Growing up exercise was something I had little interest in and it wasn’t until my early thirties, when our first child was born and he started wanting to play football and run around with me, that I realised how out of shape I was.

Being over weight and a heavy smoker. I started trying to run, which eventually was a life changer, as after a few failed attempts I managed to stop smoking and lose a bit of weight. Running became  an obsession and I got to the stage where running was what I spent most of my spare time doing. After a few years I started to get issues with my hips and ignoring the signs things got worse, until I found myself no longer able to run, without pain. After a number of visits to the the physio I was told I had arthritis and needed to stop running. I started cycling, but didn’t get the same level of enjoyment out of it.

A friend recommended I try CrossFit and after spending time elsewhere at a Crossfit gym, I moved to Eleos.

These days I am fitter and more flexible than I’ve ever been. Eleos teaches it’s about training the body as a whole and achieving balance. Running is no longer an issue.

I joined Eleos to get stronger and more confident with my body’s capabilities. 18 months later and I’m the strongest I’ve ever been, far stronger than I imagined, and I’m constantly learning from the wealth of knowledge and experience the coaches bring. I soon realised that training was only half of what Eleos has to offer; Eleos is a community of very different people and I was welcomed into that from day one.

My journey so far

When I joined in October 2016, I was the most unfit and out of shape I’d ever been. I had never really done any form of strength training before, and I also had a very weak and unstable shoulder as a result of an old skiing injury that meant it was prone to frequent dislocations. 

Whilst I’d tried to get my fitness back on track a few times since having children, I’d never really found anything that I wanted to stick to and was always making excuses as to why I didn’t have time or couldn’t do it. Then I found Eleos. From my very first week, I felt welcomed in and looked after. Everyone I met was so friendly and encouraging and I never felt self-conscious about being ‘less fit’ than anyone else. I very quickly became hooked: the variety in classes, the coaches, the friendly community and the sense of achievement that came with each new progression. I was looking forward to every class, and slowly but surely I started to tick off a lot of firsts – box jumps, press-ups, rope climbs, double unders, 100kg deadlift, toes to bar, and eventually through consistently following the progressions….pull-ups (something I never imagined when I joined that I would be capable of doing!) 

The progress hasn’t been quick or easy, I’ve worked hard and I’ve had a few set backs on the way. Despite my shoulder being as strong as ever as a result of the accessory work in classes building up the supporting muscles, the underlying injury meant that I was still prone to dislocations. In March 2019, it unfortunately dislocated at the gym whilst I was attempting an overhead lift that put it in a vulnerable position. A scan showed that surgery was the only way to fix the issue (torn labrum) and I had the op in November last year. I was determined that all my hard work wouldn’t go to waste and despite being confined to a sling for 6 weeks, with the support of the coaches and some weird and wonderful adaptations, I was able to continue training. I spent the months following my surgery working with a coach to carefully rehab my shoulder. 4 months later and I was back doing sets of 5 strict pulls ups, and I’ve recently joined the Olympic lifting classes to get more confident, improve my technique and build my strength. I’m already lifting more weight overhead than I could ever have managed prior to my surgery!

Alongside the improvements in my strength, mobility, fitness, and body composition, I’ve also made some brilliant friends along the way and a trip to the gym can always turn a bad day good for me. (Especially if it involves cuddles with the gym dog, Rambo!)

Nearly 4 years since I first walked through the door and I’m now the fittest and strongest I’ve ever been. I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and excited for how much more I still have to achieve. Most of all, I’m grateful that I sent that first email to enquire about joining.

Do it, you won’t look back!!