Donna Richards

What was your relationship to exercise before Fitology Hub?

PE at school in the '70's was horrendously humiliating! I liked netball, but there was never any structure. There were no tangible goals. If I'd had this kind of environment and this kind of training way back, I'd have loved it. It's just a shame there weren't more PE teachers like Suzanne around. I'm 57 now and I wish I'd started doing this thirty years ago.

I'd tried all sorts of things before joining Fitology Hub, but the only other thing I really enjoyed was Reformer Pilates at the Laban Centre. It was great and the people were so lovely, but then they stopped offering that class out to the public. I tried Reformer Pilates at some other places, but it was never the same. The special thing about it had been so much about the people.

I don’t really think much about what I look like. People have been unkind, of course - because there are people who will be unkind, more's the pity - but I was just one of those people who got on with it. I've never really cared what people think and I've never been one of those women who uses exercise to try to change how my body looks.

I'm the youngest of four girls and also a twin, and two of my sisters have always had terrible relationships with their bodies - constantly picking themselves to pieces, but that's never been me. As a bit of a rebel and independent spirit, if I'm told, This is what everyone's wearing or, This is the latest diet everyone's doing, you can be sure I won't be following them.

It's a terrible thing about society, that people are judgemental without knowing the first thing about you. Following a recent health check, I was told I needed to cut down my salt intake, without being asked a single question about my lifestyle or diet by a person who wasn’t even a nutritionist! My bugbear is the assumption - it makes you lose faith in "advice" and don’t get me started on BMI!

That's why I trust Suzanne and the team - because they always take the time to really listen. I don't feel like just another number here. I know I'm doing things at Fitology Hub that make me feel good and make me feel healthier and stronger and, you know what? I bloody love it, I'm very happy with my little life.

How has Fitology Hub impacted your life?

In 2016, my husband was diagnosed Stage 4 cancer and hospitalised for almost eight months. During this time, I put my back out really badly and went to an osteopath who told me I was holding all my stress in my back. I knew then that it was time to start to get fitter and stronger in case I found myself as a carer for my husband, who, at this point, had lost the ability to walk. The good news is he survived and is back on his own two feet, but the weird serendipity of the situation made me find Fitology Hub.

I didn't want to be in a park, being shouted at by a man who'd just left the army, so I was looking for something that would be a better fit for me. That's when I found Fitology Hub.  The training became an escape from the stress of my husband's illness and I always felt like I was being holistically looked after whenever I stepped through the door. That was back in 2016 and I’m still here.

What's the worst that can happen? has always been my motto for life. I was apprehensive at first, but I decided to give Fitology Hub a go and after all these years it still gives me absolute joy! Training gets me out of my head and I like getting in the zone. It's nice to have something that’s all mineand I can't imagine my life without Fitology Hub now.

Sessions are always a laugh and there's always plenty of compassion and interest - you're never ignored. I value having my set group - my gals, I call them. I always say we’re like a coven! - good witches, obvs! Going to my 4:1 is like a kind of therapy, but with weights. Everyone respects each other and nobody judges anyone else. It's not a competition and people always want to help and encourage each other.

If I have to miss a week, it's like being a bit bereft! I miss my gals! My Monday mornings are set in stone now. My husband always tells me that I come home from the gym in a really "kicky and lungey" mood - full of energy, with a big grin plastered on my face, primed for action!

Suzanne always knows what I'm capable of before I do, but she doesn't push me to discover it before I'm ready. None of the trainers are ever going to let you do anything dangerous, but they let you make up your own mind to see if you'd like to try something. They encourage us without being pushy. And then, when I make real progress, like I have been recently, I get so chuffed with myself! We always have a laugh about the penny finally dropping (or the lats engaging), because Suzanne says she's always waiting for me to catch up to her faith in me. She doesn't force me, but she encourages me and no one's ever in a race with anyone else in the group. I'm so amazed by this place and so grateful for it. It sets you up for the day, then off you trot. It's a joy, a total joy, and I love it!

How has strength training impacted your life?

I always said I didn't want to be a little old lady who couldn't get out of her chair or carry her own shopping and what Suzanne and the team always make us feel is it's never too late and you're never too old to start. I feel great! I'm 57 now, but in my head I'm still 36!

There's a satisfaction you get when you finally conquer something you couldn't do before - there's nothing else like it. And I always get a big, collective, YES, DONNA! from my gals when I do it. We celebrate each other. But no one makes you feel stupid if you don't manage it - quite the reverse! We congratulate each other for giving it a go and we all know that if we can't do something this time, it's something to work towards. The support I receive makes it all seem possible. We know we’ll get there.

I was at the garden centre recently and there was this iron umbrella stand I wanted to buy, which weighed about 70 kilos. There were these two old blokes, who worked there, who kept trying to insist on carrying it for me - they kept telling me I wouldn't be able to get it in the boot of my car. I kept saying that I could manage, but they were unconvinced, to put it mildly. They said I wouldn't be able to lift it off the trolley, but I just kept saying, No, no, I'll be fine, thanks. When I started pushing the trolley away, they followed me out, hovering nearby, ready to leap into action to rescue me. I just picked it up, very casually, with no fuss, and plonked it in my boot. They were gawping with their mouths hanging open in shock! I really enjoyed that.

Being stronger feels absolutely brilliant! I like to think I'd be useful in an emergency now - like if there was a fire or something and I had to get someone out of a burning building. I like to think I could sling anyone over my shoulder, if the occasion ever demanded it!

Remember, it's never too late, and you might just love it!