Meet James
“What’s a thirty-three year old blind man going to do in the leisure and fitness industry anyway?”
“Trust me; you need to meet this man.”
I’m James and I’ve had an interest in fitness for over 30 years. – it was an infectious habit that rubbed off on everyone around me. Through a series of uncontrollable events, in 1999 I lost vision in one eye overnight and vision in the other deteriorated rapidly after that, leaving me totally blind at the age of 26. After spending four years adapting to my new lifestyle and getting to grips with being a Guide Dog owner, the one thing that helped me get back on track was a rowing machine which I bought using the money I’d saved from quitting smoking. My body remembered what to do and how good it felt to exercise again.
I decide to pursue my passion for exercise as a career, but it took time to prove to the qualifying bodies that I could work in the fitness industry as an equal and fully certified personal trainer. I had an eight year struggle of jumping through hoops and hard work to prove myself to my 23 fellow trainees and nine assessors to become the UK’s first Blind Qualified Fitness/Personal Trainer. They quite simply couldn’t fail me.
Once I’d successfully completed my qualifications, not only was I able to prove that I could do the job just as well as anyone who wasn’t visually impaired, but my efforts also meant that the way the coaching and qualification would be assessed in the future was to be changed for prospective personal trainers. I’m proud to say that my achievement has since helped open the doors for people with visual impairments and other disabilities and enabled them to achieve their goals and find their place in this industry too.
From time to time, I’m an actor. From delivering a monologue to an audience of 400 people to stripping off on Channel 4, four and a half years of tours with the National Theatre and stints on TV – it’s all just another string to my bow. But going to the gym and getting trim definitely helps keep my energy high during intense performances and long days on set.
Following a great career in the leisure industry having earned several achievements and awards (including becoming a Les Mills RPM™ Instructor). It was time to set up my own company.
You can use the links below to find out more about me:
Qualifications
As well as being a fully certified personal trainer, I’ve completed a number of training programs and have achieved the following fitness and wellness qualifications.
- YMCA CYQ Level 2 – Fitness, Nutrition & Anatomy
- YMCA CYQ Level 3 – Advanced Fitness Instructor, Personal Training, Nutrition & Anatomy
- Reiki Spiritual Practitioner Qualified Level 2
- Insure4Sport® insured
- St. John’s Ambulance – Sports First Aid qualification
- REPs registered
- Nutritional Specialist Diploma – Level 3
- Life Coaching Diploma
My Ketogenic Lifestyle
Here’s the real, honest truth about swapping to a Ketogenic lifestyle. Keto diets are on the rise in the UK and below I’ve included a few photos to show its effects. I started my own Keto journey in May/June 2018 and you can see for yourself the change in my body composition in the space of just over a year.
Once you make the change from consuming and burning excessive starchy carbohydrates and glucose, to burning healthy fats and your own body fat, you begin to see the real you. The trick is to make use of your pre-existing body fat stores and you should be using this to fuel your workout, as opposed to loading up on starchy carbs that run the risk of not being burned off and raising your blood sugar levels – despite your best efforts.
It’s important to remember that the Ketogenic diet isn’t just a diet – for me it’s also a way of life and a key part of an all-round healthy lifestyle. A Ketogenic lifestyle also has a wide number of health benefits, including better heart and brain function as well as avoiding insulin spikes which can be caused by fluctuating sugar intake, a side effect of a number of other diets. This also means that the Keto diet is great for anyone concerned about the effects of type 2 diabetes.
By making this simple change to your diet, you’d be amazed at how much more energy you’ll have. You’ll also be able to gain more mental clarity and focus as well as successfully changing your body shape. It’s true that Keto isn’t for everyone, but you’ll never know until you try it.
For more information and coaching about Ketogenic diets and how it could complement a healthy lifestyle, contact me on 07881 100746 or email .
Meet Louise
Hey, I'm Louise,
I met James in 2006 and by December 2009 we were married. We got married in Lapland! It was super cool – excuse the pun! We have a son together.
I have worked in sales and management for over 20 years in the property industry and spent most of that time working in London. After having our son, priorities changed and commuting to and from London was taking its toll. I was barely seeing my family so....
After finding a flexible way to work around my family, I started my own social media management business working for local clients. Sadly, Covid put an end to that, so I flipped it and became a coach helping Mums grow their own social media management businesses....
However, there was something niggling at me, and I knew, deep down that my passion was in health and fitness! I've being going to gyms and training since my late teens, early twenties so it was familiar territory!
Since I had already been helping James with Simply FITT in the capacity of a support worker including managing the social media accounts, it made sense for me to join forces and focus all my energies into helping him with his business and to make it more family orientated!
I am now a qualified Les Mills RPM Instructor and hold an Active IQ Level 2 certificate in Gym Instructing.
I now teach three cycle classes a week as well as 6 strength and conditioning classes 'Women's Warrior Workout'’.
