Fiona Roberts

Physical activity has had many benefits for my own physical and mental health.

Over time I became more aware of what a privilege it is to exercise and how many people, particularly women experiencing homelessness, domestic violence and sexual exploitation, face many more barriers to exercise. I decided to train to become a Personal Trainer to equip myself with the skills to address this need.

After qualifying with Future Fit, I began going into a couple of local charities and refuges alongside my PT business, and theMovement Charity has grown from there.

I chose to train with Future Fit as they are highly regarded in the industry, and their combination of online and in-person learning worked well for me. I found the team very helpful and enjoyed meeting other fitness professionals on the training days.

As well as my Level 3 Personal Training, I have taken several CPD courses with Future Fit that have given me the skills to grow my work and confidence.

I feel proud that theMovement Charity has had a positive impact on the lives of many women. I have the privilege of receiving feedback from service users that they “haven’t felt this motivated and excited to exercise in years” and that they “feel confident in doing things I never thought I could do”.

It is a privilege to join other fitness professionals as they volunteer weekly, enabling theMovement’s impact to grow. I also feel proud that we are now equipping fitness professionals to become more trauma-informed through our course and the transformative effect that this has the potential to have on the fitness industry.

I love cooking for friends! Top choices to cook would probably be some Italian food or a hearty roast!

Becoming more trauma-informed has transformed how I train clients, and I wish I had learnt about it sooner. We can make many small adjustments to allow our clients and potential clients to feel welcome and safe. It is such a privileged position for individuals to trust us to train them, and so educating ourselves to make it as positive an experience as possible has been key to my development as a fitness professional.

I have been really grateful for Future Fit’s outward-facing approach, particularly their support of theMovement Charity. Since they found out I had founded this project they have given me many opportunities to raise the profile of and funds for the charity. It is really encouraging to see organisations like Future Fit sharing their platform and resources to be part of restoring every woman’s right to exercise.

I love camping; it sounds cheesy, but its simplicity and slow pace always feel so good for my soul! So maybe camping somewhere new like Scotland or Canada!