I first met Nancy when she became the class instructor for a BodyPump class that I regularly attend, back in late 2014. Her enthusiasm, energy and quick wit made the class fun, so I added one of her spin classes to my weekly schedule.
In the summer of 2015, I took the opportunity of a three session trial of personal training sessions with Nancy. I’d read an article Nancy had posted on Facebook about her journey from fat to fit, which resonated with me so I decided to try PT with her. I’d been trying to lose weight for years, and even more intently following my retirement. I always preferred being in the back of classes, in my tracksuit bottoms and loose fitting tee shirts. I had lost some weight, but not much and I didn’t push myself to my limits in classes, for risk of not being able to complete the exercise, of failing.
I was nervous going to my first session, but Nancy soon put me at ease, even through the process of weighing and measuring me. I shed 18kg of body fat within a matter of months, through Nancy’s guidance and encouragement. Personal sessions with Nancy are fun, as are all her group classes. She has a wicked, quick wit. Under Nancy’s guidance, I have been able to maintain my target weight, even if occasionally it has risen after a holiday or time away from my normal class schedule. She has encouraged me to be stronger and fitter.
Nancy is an intelligent lady, whose academic background serves her well with personal training. I like the data and science on occasion, so Nancy’s ability to provide me with the more scientific approach, is ideal. She understands what makes me tick, so she knows when to put the proverbial ‘arm around the shoulder’ or the ‘kick up the rear’. In 2015, she gently and persistently persuaded me to weigh and record what I was eating and drinking, despite my three months of resistance. How can you create a calorie deficit, without knowing how many calories you are consuming? It is basic, but I took my time to accept the life change. I now weigh and record my food and drink, as a matter of routine. I expect I shall be doing so until I’m put in to a home and can not! Nancy has helped me make life style changes, rather than to consider I am on a diet. She provides personal nutritional advice, and her weekly tips on social media serve to keep me focused and to keep on track. Sometimes they are simply messages which inspire her readers to be better people. I can’t think of any other trainer that would be posting such messages before dawn on New Year’s Day.
I enjoy the one to one sessions, with the variety of different exercises and being pushed to do weights and repetitions that I would not normally do myself. Nancy is good at ensuring my technique is correct, so that I get the most from each exercise and do not risk injury. She has the ability to notice small things, even in full classes. It must be from the years of observing monkeys! I would never have believed the three initial sessions would have led me to four years and more under Nancy’s guidance and supervision. She has been and continues to be an inspiration to me on many levels. She is very positive, enthusiastic and her classes remain fun and a must for my weekly schedule. My journey from fat to fitness would never have happened without Nancy. She has been an excellent Personal Trainer for me. I simply can not recommend her highly enough. She is brilliant.
Cathy Dawson, Face to Face PT 2015 – present
Every Step Fitness 