I am registered with the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs).

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Exercise has so many benefits for our short and long-term health and happiness.

‘[Exercise] can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer by up to 50% and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%’ (NHS online)

Exercise keeps us strong, fit and flexible enough for day-to-day tasks such as carrying the shopping, rushing around after the kids  and living independently in to old age. If we exercise carefully it can help reduce the risk of injury and illness.

Exercise, activity and sport is good for our mental health too. It can be a great way to meet people and to have fun!

‘Research shows that physical activity can boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease’
(NHS online)

Practical Personal Training is based at Hamiltons Fitness Centre, Severalls Business Park in Colchester. I am also happy to travel around the Colchester area to offer home-based sessions at your house or garden and outdoor training in public spaces such as fields, parks or beaches. Sessions can be at a swimming pool or sports facility ... it’s up to you and your goals. 

Hamiltons is a fully equipped gym with a friendly atmosphere and great facilities including:

a fully equipped strength and conditioning gym

a full cardio floor with steppers, treadmills, rowers, bikes and cross-trainers.

an alternative outdoor fitness area, ‘The Wrecking Yard’, with unusual fitness equipment such as bouldering climbing wall and tractor tyres.

You can find out more about Hamiltons Fitness Centre by going to their website at www.hamiltonsfitness.co.uk.

For further details and to book your free consultation get in touch:

    Tel: 07722567244

  Email: tiffany@practicalpt.co.uk

  ...or fill in the form on the right >

 

manage

weight and

body shape

get

stronger  (grrr)

diet analysis ...

you are what

you eat

powerlifting

and olympic

weightlifting

Improve posture,

flexibility

and range of

improve

cardiovascular

fitness

yoga, relaxation

and stress

management

exercise before

and after having

your baby

recover from injury or illness...

get back on track

distance

training

improve

sports

performance

health and

fitness

live a healthier

lifestyle

start 'em young:

fitness and healthy

living for teens and kids

Improve posture, flexibility

and range of movement

If we don’t work on our posture and flexibility over time our range of movement decreases making injuries more likely. Day-to-day tasks such as tying our show laces can become difficult and risky. Incorrect posture can also leave us feeling tired and fatigued as our muscles are having to work hard to hold our bodyweight out of our central line of balance. As a nation we spend increasing amounts of time sitting – at desks and on sofas – and if we sit with bad posture this can start to cause problems. Staying flexible and strong and working on good posture will keep you injury free and feeling fit and healthy.

get stronger (grrr)

Whether you want to increase your strength  for health and injury prevention reasons, or  you want to lift some serious weights, I can work with you and create a programme to enable you to achieve your strength goals.

Hamiltons is a great place to work on strength with its full range of free weights, benches, squat racks, Olympic lifting bars and lifting platforms and outdoor strength equipment in ‘The Wrecking Yard’ such as atlas stones.

diet analysis ... you are what you eat

Eating the right stuff to achieve our goals can be a real challenge. I can help you get the most out of your diet by teaching you about the relationship between nutrition and health, sport, exercise performance and weight management. I will analyse your diet and offer guidance for you to adjust your nutritional intake and develop behaviour strategies to meet your goals.

improve sports performance

If you participate and/or compete in a sport at any level I can help you develop your training programme to improve your conditioning and to progress you to level you want to be.

I  will take you through a  range of general and more advanced fitness and conditioning assessments and develop a personalised programme targeting the specific goals we devise for your training and sport, such as advancing your mobility, increasing power, strength and/or endurance, and targeting  sport-specific skills for development. We can work on psychological preparation and training cycles important for the success of any athlete.

distance training

If you live outside of Colchester, or perhaps would like a programme and training advice but want to get on with it on your own, a distance programme could be for you. I will gather information from you and create a training programme suited to your goals and needs. You will receive on-going distance support in a way that suits you – email, phone or Skype for example – and reviews of your programme when required. Distance training costs £30 per month.

exercise before and after having your baby

One of the best ways to prepare your body for pregnancy and labour, and get back into shape  after the birth of your baby, is to stay active, exercise and improve your overall fitness. Exercise is not dangerous for your baby. In fact, evidence suggests that active women are less likely to experience problems in the later stages of pregnancy and labour. For more information on exercising during pregnancy see the NHS website.

I can help you get active, or continue being active, in a safe and healthy way for you and your baby before and after their birth to keep you both feeling great!

yoga, relaxation

and stress

Learn how to relax and beat stress with yoga, meditation and relaxation techniques. Work, family and daily life can be stressful which, if allowed to build or go on for long periods of time can be detrimental to health. Learning how to relax can help us stay happy and healthy through the good and the tough times. Yoga is also fantastic for all-over body conditioning and toning and for improving flexibility and range of movement.

recover from injury or illness...get back on track

Sustaining an injury, recovering from illness or getting  back on track after surgery can be a real challenge. Keeping fit and healthy can reduce the risk of getting injured by increasing bone density and the strength of muscles, tendons and ligaments. Post injury or illness, a carefully planned exercise and rest programme adapted to your needs can gradually increase strength and range of movement and get you back to where you want to be feeling great again.

start em’ young: fitness and healthy

living for teens and kids

I  have worked in schools with young people of a range of ages and backgrounds and hold a recent CRB check. I am passionate about teaching and encouraging kids and teens to keep fit and be healthy while having fun to help establish a life-long habit (and hopefully love!) of exercise, sport and the outdoors. Activity and exercise keeps kids healthy just as it does adults, but crucially at a time of rising inactivity and obesity in our nations children, learning to be active at a young age makes staying active and healthy as an adult more likely. So to be healthy and happy for a long time start 'em early!

Check out the British Heart Foundation website for some good tips on how to get your kids more active.

manage weight and body shape

We all face big challenges making our bodies do what we want them to do. For some this is losing fat, for others its gaining weight or muscle, and for most of us its getting the shape of all the parts  how we want them to be. Whatever your goals for your body, I can help you achieve them in a realistic, sustainable and healthy way (no quick fixes here I’m afraid...if you’re looking for fad diets and non-scientific exercise methods you’ve come to the wrong website!) If you want to change your body shape and keep it that way get in touch.

health and fitness testing

Fitness testing can be a great way to assess your current overall health and fitness levels. It gives you a snapshot of where you are compared to population averages. It also allows you to get a baseline of where you are from which to set your health and fitness goals and to compare later results to see your improvements. Health and fitness assessment and testing looks at:

live a healthier lifestyle

If simply getting healthier is your goal I can help you achieve it. Changing some of our old habits and getting a bit more active can be difficult to achieve but can bring about some of the greatest benefits in short and long-term physical and mental health, so its a decision you’ll never regret.

Improve cardiovascular fitness

Ever feel out of breath at the top of the stairs, feel tired or lacking in energy? Getting more active and improving your cardio-vascular (CV) fitness could give you more energy, help you lose weight, as well as being a great step for improving your long-term health. Alternatively you might already be pretty fit and wanting to push your training or sport performance to the next level.  Wherever you’re at with your CV fitness and goals I can create a programme to get you where you want to be.

I have worked as fitness instructor since 2000. In 2011 I qualified as a PT with my Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training. I currently work as an Instructor and Personal Trainer and teach and assess on Level 2 and 3 fitness courses with Hamiltons Training Academy, Colchester.

I have always been interested in sport and activity, from netball, rounders, dance and athletics at school, to rock climbing, kayaking, windsurfing  and surfing in later life. At sixteen I started gym training and within a year won the Junior British Powerlifting Championships. As a junior lifter I obtained twelve British records and was selected for the junior GB team. As a senior lifter I competed for England in the Four Nations Championships and placed third in the 2009 senior British Championships. As well as training in the gym I love getting outdoors to train. I enjoy doing triathlons and like getting out for open water swimming, road cycling and mountain biking. I am always keen to try new sports so if you would like someone to help you with starting that new activity you’ve been wanting to do I’d love to help!

After studying physical education and psychology at A-Level I decided to pursue my interest in what makes people tick to degree level. I achieved a first class BSc honours in sociology and psychology from Plymouth University and an MSc in social science from Oxford University. During my studies I developed a keen interest in the sociology and psychology  of sport and exercise. On completing my masters I decided to combine my interest in people with my interest in sport and exercise and realised personal training was the perfect way to do this, and so Practical Personal Training was born!

I am continuing my professional development by working towards the Diploma in Personal Training. I intend to continue this development by pursuing training in sport conditioning and sports massage, ensuring I keep my knowledge fresh and up-to-date.