Have you met our awesome new coach, Sam yet? If you haven't already, you'll come across her at a class soon. Find out more about her story from dancer to fitness instructor and how she ended up with us. We're stoked to have her on board!
How did you hear about FAT?
My good friend Philippa had been coming to FAT for a while and raving about it; so I popped along for my first class at the start of the year and have been hooked ever since!
Describe yourself in 3 words :)
Hard-working; confident & loyal.
What is your Health and Fitness background?
I was a dancer growing up, but always hated sports, so it's a very strange thing to now be in the fitness industry! After some pretty wicked back-pain issues from years of dance with no strength to support it, I found strength training and haven’t looked back.
Over the past few years I’ve fallen in love with everything H&F - I now teach dance every afternoon; am a trained as a barre instructor; love pushing myself in HIIT classes, and despite not being able to run around the block a couple of years ago, I cautiously call myself a “runner”.
What are your top 3 pieces of advice to build a Healthy routine?
1) Consistency is key - showing up is half the battle and the more you do it the easier it gets. 2) Listen to your body - especially us Kiwis are pretty good at pushing on and battling through, but generally if our bodies are telling us to slow down and rest, it's usually for a good reason! A healthy routine includes knowing when to take a break. 3) Enjoy moving your body! It's a privilege to be able to exercise, not a punishment, and when that mindset clicks over, everything feels better!
Do you have any 2022 fitness/lifestyle goals?
This year I had a goal to run my first half marathon, which I completed in May; my new goal is to improve my time (second attempt in August!) and potentially even eyeing up a full marathon (TBD; that might need to be a 2023 goal…)
What is your favourite and worst exercise?
Favourite: I’m quite competitive (even if no-one else knows its a competition), so my favourites are usually the half time sprints. And broad jumps… Love a jump. Worst: Wall balls! I don’t know what it is, but I can’t figure out the best way to catch the ball / find the rhythm. It makes me feel very uncoordinated…
What advice would you give to a FAT first timer?
Everything's better with a friend - talk someone into coming with you, or make a new friend in class - everyone I’ve met through FAT is always down for a chat between rounds; especially if its groaning about burpees or bonding over not remembering what exercise is next (we’ve all been there!).
What do you want to learn in 2022?
I’ve had a couple of good reminders this year that life can be short; I’m still working on it, but learning to prioritise people and things that are important to me, not necessarily the things I think I “should '' be doing. I keep reminding myself that in 20 years I’m not going to remember the stressful hours I put in at the office, but the time I spent doing the things I loved. Luckily for me, my career move to FAT is giving me the best of both, so now it's finding that balance with the rest of my life!