Hello – I’m Hannah, Assistant Fitness Manager in the Gym64 Kirkcaldy branch. I’d like to share a little bit about my journey from a (very shy) beginner member to a fitness instructor and Gym64 team member.
If you had told me a few years ago that one day I would find myself standing at the front of a class teaching group exercise, I’d have laughed. I first came to Gym64 as a member with very little confidence who was content just to blend into the background. I’m now a gym instructor, I’m undergoing my PT training and in my own time and powerlift. Talk about chalk and cheese. It really has been the most amazing learning curve.
My Gym64 journey started in group fitness. I came along to classes like Spin and Body Combat initially because they were all I really knew and it felt like a little safety bubble. I soon discovered how friendly the team and the other members were, so it didn’t take long before I’d tried pretty much every group exercise class on the timetable. You really do catch the gym bug pretty quickly! Eventually, after a Health Assessment with Jimmy, I started PT sessions on the gym floor and realised I’d found my thing. The rest is history!
Around six months into strength training, a random thought popped into my head one day… “why not make this your career?”. By this point, strength training had not only transformed me physically but mentally too. When I wasn’t actually at the gym, I was thinking about the gym. The thought of leaving behind the career path I was already on was terrifying and it did take me a few months to take the leap. Looking back now, I am so glad I pushed myself to take that first step because it is the best thing I have ever done.
It feels great to come to work every day and love what I do. I’m lucky enough to have had the opportunity to certify in three different Les Mills programmes already thanks to Gym64. I’m a certified Ceremony and Conquer instructor and will shortly be undertaking my Body Combat training. It definitely feels like a bit of a full circle moment to be teaching the classes I loved taking part in so much as a member.
Strength training in Gym64 also meant that I crossed paths with Wendy, who most of you will know as the other half of the management team in Kirkcaldy branch. She is also an IPF competitive powerlifter and the current European Masters Champion. She taught me that strength has no gender or age limit and that no dream is too big if you believe in it enough. Learning how to perfect a deadlift was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the physical and mental resilience she has helped me to build. The strength I’ve built under a bar translates directly into my everyday life now too. I firmly believe in the importance of having someone to look up to in your sport who gives you a vision to work towards and I definitely could not have found a better role model. I will soon be doing my first competition and I could not have taken that step without the community, networking and friendships that are to be found here in Gym64.
So… a far fling from where I started! Looking back, something I will always be incredibly grateful to Gym64 for is the emphasis placed on community. I’ve truly never known a more welcoming environment. The friendships I made here as a member, the knowledge I gained and the passion for exercise I developed were the stepping stones to the path I’m on now. I wake up every morning excited to train and to go to work and I’m not sure I could ask for any more from life. Mine is just one of many other Gym64 stories. There are lots of others like me who found a second home here and train with us for their own unique reasons. It’s a privilege to get to witness those journeys in my job here and I’m excited to meet more of you in the future.
