FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q1. DO YOU ONLY TRAIN OLDER PEOPLE?

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A: I train people with long term health conditions and yes, some of them are older. However, we cover the whole age spectrum and have had clients from as young as 19 right up to 95.

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Many of our clients are in their 30 - 60 years of age. Health conditions and health issues can arise at any age, whether it is lifestyle induced or hereditary, and we can help them all. Age is not a factor for us at all. It’s all about helping people on an individual basis.

 

Q2. I WANT TO EXERCISE BUT DO'T WANT TO GO INTO MAINSTREAM EXERCISE CLASSES AS I DON'T FEEL I COULD MANAGE IT. CAN YOU HELP ME?

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A: This is fundamentally what 1st Step is all about. I have a background of both teaching and working in the NHS. Not only do I have life experience, I also have the medical background and training to support people with long term health issues with their exercise journey. Low impact and chair-based exercises are specifically designed to help people ease back into exercise in a very slow and controlled manner. I need to make sure you can exercise safely with, for example, your pain or lack of energy, and build on these foundations. Until that part has been tackled any other exercise will feel daunting. I have found that once clients have our support and encouragement their confidence grows and that is when we see great improvements.

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 Q3. I WON'T BE ABLE TO DO MUCH EXERCISE TO START WITH.  WILL I GET JUDGED?

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A: Absolutely NOT. You have to remember that everyone who is with 1st Step is in a similar situation. They may have different conditions to you, and even those with the same condition can have very different symptoms. As a result, you will find that
everyone is very understanding and most importantly supportive. No one will judge, even if you don’t want to tell everyone what condition you have.

 

As part of 1st Step I pledge to be positive and encourage people to do the best they can. Many of my clients have physical conditions that can impact on their mental health, so being negative and being judgmental goes against my ethos and
I will not tolerate it. Each and every client needs to feel safe and supported with me. This is fundamentally important to me.

 

Q4. WILL MY PAIN REDUCE

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A: This will depend on you as an individual and your condition. Most of the time pain occurs or worsens due to lack of mobility, reduced flexibility or reduced strength. One example is arthritis. We will not be able to remove the arthritis from the joint, but
we can make the muscles in and around the area stronger and more flexible. This will then start to reduce the pain as the joint will be better supported by the muscles. Your body will start to work in the correct way, with all the muscle groups working
together instead of in the compensatory manner that your body may have adopted to cope with and manage your pain.

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Some conditions such as fibromyalgia may be painful and that is one of the symptoms that is managed by medication. Having a stronger body and more endurance will start to impact the amount of pain you have. Your overall pain can
reduce.

 

Q5. I WON'T BE RUNNING A MARATHON, SO WHAT WILL BE MY GOALS

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A: The goals for 1st Step clients are not what you may perceive as the ‘normal’ exercise goals such as running 5k, running a marathon, or even running full stop! Our goals are very much based on improving your quality of life and making sure you
can live the life you want on a day-to-day basis.

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This might be being able to walk to the shops without getting out of breath, walking or getting around with minimal pain, walking further and having the endurance to do so. For some it is being able to eventually get down onto the floor and up again, or hang the washing out without any trouble, or even moving around the house and transferring from the bed to the chair and toilet more easily. These are real life goals that would make your day-to-day life better, and if, over time, more can be achieved
we will be there to support you all the way.

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Q6. I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO EXERCISE. HOW WILL I FIT IT IN?

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A. You don’t need to exercise for hours on end. We have services that range from 1 hour 121 sessions, to 45-minute classes or online video-based programme where you only have to do up to 15 minutes of exercise.

The whole idea of exercising for me is to do what you can and gradually build up. If 5 minutes is all you have time or energy for then that is better than nothing at all. Consistently exercising is what is more important than how long you exercise for.

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Q7. HOW MUCH DOES IT ALL COST?

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A. As I mentioned in Q6, we have a range of services to suit every budget. You do not need to spend a large amount of money to be able to improve yourself through exercise. All services allow you to get access to my expertise and to make sure you are safe at all times. There is something for everyone. See pricing for more information.

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