Victoria Moar

I became passionate about my health after an eighteen-month period of illness. I had my appendix removed in April 2018, after which I struggled to recover and was unable to work. I had planned to move abroad and couldn’t postpone, so I moved with my now husband to Turkey in October 2018. After multiple trips to many doctors, I finally got diagnosed with allergies to meat, bananas and strawberries one year later.

On the car journey home from the doctors, I decided to use this as an opportunity to change. I didn’t want to feel weak anymore.

I joined my gym and saw that they had Zumba classes, so I went for it as I had loved dancing as a kid. I adored Zumba and went three times a week. Having a routine again changed my life, and I felt happier.

Another way I wanted to feel strong again was with my diet. I spent lots of time researching pescatarian recipes and began cooking from scratch. I felt myself become nourished and energised, and I realised just how important diet was to my mental and physical health, and I decided to learn more.

I qualified as a Zumba instructor and searched online for a nutrition qualification. Future Fit had so many fantastic reviews that I decided to apply. My consultation phone call went so well I signed up the same day.

My training with Future Fit has been incredibly insightful. I was worried about struggling after a few years out of education, but the course is engaging and well structured. So far, I’ve finished studying Level 3 and am doing my assessment. I’ve particularly enjoyed the vitamins and minerals module as it’s changed my understanding beyond just food groups and calories and helped me know how to get enough vitamins and minerals despite my meat allergy.

My training has made me want to pursue this further, and I hope to join the level 5 course that Future Fit offers.

So far in my journey, I’m proud of starting my own small business as a Zumba instructor and building a community with my clients. I’ve also loved discovering healthy, homemade cooking post allergies and have amassed quite the cookbook collection. I’m hoping to combine Zumba and Nutrition and run fitness and nutrition holidays, get a nutrition degree, and qualify as a nutritionist one day.

If I could give any advice, I would say; no pun intended but trust your gut! If you love what you’re doing – pursue it! Doing Zumba felt terrific and always made me smile, so I trained as an instructor. I had to accommodate for my allergies and found a love for cooking which developed into a thirst for knowledge about how what I was eating was helping me feel myself again. If I can help even one person through this whole experience, then all this time spent studying and teaching will be worth it.

If I could tell my past self anything, it would be that the path ahead isn’t going to be easy, but you will look back on it and be grateful for all the trials you’ve overcome. You got your health back and have found a career path you’ll enjoy so much you can’t believe it’s your job.

If someone is thinking of studying Nutrition, I would say to think about your current relationship with food and if you’re curious about how to improve your diet and have a passion for learning, then go for it! But be prepared to love cooking (all those healthy swap recipes made me go straight to the kitchen to see if they live up to the hype – most of them do) and be prepared to do some extra reading as it’s so fascinating you can certainly fall down some rabbit holes.