Sarah Stratford is a life-loving, busy 39 year old mum of (nearly) two and a successful business woman. She is also a PerformancePro client keen to share her experience of progression from pain management, through to feeling good and so much more…
Sarah became a PerformancePro client almost three years ago. She came to us from our partners and neighbours at Oxford Circus Physio, following their recommendation,
“I have a condition called hypermobility which led to issues with back, neck and leg pain. After I had my daughter in 2014, I started to get really severe pain in my lower back. I was advised by David at Oxford Circus Physio that the only way to really reduce it in the long term was to improve my core strength and stability. That’s when I joined PerformancePro.”
Many clients come to us because they are in pain. Rehabilitation is a core service at PerformancePro and at the heart our ethos. THE greatest reward for our clients (and us) is the progression from pain management through to greatly improved fitness, feeling good and enjoying a better quality of life. Indeed progression can often mean transformation!
Sarah’s experience with PerformancePro is a perfect example of this transformation,
“It was the need for ‘pain management’ that made me start at PerformancePro. But over time, as I’ve seen my strength and fitness increase, it’s become more about feeling good. Now it’s as much about rebuilding and maintaining my confidence and self-belief as it is about improving my physical well-being.”
Training milestones and day to day support
As with any useful and dependable support, PerformancePro is there for clients whatever their day to day life. At the moment, Sarah is half way through her second pregnancy, so her training programme has changed accordingly. Not surprisingly, the current focus is on maintenance and relaxation as opposed to progression.
Prior to this stage, Sarah was training with PerformancePro three times a week, doing a combination of strength and conditioning. No doubt, this previous core work is helping her now as she carries an increasing load over the next few months.
Similarly, Sarah is already counting on PerformancePro to help in the run up to and after the birth,
“My next milestone is to get through having another baby and get myself back to my pre-pregnancy fitness.”
From last resort to top of the list
Sarah is a life-loving, busy 39 year old mum. She has worked as a Marketing and Business strategist for 20 years and, having run other people’s businesses for years, now has her own. When she started coming to PerformancePro nearly three years ago, Sarah confesses to being more than a little reluctant!
“Everyday life is stressful. When you get to the top of your game professionally – particularly when you’re juggling a busy home life as well – more often than not, your well-being drops to the bottom on the to-do list. I was really reluctant when I started at PerformancePro. I was very self conscious, having not done any real exercise for 18 months, and I was quite overweight. For me, training was a last resort. But I was feeling so awful; I would have done anything to stop the pain.”
And now?
“Performance Pro has helped me realise what I can achieve. I never thought I could do half the stuff I’ve done. Then the sense of achievement when I have has been unreal.
“Performance Pro has also helped me to make time for myself again and remember what it feels like to feel good. It’s been an investment in myself that’s been worth every penny!”
PerformancePro is really welcoming and safe
Sarah has been to gyms before, so we were keen to know why she has stuck with PerformancePro,
“I love that PerformancePro is not like other gyms. It’s not intimidating or cliquey. It’s a really welcoming, safe place to train. The people – clients and coaches – are friendly and fun. No matter how I feel when I go in, I always feel better by the time I leave.”
Feeling good with unexpected achievements
And, Sarah’s most unexpected achievement along the way?
“So far, other than feeling good and being pain free, my greatest achievement is finding the confidence to lift. When I started training, I’d never used free weights. In fact, they scared the hell out of me! But with a lot of encouragement and a bit of daring, I got to a point where I was deadlifting 80kg and squatting 60kg. I didn’t set out to do that sort of thing at all, but it was a buzz when I realised I could!”
Your next step to feeling good
Everyone’s motivation to consider professional personal training is different. Whatever stage you’re at and whichever path you take, a no-strings free consultation with PerformancePro is always a good first step.
Book your free consultation with PerformancePro today >>
Here’s Sarah Stratford in action – feeling good with PerformancePro
