At the point of joining UHF, I was a mum of a 4 and an almost 2 year old, I was working, managing a home and everything in between. I had spent the last 4 years putting 100% of myself into being a mum, wife etc, leaving very ittle time and energy for myself. As much as I love being these things, it had started to take a toll.

My fitness and health had reduced; my sleep quality was poor; I felt stressed easily. I wasn’t fully, ‘Me.’

So, I realised that something needed to change. My husband encouraged me to join UHF – give it a go, see what I thought.

My goals were simple: feel fitter, tone up a little, but mostly I wanted some time for myself each week – just for me – and I thought that I may as well use the gym for this, make it purposeful.

I had been to gyms in the past so had some expectations, but it turned out my expectations were wrong. UHF wasn’t like a, ‘Normal gym.’ It was much more. Classes were small, I could book on (making me feel obliged to turn up), and I was constantly being made accountable for my decisions and effort.

I’ll be honest, at the start there were many times where I couldn’t be bothered to go, made excuses, needed a push to get there. But, the PTs at UHF encouraged me, teaching me about the importance of consistency and accountability. They made sessions fun, made me feel like I could improve and checked in with me regularly. And the people there, the clients, are fab too. I’ve had so many laughs while training!

Now, 18 months on, I’m the fittest I’ve ever been, I feel healthy, strong, confident and, more importantly, I have myself back again. I’m still mum, wife, home-maker and employee. But, I’m better at all of these things because I’ve learnt to prioritise myself more. I’m happier.

My advice, if you’re hesitant about starting your journey, is this. Give it a try. It doesn’t come without effort – pushing yourself, improving your diet and changing habits – but the first step is getting your foot through the door, making the decision to do something. As Nelson Mandela said, ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.’