A few words from the gym reception, about my first month as a full time Health and Fitness Instructor at Platt Lane Sports Complex!
I have been teaching all kinds of classes and receiving all kinds of amazing feedback – every single day I come into work – for classes like: Boot Camp, Box Fit, Spin, Circuits, LBT, HIIT, Core Zone and Ab Attack.
My ongoing F.I.T (Females In Training) Classes – the highest attended fitness classes throughout the university, that have been growing and growing since September – have become so highly attended that in January we had to cap the class at 70 participants max, for health and safety reasons!
Participants now have to register online to able to participate, and still, people have to be turned away each week. So many female staff and students are enjoying these feel good, fun fitness classes in a non-judgemental environment, with high energy music and new exercises each week. I really can see people’s fitness and confidence levels growing each month, which is the best feeling!
I really like the staff here and the gym members (students and members of the local community) I’ve been made to feel so welcome from day one.
On the morning of my first ever spin class, one of my managers brought me a black coffee in a superhero mug and gave me a brand new MMU Sport water bottle (much needed for spin) and I was so excited!
I then went on to smash out my first spin class and loved it! After the session I took a photo of the happy gym members with the steamy mirrors!
I took more photos after some pretty awesome High Intensity Interval Training sessions. Notice that the mirror is more steamy in the second photo as I’m pushing people more and the studio is now getting HOTTER AND HOTTER!
If I had to choose a favourite class to teach, I would say it is impossible to say, because at the start of every session, I always feel like this could be the most enjoyable class I’ve ever done. In group exercise classes, it’s all about the shared experience: the energy that the instructor brings, along with the energy that the participants bring. Preparation and playlists are highly important too!
I also love the fact that I can sit and plan sessions, whilst watching basketball teams training on my break, sometimes with the viewing gallery all to myself! The acoustics in the shiny new sports hall are amazing!
I’ve been doing gym inductions with people who are completely new to exercise. One new gym member said “Thank you so much Fiona, I was nervous for a whole week about coming to the gym for the first time, and you have made everything so simple. I now wake up every morning and the first thing I think about is exercise. I love it!”
Had a full studio for my Valentine’s Day spin class! I got everyone to make love hearts with their hands in the steamy mirrors after the highly intense intermediate spin session so we could send love across social media.
New gym members giving it their all in one of my Box Fit sessions:
I also did some filming for MMU University Mental Health Day (coming up in March) I spoke on camera about all the things I do to keep good mental health. Things like: regular exercise, eating a balanced nutritious diet, drinking lots of water, going out dancing, experiencing culture and live music, being around good people: people I trust and admire, friends who respect and support each other, getting out in nature, being kind to myself, making time for relaxation, and practicing self-care.
I’ve now been appointed as the Wellbeing Ambassador at Platt Lane Sports Complex. I am passionate about mental health awareness and the importance of looking after your physical and emotional wellbeing. I’m so happy to be working with awesome staff at MMU Sport to promote new ideas and incentives for gym members, students and members of the local community with regard to fitness and wellbeing. Video blogs coming soon, watch this space!
Fiona Ledgard Personal Trainer 