Kelly is one of those women in my life that I feel really privileged to have worked with, she was that breath of fresh air we all need from time to time and each session made me so proud of how hard she was willing to work and push through to ensure she was as fit as she needed to be to participate in The Three Peaks challenge, with the added responsibility of being one of the first aiders on the ground. It was an epic effort !
This is her story :
I was regularly attending the gym, mostly doing classes like spin, body combat etc and was in general good health but needed 1:1 guidance to help train and prepare me for the National Three Peaks Challenge - one of the toughest physical challenges I’d signed up for to date.
I was conscious about making sure I was in the best physical shape I could be in to not only complete the challenge, but prevent any injuries. I also felt I needed some someone to hold me to account to get the work done, as I sometimes struggled to have integrity with myself. I had also massively avoided the gym floor, so this was new territory for me!
I had no reservations about working with Colette, as I knew she would be a fantastic PT to train with - the reservations I had were with myself, and some nerves around my own capabilities, and not wanting to let Colette or myself down.
Colette is an incredibly compassionate, caring person, who took the time to understand me as an individual and always checked in on how I was feeling before, during and after every session. The plan was clear from the outset, and the programme was easy to follow - it didn’t take long to feel more comfortable with the gym floor/equipment.
I always relied on trainers to motivate, and push me to my limits - usually from a “military style” approach with loud music, and shouting motivational messages to keep me going in classes - but what I soon realised with Colette, is she was take a step back and quietly encouraged me to find my own motivation. There was one time I was training on our favourite climber, called Jacob's Ladder, and I was struggling through the final few minutes.
I thought I needed someone to shout at me to keep going but instead Colette said “it’s just you on that mountain”, and that really stayed with me.
I had always relied on others to motivate and guide, but what I really needed was to find was my own power to push through when it’s me against me and when I haven’t got Colette by my side. That’s the biggest thing that’s stayed with me.
Of course, actually completing the National three peaks challenge at the end of our time together was the ultimate cherry on top ☺️
I’ve managed to find my own motivation to stay on track and push myself without always needing external validation or encouragement. I’ve learnt from Colette to keep consistent, even when you don’t feel like it, even if that means just going for a long walk in place of a HIIT session if that’s what my body needs. I have a better understanding nutrition, and being kinder to myself.