Who Are Fit Families Falkirk?
By: Fit Families Falkirk
Tags: Scotland, Parenthood, Exercise, Health, Family

Hi my name is Sam and I wanted to introduce myself and explain a bit about who Fit Families Falkirk are and why we came about.

For most of my adolescent life I always carried a thing around with me about being slightly overweight and just generally not being fit or the sporty type. I had it in me to really get in to something but for whichever reason I never did. Apart from horse riding which maintained a general level of fitness, I was always on a diet but never felt that happy and always suffered with confidence issues.

Parenthood

When my son was born in August 2010 life changed forever. I was 24 at the time and really found becoming a Mum the most wonderful but overwhelming experience. My anxiety definitely got a lot worse, which I know is quite common but I also know now that I maybe should have got some help.

My first born at around 2 months old. 💙

Health Issues

I was working in sales as a business development manager for a large skincare company before I had Lewis and I returned thinking I would manage just fine but I was soon to realise that that kind of job along with the pressures of being a new, young Mum would wreak havoc on my health and after being on edge and highly stressed for months, something snapped and I was really unwell. I didn’t understand what was wrong but I had this pain and pressure in my face & head that wouldn’t go away, I had terrible bowel issues, insomnia, pain, fatigue, tingling in my arms, the list went on & on. I truly thought that there was something terrible wrong.

After seeing countless doctors, paying privately to see a neurologist and a rheumatologist who couldn’t give me any definitive answers and only offered anti-epileptic medications and pain killers which added to the symptoms I decided enough was enough. The word Fibromyalgia was discussed and through my own research I could tell that it was likely this condition I had but the problem is there is no cure, apart from managing it through exercise & stress management etc. There is a whole lot of negative chat around it online and it depressed me. I started to go for short runs and found that it was the only relief I got from the pain & pressure in my head. Even although I was very fatigued I pushed through and couldn’t believe the difference it made.

When my husband I and got married I was still on medication which I knew that if we were to have another baby I would have to stop. That’s the thing about many conditions, you can look the picture of health but actually nobody knows the battles another person is secretly fighting. I have been so lucky in that I was able to leave my job and work in our family business. I’m now on my own flexible working journey with Digital Mums, which is exciting. There was a point however where I literally struggled to get through the day.

Our wedding South Queensferry August 2013

Diet & Exercise

I cannot explain the difference that regular running and then adding to that with yoga & other exercise made to my life and my symptoms. We were lucky enough to welcome our daughter in to the world in 2015 (four years ago) and funnily enough when I was pregnant the symptoms all but disappeared. This is not uncommon with certain autoimmune & chronic pain conditions. I’m not a member of a gym but I have kept up regular exercise even on days when I really don’t feel like it. There are an amazing number of videos out there for free on YouTube and it’s just finding someone or a few people who’s style you like and keeping consistent.

I also met an amazing functional medicine practitioner Dr Elena Leschen who explained to me the gut/psychology connection and the way in which certain foods effect us. I cut gluten out my diet a few years ago and have to say that has helped a lot so I will explain a bit more about foods and nutritional information which may be of use to you in another blog. Vitamin D deficiency for example can cause a plethora of health related problems and it often goes undetected, as does magnesium deficiency and B12 deficiency. I am a massive advocate of you are what you eat and if you are currently feeling sluggish or not your best, before taking a medication maybe think about your lifestyle. How much stress are you under? How often do you move your body? What’s your diet like? I believe that health is about what you eat, staying active and looking after your emotional wellbeing.

Your Mind

I started to read more and I started to try to replace negative thoughts with more positive ones and I also noticed the difference that this actually makes. The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes was introduced to me by a friend. You may have read it but basically it explains how the law of attraction works and how your thoughts manifest and become your physical reality. That was mind-blowing for me and continues to baffle me. Simply practicing gratitude can be life changing. 📖

Mission

My hope with Fit Families Falkirk is that I am able to reach members of my local community and help them by making them aware of what is going on in the area related to fitness, exercise classes and alternative therapies. There is actually a lot more on offer than you might think! Between PT’s, hot yoga, park runs and some beautiful canal and woodland walks, Falkirk and the surrounding area is a great place to explore and get moving. With a family I know it can make it hard, almost impossible to get “me time” and I know I also feel the pressure trying to make sure my kids keep active themselves so I will explore and share everything I can find on offer to help keep your kids active and healthy too, including some inspiration for healthy snacks and dinners.

On holiday in Lanzarote 2017 (You mean this is not sunny Scotland?!) 😆

If you have a family and are interested in keeping fit and healthy and fancy following me across my other platforms then please feel free to do so. Having a family and trying to fit it all in can be exhausting and sometimes it’s just good to know you are not alone. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Sam x