12 Months at Sport England
I was going to start this blog by saying over the past year I’ve experienced both sides of the coin whilst working for Sport England
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Your Stories
Grija Vijayan
“I’ve always been juggling with weight ever since childhood. They say it could be due to my paternal side genetics, but I am not a
Simon Jefferson
“My wife runs ultras. Running is in our household daily so it was inevitable that I started. I’d tried other forms of exercise but most
Natalie Moore
“For as long as I can remember I’ve loved dancing, sport and just generally being active. Throughout my childhood I was a member of dance
Shahna Anstill
“I have danced since the age of 7, once I started intense dance training at university, age 19, I began doing more bootcamp sessions and
Pete McKinnon
“I have always had a bad relationship with my weight, I was always a big child and grew up thinking it was in my genes
Amy Mackenzie
From a very young age I have always been incredibly active. Growing up I was like most normal kids, swimming lessons, bike rides and trips
Andy Raju
“It was actually being accepted via ballot entry for the 2014 London Marathon that got me into running. What I learnt over time is that
Priscilla Lagally
“I was a very active child back then. I join every single sport in school because that makes me happy. My fitness journey started when
Kristin
“I was the kid who HATED gym class growing up. I did the minimum to get by. But I’ve always been a girl after a
Martin Gittins
“I have always done exercise. From the age of 5 I have played football 3 to 4 times a week. At school, up the local
Mickael Boulogne
“Two years ago I decided to get serious about sports. After multiple health problems, exertional asthma, one leg smaller than the other is betting on
Sarah Sorbek
“Never take your health for granted. It can disappear in an instant. I grew up as an athlete – competitive gymnastics followed by competitive swimming.
Bethany Rose
“Since as a young girl I guess I had always been quite active and when I got into middle school I joined up to the
Hannah Rehel
“I was that girl that walked by a mirror and turned her head away because she would cry every time she saw herself. One day
Elaine Smith
“I am old now. I have struggled with mental health all my life due to an unhappy childhood. I was anorexic at 15 and experienced
Claire Whitfield
“As a child I never really took part or particularly enjoyed exercise apart from PE at school because you had no choice. I was a
Brian Schembri
“6 years ago, I had a hard time keeping up with my kids playing in the backyard. I was tired and out of breath. I
Tamara Olaniyan
“I had a relationship with fitness but it was sporadic. I took fitness seriously in spurts: when I needed to enlist in the military.
Becca Todd
“I’ve always loved sport because of the amazing way it connects and unites people together. It gives people a fun escape and a chance to
Anisha Gangotra
“By day I work within the NHS and by night I’m an Inclusive Dance and Zumba Instructor. Growing up, I was super active. I loved
Holly Clyne
“I’ve not always had my disability, in fact, growing up I was extremely sporty. I did karate lessons, signed up for every event at sports
Rob McMurdo
“From being 5 For 22 years I played football, week in and week out. I started to lose the excitement that football gave me and
Shweta Minz
“I have always been fit and healthy but things turned sideways when I was diagnosed with “invisible disease” which people know as “hypothyroidism”. My
David Clarke
“As a boy growing up I was always fit, running around riding bikes and roller blading which I still do. As I grew up the
Stacey Hitchcock
“Since becoming a Mum, my attitude to fitness has changed dramatically. I want to be a positive role model for my daughter showing her that
Gareth Mate
“My name is Gareth, I’m English, but live in the Netherlands. I have always loved sport and continually enjoyed being outdoors. Sport and the outdoors
Nelly Kasei
“I wasn’t really sporty. I spent most of my primary school in choir. I loved it because there was less effort. However; I became adventurous
Ryan Harris
“I was an athlete throughout my childhood up through high school. Played multiple sports. Even after high school I stayed active for several years playing
Faye Freeing
“I’ve struggled with my mental health since my early teen years. I lacked a lot of confidence and self belief growing up. I tried pole
Paul Nicholson
Throughout school I was obsessed with sport, I played as much as I could, my whole life was consumed with playing some game. I was
Nichola Whymark
“Growing up I was extremely fit and active. I loved the way it made me feel and loved the competitive element too. I represented
Sarah Ann Gray
“After graduating, I worked 6 days a week overseas and literally never found the time to exercise; any spare time I did have I
Gemma Marriage
“Growing up I always loved being out on my roller skates, sometimes whilst my brothers pulled me along from their BMX bikes! I basically
Claire Jones
“I have always enjoyed sport although I wasn’t the best at typical school sports like netball and hockey. I gave them a go but
Claire Smith
“I hated sport at school. It was a mixture of being forced to do it & undiagnosed arthritis, asthma & Crohns Disease. After having
Charlotte Ditchburn
“I was always active and outdoorsy as a child, part of the school orienteering team, competing to a regional level with the athletics team
Angela Soames
“I’ve never been sporty and don’t consider myself to be – I laugh when my friends call me that! But after trying out lots
Kenna Selvalingam
“From playing U10 football to starting skateboarding at the tender age of 28(!), I have all always been an active person. A lot of my
Kirsten Williams
“I’ve particularly been into cycling since I was a child, mainly distance road cycling as I feel a sense of accomplishment after going further than
Amanda Wojtaszek
My relationship with physical activity is one with a late start and a lot of twists and curves. I am a 39 year old camera
Ross Simpson
“I started training for my sport when I was 14 years old and I’ve enjoyed it ever since. Due to my sport being high risk,
Holly Hammond
“3 years ago I hated all sports and exercise because I got really badly bullied so I had to do something about it . One
Lauren Gift
I was relatively active throughout my childhood. I played soccer and a lot of driveway basketball. I stayed out from morning until night and ran
Joel Jake
“Sports were like a lifestyle to me from childhood. There were times where I was more anxious about sports meet in my school than the
Gemma Davis
Having spent the majority of my 20s overweight and unfit and I decided I didn’t want to spend my 30s the same way. I wasn’t
Margo Murphy-Gross
I definitely wasn’t a very active kid. I thought of myself as someone who wasn’t athletic. A few years ago I had a change in
Zara
I started educating myself about fitness and nutrition about 3 years ago, and even then, I have experienced many highs and lows. In the past,
Gamel Oki
I have a strange relationship with sports – I started out really disliking sports, or rather disliking how bad I was at team sports. But
Miranda McIntyre
“Depending on who you ask they would say my journey is complete or only beginning. I see it as a consistent journey. I started my
Niall Stillwell
“For as long as I can remember I’ve always been involved in sports. Athletics on Mondays, swimming with my mum on Fridays, family bike rides
Constance Enlow
“I started trying to lose weight at the end of 2018. I was 312lbs and didn’t even realize I had gotten that big. My blood
Amy Molesworth
“The year before falling pregnant I was at my very fittest, running 5km in 25 minutes and 10km in 52 minutes. I ran or went
Donna Clarke
“I fell in love with the look of muscular and toned bodies back in 1992 when the U.K. introduced their version of the television series
Cuan Coetzee
“Fitness for me started out as competition, it is now the main ingredient for my balanced lifestyle. Movement has always been ingrained in me. Growing
Maryam Qureshi
“Growing up I was always at a pretty healthy weight, but I was never a very active person. I got married at the age of
Katie Baker
“From the ages of 6-16, I did gymnastics recreationally and loved it so knew when I went to Uni I wanted to carry on with
Hannah Divall
“My school days were some of the toughest moments I have been through in my life. When I started playing sport I could escape all
Jacob Delveaux
“I grew up in a heavy family from the American Midwest — think Big Macs and Thanksgiving dinners. I knew no other lifestyle other than
Caroline Jones
“For me, sport has always been a way of bringing people together and really helped me when I moved to London 2 years ago. Whilst
Alexandra Aguinaga
“The journey has been a roller-coaster full of ups and downs. Specially when you are diagnosed with hypothyroidism, gaining weight is something so easy that
Amol Regina
“I started participating in physical activities at a very age of 6 years. I was in the athletes team of my primary school and was
Vusi Edeki
“I found my confidence in fitness! I wasn’t always the confident person you see today. I had a secret love of physical activity growing up,
Kasia Judkiewicz
“I’ve never really been an active or sporty person, I found hobbies that would keep me going but they never revolved around a fitness lifestyle.
Tessa Deterding
“I always hated exercise as a child. I never made it on to any sports teams, and PE was my least favourite lesson at school
Megan McEvoy
“My fitness journey began at four years old when I stepped on the ice for the first time. From that moment on, I fell in
Liv Grosvenor
“When I was 3 I was diagnosed with a brain tumour and a neurological condition called hydrocephalus. Growing up this impacted my mobility.I spent a
Sophia Graham
“I’ve never been a very sporty person. I was overweight as a kid and was always picked last for PE. Luckily my metabolism kicked in
Gerald Gyane
“I am an avid footballer, it’s been my favourite sport ever since I was a child. I was gutted that I couldn’t make it as
Liam Addison
“20 stone is when I started losing weight seriously. I always struggled to maintain a healthy weight even as a child. I was completely oblivious
Gemma White
“I dreamt of playing football when I was young but I didn’t dream of being a footballer; women’s football in the early 00’s was barely
Hannah Pavelkova
“Throughout my life I have constantly battled with my weight. I was a heavy teenager and never felt comfortable to take part in sports or
Michael Kiddell
“I’m a mature student that has thrown himself into university life. I am a student night manager, university sports exec vice chair and President of
Marc Slowey
“I may work in sport however I have a love-hate relationship with training as I have always been someone who trains because of weight gain
Lynn Smaggus
“I grew up on a farm, so I was always outdoors and active at an early age. Throughout my school years I was very successful
Harry Millard
“Going to boarding school, rugby was a huge part of our daily life. I was training and playing during the week for school and then
Sue Tetley
“My relationship with sport and exercise has been rather mixed throughout my life. I was never particularly sporty as a child. I enjoyed sprinting and
Tom Middlebrook
“Taking part in physical activity has always been something I have enjoyed; a kick about in the park with friends, playing tennis, outdoor adventure activities.
Isabel Fernandez-Moreno
“I learnt to love working out in my 20s. Fitness and high intensity training can often feel like an elite club, reserved for skinny influencers
Jordan Lockyer
“My appreciation for fitness probably started later than most. l was a chubby kid growing up so I didn’t really get into sport until starting
Hannah Robinson
“As a child I only really did sport to stop putting on weight, I was a tennis and swimming coach but more because kids are
Rogan Sage
“I’ve always been fit. I grew up playing every sport you can think of, my family went to a sports hotel when my brother and
Sophie Moore
“Exercise, I always hated it. I wasn’t a fan of gyms or running and then I started to lose weight & now exercise is my
Beth Jones
“I started running a year ago and it has completely changed my life! I didn’t before because I felt like I couldn’t. I felt like
Emily T
“I’ve always been a sporty and active person, at school I used to do everything from dancing and swimming to netball and hockey, but I’ve
Poppy May
“I was an active person doing photoshoots almost everyday. Travelling to different locations and getting on the floor for angles of shots. In April 2018
Emily Roche
“For me, I’m not as active now as I used to be, but playing sport has given me so much more than health & fitness,
Anna Richardson
“I’ve always been someone who’s more interested in running around and being outdoors than working or watching TV. I barely scraped through school because I
Brian Hensman
“As a kid I was very sporty, mainly football, gymnastics and cricket. I never made the school footy team as our weekly football was a
Lauren Jeffries
“Before I joined Humans of HIIT I dreaded the thought of exercising, always feeling so unmotivated and uncomfortable within myself. Social media played a big
Callum Graham
“I’ve always enjoyed exercise, but I’ve never been particularly good at conventional sports. I joined little league as a kid and had to quickly come
Nadine Doutre
“From a young age, Tennis was my thing! From the age of 4, I would play tennis a few times a week for fun, then
James Gasson
“After spending most of my adult life drinking and smoking a lot and generally not being very active bar a bit of football here and
Manda Morley
“I was never into sport or exercise in my early teens. When I started college I noticed that I couldn’t remain a slim shape and
Digby Hayden
“My relationship with sport had a rocky start to say the least; the day after I learned to run, I fell and broke my toe-
Amber Jerome
“When I was 17 years old, I had a difficult decision to make. Do I give up dance and go study law at University or
Eduard Susma
“I was born and raised in Romania, I am an amateur boxer and as many men my age, a fighter by nature. After a series
Angela Darbon
“I’m not a runner! I’m never running when I can walk! I’ve even walked two marathons through the night in my bra.. Then in December
Naomi Kennett
“Age 8 I was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis, I wore a back brace 23 hours a day until I was 15 years old. I couldn’t
Dan Trainer
“I have always been a regular gym-goer, middle-distance runner and part-time crossfitter, so when the world went into lockdown, I’ll admit, I was a little
Dani Clamp
“At secondary school P.E. was my favourite lesson, even by the age of 14 when 80% of the other girls were getting out of it
Jon Wheatley
“I’ve always been a pretty fit and healthy person; very active and not one to sit inside and watch Netflix on a day off. Technically
Leanne Sheill
“Growing up I avoided sport at all costs, skipping every sports day and regularly producing notes with reasons not to attend P.E. I started running
Beverley Agyeman
“I’ve always really enjoyed being active – from rounders and benchball, to netball and hockey, to boxing and dance – but “active” doesn’t typically look
Phil Samuel
Exercising has always been a part of my life because as soon as I could walk I was kicking a football. However, once I stopped
Rebecca Hensman
I used to dream of being a footballer, the dream had started and I was playing… I was the fittest I had ever been… this
Jack Cross
“Being active is something naturally engrained in who I am. Even on the laziest of Sundays I will struggle to sit still. I’m not necessarily
Michael and Gabs
“After doing several half marathons, we decided to step up to full marathon distance. London was set to be the first one for both of
Alex Cole – Founder
I wanted to be a professional footballer. Shock. I had a great childhood that was filled to the brim with activity, a different sport every
12 Months at Sport England
I was going to start this blog by saying over the past year I’ve experienced both sides of the coin whilst working for Sport England
Grija Vijayan
“I’ve always been juggling with weight ever since childhood. They say it could be due to my paternal side genetics, but I am not a
Simon Jefferson
“My wife runs ultras. Running is in our household daily so it was inevitable that I started. I’d tried other forms of exercise but most
Natalie Moore
“For as long as I can remember I’ve loved dancing, sport and just generally being active. Throughout my childhood I was a member of dance
Shahna Anstill
“I have danced since the age of 7, once I started intense dance training at university, age 19, I began doing more bootcamp sessions and
Pete McKinnon
“I have always had a bad relationship with my weight, I was always a big child and grew up thinking it was in my genes
Amy Mackenzie
From a very young age I have always been incredibly active. Growing up I was like most normal kids, swimming lessons, bike rides and trips
Andy Raju
“It was actually being accepted via ballot entry for the 2014 London Marathon that got me into running. What I learnt over time is that
Priscilla Lagally
“I was a very active child back then. I join every single sport in school because that makes me happy. My fitness journey started when
Kristin
“I was the kid who HATED gym class growing up. I did the minimum to get by. But I’ve always been a girl after a
Martin Gittins
“I have always done exercise. From the age of 5 I have played football 3 to 4 times a week. At school, up the local
Mickael Boulogne
“Two years ago I decided to get serious about sports. After multiple health problems, exertional asthma, one leg smaller than the other is betting on
Sarah Sorbek
“Never take your health for granted. It can disappear in an instant. I grew up as an athlete – competitive gymnastics followed by competitive swimming.
Bethany Rose
“Since as a young girl I guess I had always been quite active and when I got into middle school I joined up to the
Hannah Rehel
“I was that girl that walked by a mirror and turned her head away because she would cry every time she saw herself. One day
Elaine Smith
“I am old now. I have struggled with mental health all my life due to an unhappy childhood. I was anorexic at 15 and experienced
Claire Whitfield
“As a child I never really took part or particularly enjoyed exercise apart from PE at school because you had no choice. I was a
Brian Schembri
“6 years ago, I had a hard time keeping up with my kids playing in the backyard. I was tired and out of breath. I
Tamara Olaniyan
“I had a relationship with fitness but it was sporadic. I took fitness seriously in spurts: when I needed to enlist in the military.
Becca Todd
“I’ve always loved sport because of the amazing way it connects and unites people together. It gives people a fun escape and a chance to
Anisha Gangotra
“By day I work within the NHS and by night I’m an Inclusive Dance and Zumba Instructor. Growing up, I was super active. I loved
Holly Clyne
“I’ve not always had my disability, in fact, growing up I was extremely sporty. I did karate lessons, signed up for every event at sports
Rob McMurdo
“From being 5 For 22 years I played football, week in and week out. I started to lose the excitement that football gave me and
Shweta Minz
“I have always been fit and healthy but things turned sideways when I was diagnosed with “invisible disease” which people know as “hypothyroidism”. My
David Clarke
“As a boy growing up I was always fit, running around riding bikes and roller blading which I still do. As I grew up the
Stacey Hitchcock
“Since becoming a Mum, my attitude to fitness has changed dramatically. I want to be a positive role model for my daughter showing her that
Gareth Mate
“My name is Gareth, I’m English, but live in the Netherlands. I have always loved sport and continually enjoyed being outdoors. Sport and the outdoors
Nelly Kasei
“I wasn’t really sporty. I spent most of my primary school in choir. I loved it because there was less effort. However; I became adventurous
Ryan Harris
“I was an athlete throughout my childhood up through high school. Played multiple sports. Even after high school I stayed active for several years playing
Faye Freeing
“I’ve struggled with my mental health since my early teen years. I lacked a lot of confidence and self belief growing up. I tried pole
Paul Nicholson
Throughout school I was obsessed with sport, I played as much as I could, my whole life was consumed with playing some game. I was
Nichola Whymark
“Growing up I was extremely fit and active. I loved the way it made me feel and loved the competitive element too. I represented
Sarah Ann Gray
“After graduating, I worked 6 days a week overseas and literally never found the time to exercise; any spare time I did have I
Gemma Marriage
“Growing up I always loved being out on my roller skates, sometimes whilst my brothers pulled me along from their BMX bikes! I basically
Claire Jones
“I have always enjoyed sport although I wasn’t the best at typical school sports like netball and hockey. I gave them a go but
Claire Smith
“I hated sport at school. It was a mixture of being forced to do it & undiagnosed arthritis, asthma & Crohns Disease. After having
Charlotte Ditchburn
“I was always active and outdoorsy as a child, part of the school orienteering team, competing to a regional level with the athletics team
Angela Soames
“I’ve never been sporty and don’t consider myself to be – I laugh when my friends call me that! But after trying out lots
Kenna Selvalingam
“From playing U10 football to starting skateboarding at the tender age of 28(!), I have all always been an active person. A lot of my
Kirsten Williams
“I’ve particularly been into cycling since I was a child, mainly distance road cycling as I feel a sense of accomplishment after going further than
Amanda Wojtaszek
My relationship with physical activity is one with a late start and a lot of twists and curves. I am a 39 year old camera
Ross Simpson
“I started training for my sport when I was 14 years old and I’ve enjoyed it ever since. Due to my sport being high risk,
Holly Hammond
“3 years ago I hated all sports and exercise because I got really badly bullied so I had to do something about it . One
Lauren Gift
I was relatively active throughout my childhood. I played soccer and a lot of driveway basketball. I stayed out from morning until night and ran
Joel Jake
“Sports were like a lifestyle to me from childhood. There were times where I was more anxious about sports meet in my school than the
Gemma Davis
Having spent the majority of my 20s overweight and unfit and I decided I didn’t want to spend my 30s the same way. I wasn’t
Margo Murphy-Gross
I definitely wasn’t a very active kid. I thought of myself as someone who wasn’t athletic. A few years ago I had a change in
Zara
I started educating myself about fitness and nutrition about 3 years ago, and even then, I have experienced many highs and lows. In the past,
Gamel Oki
I have a strange relationship with sports – I started out really disliking sports, or rather disliking how bad I was at team sports. But
Miranda McIntyre
“Depending on who you ask they would say my journey is complete or only beginning. I see it as a consistent journey. I started my
Niall Stillwell
“For as long as I can remember I’ve always been involved in sports. Athletics on Mondays, swimming with my mum on Fridays, family bike rides
Constance Enlow
“I started trying to lose weight at the end of 2018. I was 312lbs and didn’t even realize I had gotten that big. My blood
Amy Molesworth
“The year before falling pregnant I was at my very fittest, running 5km in 25 minutes and 10km in 52 minutes. I ran or went
Donna Clarke
“I fell in love with the look of muscular and toned bodies back in 1992 when the U.K. introduced their version of the television series
Cuan Coetzee
“Fitness for me started out as competition, it is now the main ingredient for my balanced lifestyle. Movement has always been ingrained in me. Growing
Maryam Qureshi
“Growing up I was always at a pretty healthy weight, but I was never a very active person. I got married at the age of
Katie Baker
“From the ages of 6-16, I did gymnastics recreationally and loved it so knew when I went to Uni I wanted to carry on with
Hannah Divall
“My school days were some of the toughest moments I have been through in my life. When I started playing sport I could escape all
Jacob Delveaux
“I grew up in a heavy family from the American Midwest — think Big Macs and Thanksgiving dinners. I knew no other lifestyle other than
Caroline Jones
“For me, sport has always been a way of bringing people together and really helped me when I moved to London 2 years ago. Whilst
Alexandra Aguinaga
“The journey has been a roller-coaster full of ups and downs. Specially when you are diagnosed with hypothyroidism, gaining weight is something so easy that
Amol Regina
“I started participating in physical activities at a very age of 6 years. I was in the athletes team of my primary school and was
Vusi Edeki
“I found my confidence in fitness! I wasn’t always the confident person you see today. I had a secret love of physical activity growing up,
Kasia Judkiewicz
“I’ve never really been an active or sporty person, I found hobbies that would keep me going but they never revolved around a fitness lifestyle.
Tessa Deterding
“I always hated exercise as a child. I never made it on to any sports teams, and PE was my least favourite lesson at school
Megan McEvoy
“My fitness journey began at four years old when I stepped on the ice for the first time. From that moment on, I fell in
Liv Grosvenor
“When I was 3 I was diagnosed with a brain tumour and a neurological condition called hydrocephalus. Growing up this impacted my mobility.I spent a
Sophia Graham
“I’ve never been a very sporty person. I was overweight as a kid and was always picked last for PE. Luckily my metabolism kicked in
Gerald Gyane
“I am an avid footballer, it’s been my favourite sport ever since I was a child. I was gutted that I couldn’t make it as
Liam Addison
“20 stone is when I started losing weight seriously. I always struggled to maintain a healthy weight even as a child. I was completely oblivious
Gemma White
“I dreamt of playing football when I was young but I didn’t dream of being a footballer; women’s football in the early 00’s was barely
Hannah Pavelkova
“Throughout my life I have constantly battled with my weight. I was a heavy teenager and never felt comfortable to take part in sports or
Michael Kiddell
“I’m a mature student that has thrown himself into university life. I am a student night manager, university sports exec vice chair and President of
Marc Slowey
“I may work in sport however I have a love-hate relationship with training as I have always been someone who trains because of weight gain
Lynn Smaggus
“I grew up on a farm, so I was always outdoors and active at an early age. Throughout my school years I was very successful
Harry Millard
“Going to boarding school, rugby was a huge part of our daily life. I was training and playing during the week for school and then
Sue Tetley
“My relationship with sport and exercise has been rather mixed throughout my life. I was never particularly sporty as a child. I enjoyed sprinting and
Tom Middlebrook
“Taking part in physical activity has always been something I have enjoyed; a kick about in the park with friends, playing tennis, outdoor adventure activities.
Isabel Fernandez-Moreno
“I learnt to love working out in my 20s. Fitness and high intensity training can often feel like an elite club, reserved for skinny influencers
Jordan Lockyer
“My appreciation for fitness probably started later than most. l was a chubby kid growing up so I didn’t really get into sport until starting
Hannah Robinson
“As a child I only really did sport to stop putting on weight, I was a tennis and swimming coach but more because kids are
Rogan Sage
“I’ve always been fit. I grew up playing every sport you can think of, my family went to a sports hotel when my brother and
Sophie Moore
“Exercise, I always hated it. I wasn’t a fan of gyms or running and then I started to lose weight & now exercise is my
Beth Jones
“I started running a year ago and it has completely changed my life! I didn’t before because I felt like I couldn’t. I felt like
Emily T
“I’ve always been a sporty and active person, at school I used to do everything from dancing and swimming to netball and hockey, but I’ve
Poppy May
“I was an active person doing photoshoots almost everyday. Travelling to different locations and getting on the floor for angles of shots. In April 2018
Emily Roche
“For me, I’m not as active now as I used to be, but playing sport has given me so much more than health & fitness,
Anna Richardson
“I’ve always been someone who’s more interested in running around and being outdoors than working or watching TV. I barely scraped through school because I
Brian Hensman
“As a kid I was very sporty, mainly football, gymnastics and cricket. I never made the school footy team as our weekly football was a
Lauren Jeffries
“Before I joined Humans of HIIT I dreaded the thought of exercising, always feeling so unmotivated and uncomfortable within myself. Social media played a big
Callum Graham
“I’ve always enjoyed exercise, but I’ve never been particularly good at conventional sports. I joined little league as a kid and had to quickly come
Nadine Doutre
“From a young age, Tennis was my thing! From the age of 4, I would play tennis a few times a week for fun, then
James Gasson
“After spending most of my adult life drinking and smoking a lot and generally not being very active bar a bit of football here and
Manda Morley
“I was never into sport or exercise in my early teens. When I started college I noticed that I couldn’t remain a slim shape and
Digby Hayden
“My relationship with sport had a rocky start to say the least; the day after I learned to run, I fell and broke my toe-
Amber Jerome
“When I was 17 years old, I had a difficult decision to make. Do I give up dance and go study law at University or
Eduard Susma
“I was born and raised in Romania, I am an amateur boxer and as many men my age, a fighter by nature. After a series
Angela Darbon
“I’m not a runner! I’m never running when I can walk! I’ve even walked two marathons through the night in my bra.. Then in December
Naomi Kennett
“Age 8 I was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis, I wore a back brace 23 hours a day until I was 15 years old. I couldn’t
Dan Trainer
“I have always been a regular gym-goer, middle-distance runner and part-time crossfitter, so when the world went into lockdown, I’ll admit, I was a little
Dani Clamp
“At secondary school P.E. was my favourite lesson, even by the age of 14 when 80% of the other girls were getting out of it
Jon Wheatley
“I’ve always been a pretty fit and healthy person; very active and not one to sit inside and watch Netflix on a day off. Technically
Leanne Sheill
“Growing up I avoided sport at all costs, skipping every sports day and regularly producing notes with reasons not to attend P.E. I started running
Beverley Agyeman
“I’ve always really enjoyed being active – from rounders and benchball, to netball and hockey, to boxing and dance – but “active” doesn’t typically look
Phil Samuel
Exercising has always been a part of my life because as soon as I could walk I was kicking a football. However, once I stopped
Rebecca Hensman
I used to dream of being a footballer, the dream had started and I was playing… I was the fittest I had ever been… this
Jack Cross
“Being active is something naturally engrained in who I am. Even on the laziest of Sundays I will struggle to sit still. I’m not necessarily
Michael and Gabs
“After doing several half marathons, we decided to step up to full marathon distance. London was set to be the first one for both of
Alex Cole – Founder
I wanted to be a professional footballer. Shock. I had a great childhood that was filled to the brim with activity, a different sport every
These inspirational stories are from real people with real relationships with physical activity and working out. We will be forever grateful for their courage to share their story with the world because they want others to be more active.
Check out the latest story or read by category. We have stories related to exercising whilst pregnant, weight loss, fitness and mental health, life changing impairments or injuries, and a wide range of sports.
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Humans of HIiT is a not for profit organisation aiming to work with partners from every industry to ensure we can inspire everyone to be active. We believe through sharing stories we can inspire then connect people to activity.
If you would like to find out more, please drop Alex an email at hello@humansofhiit.co.uk
We are a not for profit organisation who wants to inspire people to be active forever!
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