Six Years of Fighting Fit Devon......time flies!

Who remembers this logo? This is a piece of history, and looking at it now it seems a lot longer than six years ago that I started Fighting Fit Devon.

For those that don't know, I started FFD after being made redundant from Devon Tree Services LTD.
I was already doing my Personal Trainer qualification so I could train people part-time outside of work. I became demoralised going to the job centre and finding nothing suitable and decided to make my hobby my job.

I knew that this was going to be hard going, I have a mortgage, animals, vehicles to fund and didn't know if I was going to be able to make the money to live, but it was my best shot.

Already a Boxercise and Kickboxing instructor, my reputation for exercise and fitness was already out there, I just had to build on it. I was told it could take 2-3 years to do this, daunting, but I am always up for a challenge.

Over time, my client base built up, I took on 'The Box Room' my tiny little gym where I train people 1-1 in the dry. Other clients love to train outside and I became known for this, in particular training people on the beach.

There's something very special about training outside in the fresh air, rather than a stuffy gym, and I am a particular fan of body-weight exercise over excessive use of weights. Everyone I guess has their own ways of working.

I have seen clients come and go over the years.....as a 'luxury item' I am sadly the first thing to go when it comes to finances and change of circumstances.
I've also see clients go due to pregnancy and injury (not my fault injury!)

Some have returned and gone again, and then there's the loyal few who have been with me for years, Colette has put up with me almost every week for well over 4 and a half years and is super-fit and healthy.
One of clients has recently moved from Devon and taken me up as a virtual personal trainer, me in The Box Room, she is in the park in London! It's working.

Over the years I've done various classes, some work, some don't. I now know that I make more money from Personal Training, that's years of experience. Clients (friends) from classes have taken on amazing challenges with me, from, 'The Delicious Dart Trail' to 'The Forces March' and then there's those that have gone from 5k to a half marathon. Amazing achievements that I can say that I am proud to have been part of.

I've made some great friends, some mistakes, some bad choices and a little money!

Ultimately looking back, I made the  right decision at the time. It's never going to make me rich, but my work makes me happy.

This year I have had a look at my business and made another decision to really go for 'Virtual Personal Training' I also had a good hard look at how FFD appears to the public.
It has a very masculine approach, not everyone who wants to get fit and lose weight want to do boxing or fighting training.
My clients are varied, I even train a couple who are in their 70's and 80's, it's a different approach I use with them and I wanted everyone to see the softer side of me. I don't shout at people, but I get results when training them.

Healthward Destiny is a softer approach with the same destination, and it offers a Virtual training service, so anyone, anywhere in the world can take me up on sessions, as long as they have Facetime or Skype. It's a whole new world in terms of training, and the cost for someone in London is lower than hiring an 'actual' trainer up there. It's working and once my mobile app is launched I am going to pushing for more and more clients NOT in Devon.

What have I achieved and what have I learnt?

Kickboxing - still going
Personal Training - better than ever!
Bouncefit - worked for a while
Boxercise - private class only, no hall hire
LONG20 - long gone
Aerobics - may return
Legs Bums and Tums - may also return
Tabata - disaster
Insanity - The love of my life
The Box Room - success

What next? That's easy, work is on-going for my  mobile app that will go alongside 'Healthward Destiny' that offers client support, they can chat to each other, get recipes, workouts, upload workouts, it will be a virtual support network for clients actual and virtual, and anyone else who fancies it.

Here's the schedule moving forwards.......

INSANITY - Monday 7pm, Wednesday 6pm, Friday 5.30pm
all at Totnes Pavilions.

KICKBOXING - Thursday 4.30-6.25
Adults and Junior mixed class, first 2 are FREE
Kings Boxing Gym, Homers Lane, Kingsteignton.

VIRTUAL and ACTUAL Personal Training available Monday to Saturday, prices from £30 an hour.

THE BOX ROOM 1-1 Kickboxing and fitness.
Monday to Saturday, prices from £20 an hour.

SELF DEFENCE parties and groups, weekends only.

So, a brief history of Fighting Fit Devon - I am having a little celebration on Saturday 30th September (actual anniversary 27th September) in The Box Room, Collins Road, Totnes. I am having a 'Neal's Yard' party and some bubbly so drop in between 5-7pm I'm sure we can do that 'virtually' if you want to join in the fun!

Thanks to everyone for their support and belief in me, I truly couldn't have done it and been as successful as I have been, without you guys and gals. Here's to another 6 years of Fighting Fit Devon!