Hello...

My name is Sharlene

I am a qualified Gym Instructor, Personal Trainer & Nutritionist, Children's Fitness Instructor, Low Impact Functional Trainer (LIFT), and Level 3 Emergency First Aider.

I'll be honest, fitness has not come naturally to me. I was never good at sports at school, always hated sports day (often tried to be sick on that day), and I'm not someone who really enjoys going to the gym, even now, I can find them quite intimidating. My knees have always given me problems since I was a child and I developed Diastasis Recti (abdominal muscle separation) after my 2nd and 3rd child. Trampolines were a hard pass (IYKYK), movement was a chore and I did what was necessary, anything more was crazy!

So how did I go from running my own marketing business to setting up a personal training facility?

My middle child will happily recount to all who will listen how it was her who started us on this path. In October of 2020, we were late for her afternoon nursery session (again), and she pleaded with me to go a little faster. I reluctantly went from what I would describe as a 'walk with purpose' to a jog. Within 5 steps I was seeing spots, hyperventilating and genuinely thought my chest was about to explode. I spent the rest of the walk to school recovering and hoping no one had witnessed the utter disaster that was me jogging. I wasn't a mum that enjoyed being active around the park with my children. Truth was, I just couldn't.

This shouldn't have been all that surprising. I'd quit smoking some years back, however the effects of being a 40-a-day-er (80 on a night out, possibly with shisha), and living a very sedentary lifestyle in the Middle East had taken their toll. We had moved very little and eaten indulgent, unhealthy food for the most part. I wouldn't have been classed as overweight, more like, 'okay for someone who's had 3 children' (and boy does that statement irk me!).

But at some point things have to change and little did I know it, but this was my turning point, for the next day, almost as soon as we stepped out the front door, my daughter was beaming, asking me to go faster. See, for me, the experience had been horrendous, but for her, it had been the most amazing amount of fun, flying down the road at incredibly high speeds! Those few seconds had brought her joy and to her, they had not been a failure.

So, we did it again, two out of three children in toe and wearing my fashion sketchers, destined to cause myself an injury!

A few weeks later, I bought myself a pair of running shoes, a sports bra and compression leggings that reduced the wobble, giving me a little more confidence as I attempted to walk jog from one lamp post to the next. But mostly, I enjoyed the cheers of my children each day we tried. They'll happily celebrate the smallest of achievements!

Since then, I've ran Manchester Marathon, Paris Marathon, Berlin Marathon and the Brecon to Cardiff 70km Ultra Marathon. I've dedicated time to strengthening my body beyond where it has ever been, finally getting rid of knee pain, and actively healing the effects five pregnancies and three children have had on my body, rather than accepting the pains and discomforts as 'one of those things'.

I've learnt to train with my children where necessary, but always with the support of them. We work together as a family and that is where this journey has been truly beneficial, and that is the expertise I bring to the table. I understand the challenges of balancing family commitments with sticking to a training programme and achieving personal fitness goals. And I understand that those goals aren't always to lose weight or change body shape. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of my 'mum guns' at forty! But more than anything, I love being able to actively keep up with my children and show them what is possible when we work hard, together.

I'm pretty sure FitFam PT is unique, and I'd love for you to join me on this epic journey.