical activity.  I wanted to write just a few of the reasons we need to find time to get involved:

1.  Physical activity has been shown to be beneficial for multiple medical conditions including osteoporosis, diabetes,  obesity/ overweight, mental health conditions, joint replacements, back pain.

Choose a level and an intensity that is appropriate for your level and ability.

2.  You are a parent/ grandparent – children are mirrors of their parents – be the best and healthiest example you can be.          Children will copy their parents from a young age, long before we even notice.

3.  You would like to be fitter, stronger, faster!

It doesn’t always have to be about the scales.  All too often people say they don’t need to be more active because                they dont need to lose weight.  Physical activity can do and be so much more for you than just weight loss.  Set a                  fitness goal instead of a weight loss goal, this may be walking an extra 5 mins p/day, it might be to lift a PB in squats,            it might be learning to do a pull-up (I only just cracked this last year – you wouldn’t BELIEVE how excited I was – I told            literally everyone!).  No matter your level, pick a goal and go for it!

4.  Physical activity can be FUN!  I see the fun and excitement that sharing a goal and achievement it can bring amongst           my clients who enter races/ events together.

5.  Being physically active can help you burn more calories when at rest.  How?

Build muscles – ladies do NOT run in the other direction!  This is important for you as well as the gentlemen!  It gives             us tone, shape, the shape we want when we slip into our dresses or suits!  By having a higher percentage of muscle             the body uses more energy, aha bet I have your attention now?!

6.  Physical activity can help us maintain our flexibility and mobility.  As we age, yes we lose muscles mass and we                     become stiffer, however, we can slow this progress by being more active.  This is the more literal version of ‘use it lor           lose it’.

This is just a few of the reasons to be more active on a daily basis, you know YOUR reasons better than anyone.  If any of the above reasonate with you, grab them with both hands and use it to motivate you to change things.

Louise’s PT 4 U will be running its very own free events to get you all together, to help you to get friends and family involved.

Wednesday 9th September 2015 in the Dundee area:

615 – 7am:  Outdoor THUMP Boxing – Meet at Law Hill toilet on the hill – ALL abilities & levels – MUST contact to let me know you are coming as I have limited kit – louisept4u@yahoo.co.uk or PM me on facebook.

1030 – 1130 am – M.O.M Pregnancy & Post-natal Walk (Grandparent/ fathers all welcome, with & without the children 🙂 ) – Meet at the toilet block in the car park next to the beach (NOT the castle car park) – again all abilities & levels.

8 – 845pm – Evening stroll to relax at the end of the day – Meet at the front of Good Health & Fitness at City Quay (Car Park entrance) – ALL abilities & levels.

You do not have to have worked with me prior to these sessions, they will not be used to sell anything.  This truly is my passion, I myself have learnt and gained so much throughout my life from physical activity.  If I can help more people to be more active and get even a little of what I have from being more active I will be SUUUUPER happy!

See you all Wednesday!  Tag and share your pictures with #LouisesPT4U #Noonegetsleftbehind

Is it okay to pee yourself while exercising?

The short answer?  NO!

The longer version of this answer, definitely no, it is not okay!  I have been speaking with lots of women recently and what keeps coming up is that instead of working on strategies to strengthen the weakness or improving the situation, women have removed themselves from the situation, in this case an exercise class, normally a high impact class to stop it happening.  This is a bit like burying your head in the sand.

I am not having a go or being negative to anyone or rubbishing anyone’s decision.  This post I hope will make more of you sit up and think about approaching your body and more specifically your pelvic floor differently.

You only have one pelvic floor, it can cause a lot of embarrassment, discomfort and reluctance to take part in the same activities that you previously did through fear.  Let’s try to change that, it is possible, not definitive but certainly possible.

Let’s put it another way; if you hurt your ankle, or a muscle in your arm/ thigh/ calf failed, what would you do?

You would go see the doctor or a physio.

We, as women, need to realise that we owe it to ourselves not to dismiss this any longer.  Leakage, is NOT normal and we shouldn’t accept it as ‘just one of those things that happens’.  Of a slightly lesser impact is the need to go to the toilet whenever you jump around or exert yourself or cough/ sneeze/ laugh suddenly.

60 – 80% of women with SUI (Stress Urinary Incontinence – this is what we are talking about in the first paragraph) can be improved with correct pelvic floor training and correct recruitment (Neuman et al, 2005).  This gives a lot of us hope and is very positive.  The next thing to mention is to really work out what is happening with your pelvic floor and if you believe you have issues, get yourself referred to a Women’s Health Physio or a Pelvic Floor Specialist physio, they are fantastic and can give you an internal assessment to see what your recruitment patterns are like and give the best recommendations.

There are a number of strategies that can help with the pelvic floor, these include correct lifting strategies/ improving toilet habits/ nutritional strategies/ movement to name a few.  Even improving our breathing can help!

Let me finish todays blog on this note:  you may not consider yourself to have anything described above or any pelvic floor dysfunction BUT it is never too early to begin looking after your pelvic floor.  There are many risk factors that lead to pelvic floor dysfunction, I will cover some of these in my next blog.

Disclaimer:  All of the above is dependent on your symptoms and the severity of these.  Do not undertake anything new if you are concerned before speaking with a qualified individual.

The Rat Race of Life

This one is a shorty today folks, but this does not mean it is a subject we should take lightly . . .

The world is a place where we feeling growing pressures to fulfil, often what is, someone elses expectations and goals.  When we go home we wonder why our health is suffering, why our stress levels are rising daily, we have more and more back pain, sore knees, increasing weight and this is just a drip in the ocean of aches and pains that people feel.

And yes I hear you, but your employer pays you, its part of your contract.

We can often forget that we only have one body, one life, if you become ill and can not function what happens to that work, what happens to the kids, your partner?  Many of the aches and pains we feel e.g. back pain can be helped with physical activity and management techniques.  Our weight issues can also be managed when we suddenly realise that we DO need to eat lunch during the day to keep our energy levels up, but we also need to only eat for our activity levels – are you active daily?

Really?  Now be honest 😉

What number would you give your stress levels out of 10?  Is what you are doing always conflicting with what you need to do for you and your health?

Put strategies in place and action them!  It might not work everytime but thats okay, but you won’t know if you dont try.  If you need some help, drop me a message at – louisept4u@yahoo.co.uk

Is this the legacy we want to leave behind?

        

In this industry I am frequently faced with women and men, for that matter, who are unhappy with their shape, weight or anything in between.  For the most part, the way we look at our own bodies, when in comparison with others, is negative.

Does this sound familiar?  Do you think ‘I wish I was . . .  [insert your own thoughts]’,  often I hear I want to be slimmer, have a smaller bum, toned abs, smaller legs or a more toned back, tighter triceps.  The society we live in, the media has provided us with, what is portrayed as an ‘ideal’ image that we often feel pressurised to conform to, all we have to do is look at the images staring back at us from the stream of magazines lining the shelves.  The only part I agree with is that which makes each person – HEALTHY!  Functional health for your life is vital!

In order to achieve these ideals, many have resorted to disordered eating i.e. going from one diet to another, excessive exercise – afraid to stop from fear that they will become fat and a concerning focus on the calorie content of every single food.  I am lucky enough to work with pregnant and post-natal women, this an ideal time to make those lifelong lifestyle changes.  Many women change in terms of their attitudes as they reflect on the impact they have on their newborn child.

Nevertheless,  a common answer to queries about their lifestyle or diet (nothing extreme) is that they have loads of time to make the changes. It is key to remember, it takes a looooooong time for habits to become just that, habits, in-grained new habits.  Starting early and making these habits automatic will set you up for the future and the habits you will pass onto your child/ children.

Is the legacy you wish to leave?   One of, unhealthy relationships with food, restriction, yo-yo dieting, the need for dieting to maintain weight, emotional eating or drinking?

This focus on weight, has been around for a very long time, it will NOT change over night, criticising our bodies, putting our body – ourselves down.  The feeling of, we can only achieve, be successful, do well, reach our goals and be happy if we are the slim, media portrayed ideal.  Being embarrassed, judgemental of others because they do not conform.

Is this the legacy you wish to leave behind?

Be a part of a new legacy, not the one you were left with but a new one filled with positivity and hope.  A confidence with is passed down through the family from parent to child/children.  The ability to go for your goals, to focus away from the weight and on the ability to do more, be more!  Focus on your health and fitness, this focus odes in fact tend to help with those other goals such as body tone and weight loss incidentally.  By focusing on achieving your goals in a fitness and health orientated way we feel more successful, more confident, more able and a knowledge that you are STRONG!

Check out these amazing women, who are in the middle of a spartan race, (I pulled this pic of google).  Those in the pic are also from WOR (Women of Obstacle Racing: /http://womenofobstacleracing.com/

They are actually my OCR sponsors, I love that they support ALL women, irrespective of shape and size, of ALL abilities!  Check them out at the link above – they are also on facebook, give them a ‘like’ and follow their achievements, even though American based they have women involved from all over the world!

We are entering a new age, every single day I can see something that gives me hope that women’s attitudes towards themselves, toward their abilities, their self-worth is CHANGING.  Slowly but surely, its a toughie, by no means an easy adjustment, we are really talking about bucking the trend!  We are talking about women celebrating their strength, mentally as well as physically!  I am surrounded by women who are incredibly strong simply because they keep on going, they have faced up to their mental health issues and I see an inner strength that is growing.  Not only that I am surrounded by ladies who can lift helluva lot of weight, they dominate their sports in weight-lifting and rugby, for example.  They embrace their physicality and use it to succeed on a very different forum.  In the age of #ThisGirlCan (http://www.thisgirlcan.co.uk/) it is your ability, your tenacity, that is important, not your size, how much effort are you putting in?  How many goals are you working at achieving instead of sabotaging?

Is THIS the legacy you would want to leave behind?  The one you would want your children to live by?

Here is  a fantastic message that is doing the rounds on social media at the moment.  It clearly demonstrates the differences in women but the most sensitive but positive light, embracing their bodies and what it is that helps them to achieve: (See more at –  http://mic.com/articles/121823/espn-body-issue-2015-pictures )

You may believe, you may think, that your children do not know how you think of yourself and thatthey know that you diet or dont particularly like your body.  BUT they know!!  All those little habits, they will copy them, everyday it becomes alittle more ingrained, those highs, those lows,  I am not saying everyday is perfect but I am saying you can choose your goals, you can choose your attitude, you can CHOOSE your legacy!

Other groups you may want to look up include:

SFN Sisterhood run by the lovely Lucy Doyle

(I will add more to this in due course as I find more.  Or please comment and let me know who needs to be added, these are just a start to the groups I have come into contact with)

The Final Day – Women In Sport Week – Higlighting Individuals

Hey Guys,

Well I think this week has been phenomenal, the guys who have taken part by sharing their bio’s for #WomenInSportWeek , and for those of you who chose to read them.  I thought this would be a great way to finish, by letting you see alittle more of my background,  I who trains everyone.

Name:  Louise

Nickname:  SilverFox  (I’ll let you work out the why)

Sport:  Rugby/ Obstacle Racing

In primary school, I was actually involved in only a little sport, following in my dad’s footsteps trying out football but it caused me serious issues with my knee and the school couldn’t see it through due to not have the correct gender coach.  In secondary school it was a whole other story, I was immersed in sport from the outset and actively became involved in the hockey team.  This carried on all the way through secondary, PE was my saving grace throughout my secondary years.  It saved me from lots of issues going on at home.  I took part in everything, hockey, netball (when I had to), athletics, there was always a keen competitiveness between myself and one of my friends to push for top spot.   I was actually the youngest ever senior hockey team captain, at the time.  This was an honour, you were voted in as team captain by the team, I thought I was just a wee timid thing.

For a number of years after school, I dipped in and out of sport, predominantly hockey with nothing really permanent.  I had been captured by the spirit of rugby while I attended uni and worked in Wales.  When I came back north, Waid Ladies FPs hockey club was no more which meant you had to look at Madras, I tried,  I really did, but I just couldn’t pull on the madras shirt, all through school we had been arch rivals.  I just couldnt do it!  It was like blasphemy!!

Fast forward a number of years and I started playing rugby – this was THE most exciting thing ever.  I re-captured the team spirit that I loved, being part of a team was just something else.  I played for Morgan Ladies for some time before moving onto Kirkcaldy Ladies as they were a higher ranking team.  But, then it happened, an injury I wasnt sure I was ever going to come back from in the sense that I actually couldn’t figure out which sport/ activity was going to be okay for me to do.  One that wouldnt set my leg of with every step.  But I did, I learnt that steady running was the way forward, I hated steady, long-distance running.  It was horrendous but my want and need to be active overruled this.  Many would say, its not a life-threatening injury get over it, I would agree it wasn’t but for me it was so tightly wound up in who I am and what I do, it was vital I stayed active.

I had gotten some nerve damage through a tackle, this was a completely random occurrence and freak accident, even now, if I thought there would be no consequences I would be straight back in at rugby. I played many a position for my wee size including scrum-half, stand-off and also centre!  This damage however, caused me high levels of pain and discomfort on a daily basis and almost with every movement of my leg, a year on from the injury I underwent surgery to ‘clean up’ the nerve.

Initially it seemed I had made the wrong decision but with time the nerve settled down and it was like having a new leg!  I chose to stick with running, the consequences to my chosen career and my own sanity if anything were to happen to my leg again wasnt worth it.  Fast forward again and here I am obstacle racing.  What is obstacle racing?

Well it involves running a course/ race with multiple obstacles such as walls, carrying items e.g. logs, stones, amunition boxes and buckets, there would also frequently be monkey bars, barbed wire to crawl under, water to wade through.

I was lucky, I seemed to have a knack and it seemed to suit me, I thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of the racing, helping others to keep going or just complete a specific obstacle was fantastic.  I also managed to achieve some high places on the racing circuit which I am very proud of.  I have had to work hard daily, learn to prioritise, overcome my own personal fears and challenges (I dont think I have mentioned it yet but I HATE water!!) .  My biggest accomplishment to date is completing Tough Guy the Original this year, this challenged me with the threat of hypothermia, which I have had previously and appear to be even more susceptible to now and also the sheer amount of water in the race.  Did I mention I hate water yet?

But you know what?  I did it, I paced myself, I even pretended I was Rocky at one point to keep my arms moving and keep the blood pumping to stay warm  .   .   . ‘Adriiiiiiian!!!!’

Anyway, I finished, it may only have been 17th place but I had stuck to my plan of not going crazy with my race pace and just pacing myself to finish in one piece,  this was also the final effort to raise money for the local mental health charity DAMH.  By damn I did it!  I think this is a first, I was incredibly emotional and I shared it with everyone via a wee link on my OCR facebook page.                               

OCR is a fantastic way for us to become much more functional but what I love the most?  Helping others to overcome their own obstacles, the helping of each other to achieve with no secind thought – that is what it is all about!  You are never too good to be helping someone else complete the course, you just might make the difference to someone completng or giving up.  Make sure its the right choice.

Women In Sport Week – Highlighting Individuals

In day 6 of #WomenInSportWeek we have Carmin.  I have been lucky to meet Carmin at the gym I work out of.  She applies a determined amount of energy into her classes! How amazing is it that we have these world class women right amongst us, every single day?!  And yet they have their feet solidly on the ground!  Enjoy todays bio .  .  .  .  .

Name:  Carmin

Sport:  Hockey

Having always been into playing sports and games I started playing competitive hockey in the early years of secondary school for the former pupils team at Forfar Academy. After a short while there was a vacancy in the goalkeepers position…..and I was the youngest on the team…..! Turned out I wasn’t too bad at it as about 3 months later I was selected for the Scottish U16s. From there I played up through the age groups and had my first senior cap ages 21 at the Celtic Cup in Ireland.

            
I’ve played in many European Club and National championships as well as being part of teams winning the National League and Scottish Cup both indoor and outdoor. Some of the highlights have been playing in the GB super league, the indoor World Cup in Vienna and winning goalkeeper of the tournament at the European Nations A division in Spain where my team finished in the highest ever recorded placing for Scotland.
I’ve played for a few different clubs in Scotland but have never been happier than over the last few years playing with Dundee Wanderers. There’s nothing better than being part of a great team.

Women In Sport Week – Highlighting Individuals

I met Sulvi at the gym I work out of, she thoroughly enjoys pushing herself not only on the intensity of an exercise but also technically.  This gains her brownie points in my book, technqiue is key, particularly whne trying to avoid injuries or when looking after an old one or recurring injuries.  Sulvi is off to do her first OCR (Obstacle Course Race) this weekend at the Major Series – good luck, I wish I could join you!

Name:  Sulvi

Sport:  Javelin/ Basketball

Sports has been something I have been involved in from the very young age, I can remember being a part of the gymnastics group in my small town when I was about 5 (brilliant sport to build basics for any sports by the way) but soon enough it was clear that I did not inherit the build nor the grace for this sport. But I was hooked to sports for life and I can only thank my parents for encouraging me to join this. It lead to athletics which was and still is my first love when it comes to sport, although today I enjoy it mostly from my sofa.

I was scouted for national sports school (that’s how old Soviet champions were made) by the age of 13 and at 14 I left home with a dream and determination to become one of the best in the world. I trained twice a day for 5 days and in my last year on high school I took it to the next level of commitment and gave up some weekends to stay at school and train 6 days a week.  My coach had trained some awesome throwers and reckoned I had 60m plus in me and I felt really privileged to be trained by him. I loved every minute of it and it paid off – I won Estonian Juniors and silver in Estonian Champs at 17 and was deemed the next hope of Estonian ladies javelin.  And then came the injury which killed my plans for Olympics and stopped me throwing javelin for good. And the life changed. It wasn’t pretty and it took me more than few years to get back to any sport.

Today I train at GHF 3-5 times a week (GHF is the best by the way) and playing basketball once a week.  Basketball is great fun –  working together and having fun while getting fitter. And its a hoot.  I went to play so I can have some of “me” time back after having kids and do something about feeling miserable about how I felt about my fitness and size. I am now involved in coaching the team (a huge challenge for me) but I love that too – its my chance to help someone else get back into fitness (most of us are 30 +ladies playing bball once a week) and it excites me that I can make a difference in someone’s life. Even if its just encouragement to get them started.

I never thought I would be someone who could go to the gym at 7am but doing it couple of times a week is the best way to start the day! Yes its hard to start with but you will get through this and you are there with people who are in the same boat with you – working hard with a lot of banter going on. Best medicine one can have! Working with you and other coaches in the gym as given me so much more knowledge how to improve simple things like posture to improve my everyday life and helped me deal with injuries by working around them and tweaking things that need to tweaked. And also, you lot keep pushing me (with encouragement )which I need to go just a little further. I love it and it makes me happy – you will never see me leaving gym grumpy!

Why do I do it all? Because it makes me feel good, it helps me stay healthy and fit, it helps me enjoy life better, I make new friends, learn new things, try new things and mostly I challenge myself. Its great to see I can still hold my own on the court with girls 20 years younger than me (some of them playing in the National teams) and that drives me on, if I can make winning harder for them, I will do my best to do it!

Without all that life would be static and boring. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good read and chill out with a movie too but without sports in my life I would be a miserable git unpleasant to be around. So I am all for trying new things, challenging yourself and just going for it – what have we got to loose? You only live once so lets do it with having fun!

Women In Sport Week – Highlighting Women: Day 4

I was lucky enough to be at university with Tintin, she is a very accomplished rugby player and weight-lifter!  Whatever sport she has turned her hand to she has achieved so muh, Tintin is definitely one to watch.  She has had to overcome personal battles to reach the heights that she has, but I believe this makes the achievements all that more special.

Tintin and I will be bringing you a weight-lifting seminar over the summer months so keep your eyes peeled to sign-up to this unique seminar!

Name:  Tatenda

Nickname:  Tintin

Sport:  Rugby/ Weight-lifting

Women’s weightlifting

At the mention of the subject I bet most of us imagine this;

The reality is that female weightlifters actually look like this:

Every sport has its extremes but at the heart of it weightlifting is an empowering sport. I first got into it by accident in 2010 as a way to further my

knowledge for a university project and realised that I had a knack for the sport. After having just retired from rugby due to injury this was a welcome challenge. Fast forward 8 months later and I was competing in my first competition at the Scottish open. Winning that opened doors to further competitions and breaking of records that no one expected least of all me. I went on to represent Scotland nationally and won a British title.

I then received a call up to the national team in order to be selected to lift for Scotland at the Glasgow commonwealth games. However, due to a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis I was forced to pull out. As a qualified Strength and conditioning coach I always strive for the best for my athletes and clients as well as myself. This sport has taught me never to give up and two years after being diagnosed I was back competing. I have met some strong women who remain friends to this day and since it is a minority sport there is a sense of community among the women I know.

                             

Currently I have Scottish open championships in December and look to fulfil my dream of an International competition next year. So in the meantime the focus is on trying different methods of training as I prepare to say goodbye to my lifting career.

Tatenda Nyatsanza

Strength and conditioning coach.