Beyond Fitness PT

Beyond Fitness PT Let's redefine Fitness! Inspiring and empowering women through fitness, nourishment and outdoors adventures!

I don't think there's anything worse than feeling unfit, like when walking upstairs leaves you out of breath and everyth...
10/08/2026

I don't think there's anything worse than feeling unfit, like when walking upstairs leaves you out of breath and everything feels a bit slower.

I had to give up running back in January after a herniated disc diagnosis.

Here's how I've actually been rebuilding my fitness since.. the structure I'm using, why 12 weeks isn't a deadline.

Read full blog here 👇🏻

https://open.substack.com/pub/beyondfitness/p/how-do-i-get-fit-again?r=21twh9&utm_medium=ios

Nothing will ever beat that feeling of the outdoors! That immediate switch off. The brain stops whirring for a few hours...
09/08/2026

Nothing will ever beat that feeling of the outdoors!

That immediate switch off.

The brain stops whirring for a few hours. There’s no signal on your phone. There’s no overthinking!

It’s just us and nature.

The birds chirping. The heather blooming. The water trickling.

The absolute calm from every day!

James loves waterfalls, so we headed for a new one for both of us (and only an hour or so from Shrewsbury)..

📍 Rhiwagor Waterfall

It's easy to lose motivation when you're injured.That's why I started setting myself small goals.These don't have to be ...
06/08/2026

It's easy to lose motivation when you're injured.

That's why I started setting myself small goals.

These don't have to be big or life changing, just something to give me focus and purpose.

I wanted to improve my cardio fitness. I'd lost a lot of fitness after having to stop running in January, and I hated that feeling of being unfit.

So I set myself two small goals:

1. 1-2 Wattbike sessions a week, following a structured programme so I could see progress rather than just sitting on the bike. Once a week is the minimum, but if I can get two sessions in, even better.

2. Walk up and down Earls Hill twice. This is something I used to do running when I was training for Tour du Mont Blanc (I used to do 3–4 summits), so I've adapted it to where I am now.

It's also become a good excuse to catch up with friends, so if you ever want to join me, I usually share on Instagram when I'm going.

There's also been my strength training, which is adapted at the moment.

You still need a plan to make progress... that hasn't changed. But a good plan bends when life doesn't.

You don't need a race on the calendar to have a goal worth working towards. You just need structure that can move with you.. around injury, around busy weeks, and whatever life throws at you.

That's what these goals are for me right now.

That's what these goals are for me right now, to give me some purpose without losing my mind in this injury.

Also how cool is it listening to all the birds 😍

This time 2 years ago I was running Tour du Mont Blanc.. Out of all the challenges I set myself over the years, this is ...
01/08/2026

This time 2 years ago I was running Tour du Mont Blanc..

Out of all the challenges I set myself over the years, this is one I’ve never managed to shake off!

Even now, I can’t find anything that lights me up as much as that!

It’s weird, because 2 years later I’m sat here questioning (and grieving) whether I’ll ever be able to run again!

It actually breaks my heart..

I guess I can grieve and adapt at the same time!

Because it was the way I challenge. My adventure. My freedom. A part of my identity.

Something I would come back to, even though I lost my running bug a fair few times over the years.

This is the longest time in 26 years that I’ve not run for!

But as I sit here with this frustrating injury (and that’s being polite), I’ve never given up on myself or my journey.

I guess I could have done. I could’ve said, what’s the point I can’t do it all how I used to, but I learnt a lot time ago how to adapt.

I would say I’m pretty bloody stubborn..

Because the goal isn’t to give up on ourselves at a hurdle, it’s about becoming inquisitive and saying ‘what can I still do!?’

I can’t run. I can’t lift weight the same way I used to.. but I’m here changing the focus.. I swapped running for my wattbike. I still lift weights, just adapted. I still focus on eating well. I’ve rested when it’s needed.

I always ask.. ‘what can I still do around this pain!?’

How can I move that still gives me what I need?

I used to absolutely hate gardening, and then one day it all just changed. Is that what happens when you hit midlife? 😂T...
28/07/2026

I used to absolutely hate gardening, and then one day it all just changed. Is that what happens when you hit midlife? 😂

Today I was rewarded with my first taste of homegrown fruit and veg.. and I can’t believe it!

My first ripe tomato and some strawberries on my breakfast!

Of all the things that are apparently easy to grow, it’s definitely not courgettes for me.. The thing I wanted the most and nothing!

But so excited to see my aubergines. Peppers. Sweet peppers. Tomatoes. Chill’s all growing fast!

I’m already planning how to do it all next year, and what to try for winter. I’m thinking some sweet potatoes, garlic, red onions.. maybe I’ll try courgette again.

How’s everyone else’s midlife crisis gardening / veggie patch going?

I guess in life, our journey / goals that we set for ourselves don’t always go to plan. I guess the positive side of me ...
17/07/2026

I guess in life, our journey / goals that we set for ourselves don’t always go to plan.

I guess the positive side of me could go ‘that’s just life’ and to an extent it is. It’s how we learn. Adapt. Change.

We will all come across hurdles every single day, it’s how we become resilient to those that moves us forwards.

I’ve been on my journey long enough to know how to keep moving forwards.

No, I can’t move my body how I used to (in a way I absolutely took for granted).. and the grief that comes with that.. The grief of what I used to be able to do. The grief of, will I ever be able to live that life ever again?

The thought of maybe never being able to run again, actually scares me a lot!

It’s been my whole adult life. It’s been my adventure. My mental health. My challenge.

But I always say to clients, we need to see fitness and nutrition as their own identity and that you can absolutely have one without the other.

I can’t move in ways I used to be able to, but I have learnt to adapt, and still challenge myself in new ways.

And this week has been all about adapting.

I’ve not slept much due to the pain, but I’ve loved being outdoors hiking in the beautiful Shropshire Hills instead. This is what adapting means, not just resigning ourselves to giving up.

Whether that’s moving around pain? A busy life? Perimenopause we can look at that together.

And then there’s making sure I’m still nourishing myself. Eating well. I don’t just say f**k it if I can’t exercise properly then I may as well give up on nutrition..

Because nutrition is more than a ‘diet’ it’s about something you can do day in and day out, it just has different outcomes depending on your goals.

As a Personal trainer it’s always a privilege to be asked to help someone achieve a better version of themselves.

And that’s why I absolutely practice what I preach!

If you’re struggling on your journey at the moment, why not book a chat with me (no obligation) to find out what you can do to adapt?

Book here 👉🏻 https://calendly.com/beyondfitnesspt1/30

Midlife feels like being a 16 year old again. All the same confusion, the same "who even am I".. the same body doing thi...
10/07/2026

Midlife feels like being a 16 year old again.

All the same confusion, the same "who even am I".. the same body doing things you don't recognise, except this time you've got the knowledge and experience you didn't have back then.

It's the same rollercoaster of change, just in a different format.

Nobody warns you about that part.

Do any of these resonate? Or what would you add?

Veggies patch update.. 🥕 After a whirlwind month working away, I got back to a crazy veggie patch. I have tomatoes galor...
07/07/2026

Veggies patch update.. 🥕

After a whirlwind month working away, I got back to a crazy veggie patch.

I have tomatoes galore.. I can’t quite believe how many I’ve got growing! 🍅

Strawberries are also going crazy, I can’t wait for them to ripen and on my brekky.

Courgettes.. I need someone’s help? They’re growing and flowering but I’ve had nothing from them yet. For something that’s easy to grow (that bits true) but why nothing? I’ve read about spreading the pollen onto the flowers? I’ve heard to cut all the flowers off? I’m so confused 🤷🏼‍♀️

My aubergine is also flowering, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign? I guess these may not work as they’re not on a greenhouse?

Mint. Chilli’s. Coriander all growing, the basil is questionable.

I really should’ve done some research and not winged it 🫣

I’m here to show women how to do this differently.. easily!The fitness industry likes to make it seem complicated.. and ...
06/07/2026

I’m here to show women how to do this differently.. easily!

The fitness industry likes to make it seem complicated.. and I promise it doesn’t have to be like that!

I absolutely practice what I preach..

After 26+ years on my journey and 11 years as a coach, I’ve done and seen it all.

I’ve done the restriction. The meal skipping. The fear of the scales. The missing out on life. And the biggest lesson it taught me, was it’s not fun, enjoyable or a way to live!

We are taught to obsess over the wrong things… The scales. Macros. Tracking every morsel of food and bit of data, from our sleep to steps and everything in between, that we often lose ourselves in that journey.

We become disconnected with what our journey is actually about that we don’t know how to enjoy it, because it becomes so consumed with data.

Are you actually enjoying what you’re doing? or is it a means to an end and then you can go back to normality?

That’s exactly why I do everything differently! Because a journey shouldn’t just be that and done.

It’s a lifestyle.

Because when we’re consumed by data, we don’t zoom out on the bigger picture.. how much more energy do you have? How much you enjoy what you’re doing (not just ticking off boxes).. How you want to challenge yourself in different ways?

I want to share with women how we can actually live this life. Eat to nourish our bodies not fear and question everything that we do. Get out of your comfort zone and try new things - take up hiking, running, strength training.

Whatever it is, move because you enjoy it, not because you have to earn your dinner.

This is your sign to start. Not Monday. Not next month. Now.

If you’re ready for this to be your reality, not just something you read and scroll past, let’s talk about working together 1:1.

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