After losing my Mum at the start of the year I had got out of the habit of exercising and was finding it tough to get back into my old exercise routine. I was also due to get married in August and wanted to ensure I felt my very best for the big day. I figured a personal trainer would help to encourage me and that training with someone would eradicate the boredom that set in when I tried to exercise alone. I was not wrong!

After the initial session I was hooked and my body felt like it had had the best workout ever – after only half an hour!!!! The sessions were intense and hard work but Heike encouraged me without it feeling like I had a task master whipping me into shape. Having someone there with you means you try that little bit harder as it is all to easy to stop too soon when working out alone.

If I could keep going to Heike forever – I would do. The sessions are professional and focussed but she somehow also manages to find ways to get you chatting and relaxed so that they fly by and you don’t realise quite how hard you have been working out – until the next day when you try walking up the stairs! She showed me where I had been going wrong in my own workouts and introduced me to such a variety of exercises that there is no way I will get bored again.

By my Wedding day I was toned, fitter than I have ever been, confident and very happy. Thank you Heike for the last 12 weeks and I’ll be knocking on your door as soon as I have my first lot of baby weight to shift!

We needed to improve our fitness levels to counter medical problems we both were both experiencing. Like everyone else we had tried and failed a number of exercise programmes over the years. Having had poor experiences of gyms and the support delivered by their staff, we felt we needed something which was tailored towards us and which we could fit into our busy lives.

Heike was really friendly and immediately made us feel relaxed. She assessed our fitness levels, and started us on a gentle programme of walking and core stability exercises as well as helping us address our diets with sensible nutritional information.

As our fitness levels improved we looked for a goal which we could work towards and decided on the completion of a five mile run. Having never run before we started a short programme which quickly had us running for around 30 minutes within only 8 weeks. We completed the Alsager 5 road race in around 1 hour, a huge achievement for us both.

Heike was a fantastic support, motivating us to keep training with regular phone calls and emails when we couldn’t meet up. She has worked hard to find a programme which we can fit into our lives and which is enjoyable. It has been amazing to see how quickly our fitness levels have developed, as well as seeing increases to our energy levels and general health.

Rory and I after injury and pregnancy number 2 respectively wanted to find an exercise solution to suit both our needs that would also fit into a hectic work schedule and the demands of bringing up a small family. Heike provided that solution in a flexible way coming to our home and providing us with tailored training schedules suitable for our individual requirements.

Our background to exercise/sport was very different and we were unsure as to whether we would be able to undertake a joint training programme. Heike has proved that we can and we would highly recommend others try it!

Having a personal trainer was not something I’d given much thought prior to having a baby. In the months that followed giving birth, I was anxious to get back into my old gym and exercise routine but found that actually getting to the gym was not as easy as it once was since I had a young child. Heike was a God send! Being able to set up training times that were convenient and flexible was great. I didn’t have to leave home to get the workout I wanted, she came to me and was always understanding when our training times had to be rearranged. Heike was very thorough, the first couple of visits she took time to explain what we would be doing, that I was eating the right things, getting enough fluids and so on. She also did routine fitness assessments which were brilliant ways to measure any progress I was making and to see what needed improvement. I have found the training very beneficial as it has helped me gain my fitness level and has been a wonderful stress alleviator. Many thanks to Heike who always made the workouts challenging, at the same time being encouraging and fun.

Re: Nutrition and Weight Management Course

I had the privilege of doing the course with Mrs Heike Chapman, for a period of 12 weeks.

I very much enjoyed the course as it had sensible and achievable goals. I am not much of a diet believer as they are difficult to maintain for a long time (I have dieted twice in my life and each time I only lasted less than 3 weeks!!!). With the course I have just done, I needed to lose some weight and keep it off as I wanted to look fabulous in my wedding dress, what was more important was to lose some weight while I get fit and firmer.

As a doctor, the course helped me have a good healthy diet which fitted very well with a busy and on the go lifestyle, but also helped get more organised by encouraging me to fit in an exercise regime. As a result, not only was I able to lose some weight in a reasonable way and slowly but it helped me get motivated and have regular exercise which is now very much part of my lifestyle.

It worked for me because it was a change of lifestyle rather than just starving me to lose weight. The most valuable feature was Mrs Chapman who was very encouraging especially in the first few weeks when it was difficult to convince to fit some regular routine in my heavy schedule. She remained very patient and persistent and yet not intrusive, she did not insist on any particular method but helped work around my schedule in many ways. The regime was tailored to my lifestyle and that’s why I believed it worked. Mrs Chapman was very understanding and saw me through the whole course even if it ended up taking 12 weeks instead of 8 weeks.

In the end, not only did I look great on my wedding, but I also feel great and the exercise and healthy eating keep me fit and a healthy weight is easy to maintain. I would definitely recommend the course, but I believe having a great and patient trainer helps mostly.