I absolutely LOVED this fitness brand photography shoot with Lauren Gregory PT last month. Lauren is one super strong & inspirational woman. Alongside running her own Personal Training business is herself training to run the Marathon des Sables (MdS).
The MdS is a six-day, 251 km ultramarathon, approximately the distance of six regular marathons. It is held every year in the southern Morocco region of the Sahara Desert. It is often regarded as the toughest foot race on Earth. See why I called her super strong & inspiring!
As you can appreciate, with a shared love of running long distances, we chatted the WHOLE way through this shoot! And when all the photos were taken we finished the day with a run!
Voted Best Fitness Instructor, Warwickshire in 2019 as part of the Muddy Stilettos lifestyle awards, I wanted to find out a little more about Lauren’s own fitness journey. How she became a personal trainer & how she balances a busy working life with her own training. So as we ran I asked her a few questions. Scroll down to read what she said.
Fitness Brand Photography: The Shoot!
Why Personal Training?
“I love helping others & seeing them flourish as they move towards their goals. It’s by far the most rewarding part of my job as well as the relationships I build with my clients. I also like to keep myself fit & well so that I can reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. If this is something that I can pass onto others then I’ll always have something to offer.
I started as a PT back in 2001 working in a gym. Then I took a break from the industry in 2008 to pursue a job in Graphic Design (my original qualification). I later returned in a freelance role as a mobile PT which works much better for me & my family.”
Tell me a little bit about your Personal Training business
“The majority of my work is done face to face but during lockdown, I had to take everything online. So now I do a mixture of in-person & online PT sessions. As well as managing my individual clients who I coach online/virtually, I also teach group fitness classes three times a week, all online. These are really good fun & they get people moving without leaving their homes!
I have a bit of a mix of clients; runners and triathletes who want to improve their performance, mothers who want to get back into shape after having their babies as well as men and women who want to lose weight & feel better.
I always like to have an initial consultation with a prospective client so that I can gauge if I’m the right PT for them & if I honestly feel they would benefit from working with someone more specialist then I’ll refer them on.”
Can you tell me a little bit about your own fitness story, what you do away from personal training, and some of your achievements (eg. I’d love to mention that you’re training for MDS & some of the other epic races you’ve done)?
What’s your own fitness story?
“I mostly enjoy long-distance trail running & even better done with friends!
In terms of races, I like to set myself a couple of big goals per year & then I might do a few smaller races around my training plan. My big goal at the moment is the Marathon Des Sables which was due to happen in April this year but due to COVID, it has now been put back to next year.
I also like to do a bit of yoga, go on family walks (I have two young children) and I also have a women’s running group, Run Like a Girl – I like to keep busy!”
