Testimonials

"Valerie is no ordinary personal trainer. Valerie is a personal trainer who genuinely cares and is concerned about your physical health and well being and will do everything possible to help you achieve your goals. With Valerie’s support, guidance and nutritional expertise I was able to achieve mine!. Valerie‘s professional yet friendly approach has been a real factor in the changes that I have made. I will be eternally grateful for her support and encouragement"

J Lawrence - 19 February 2009

Having done lots of exercise for many years and being very fit and injury free, suddenly over the last three years I seem to have had one injury after another. This has been hugely frustrating and painful! My preferred sport is running but I like to do weight sessions to keep a level of upper body strength and to stay toned. With my various injuries I had long periods of not being able to do anything. In addition I had changed jobs and was driving about 3 hours every day. This of course exacerbated the injuries which were mainly in my back, legs and feet. I had also reached the grand old age of 50 so was this also just the ageing process?

Well of course all of these things are contributory factors but a session with Val helped me find a way of moving forward and decreasing the risk of injury. She carried out a posture assessment with me which identified the imbalances in my body and my muscles, looking at which muscles were tight, which over-stressed etc. The results explained the vulnerabilities in my back and legs and helped me understand that some exercises compound these problems.

Val then worked out a new exercise programme for me to promote better posture, muscle balance and reduction of injuries. This involved a weights programme and stretches which would also complement my running. The new programme means I am stretching some muscles more and strengthening others to balance out my muscles. Having used the new programme regularly, particularly the more focused stretching, I am back to running regularly and most importantly have now been injury free for some months. This culminated in me training for and completing in respectable times both the Exeter and Plymouth Half-marathons in May without a twinge!

So whether you want to get fit or back to exercise after injuries or just improve you’re all round posture I can highly recommend Val. In addition to her knowledge she is friendly, makes the technical stuff understandable and creates an exercise programme that is achievable for you as an individual.

Barbara Wick (Injury Free) - 17 June 2008

I have never been a fan of exercise and even less so if I have to spend time getting to a leisure centre and then back again. As a busy mum and artist I have many better things to get on with. However, Valerie has taught me a lot about the importance of regular exercise, particularly at my stage of life – young middle-aged! She is sensitive to my limits but always gently encouraging, pushing the boundaries.

I like the fact that Valerie can provide me with a personalised workout and am pleased with what I have achieved over the last year. I also enjoy the variations to my exercise routine that Valerie introduces to reduce potential boredom but also create a bit of fun with benefit.

When I started exercising with Valerie I had a couple of long-term muscular niggles which the physio had not seemed to shift. However, over time these problems have gone and I am enjoying a much greater sense of well-being.

All in all, Valerie is fun to exercise with. She is sympathetic but firm and tuned in to one’s needs. I would thoroughly recommend her to anyone.

Belinda Ireland - 3 September 2008

I should have written before, I hope I’m not too late.  Not that I like to admit it too often, as you know, I’m in my late forties and found, some two years ago, that I was more over weight than usual.  I did some home work on personal trainers and felt confident in your qualifications, so gave you a call. I thought personal trainers were for celebrities and so was a bit skeptical at first. At our initial consultation I was shocked at my loss of body strength, quite apart from my weight problem.  Now nearly two years on I have developed a more conscientious approach to eating and alcohol consumption and enjoy exercise, oh and I am now nearly two stone lighter.  To anybody reading this, give Valerie a ring, you will change a lot of things in your life and be the better for it.

Andrew Ireland (Battisborough cross) - 7 October 2008 

Valerie worked for Tone Leisure (South Hams) Limited as an Exercise Referral Co-ordinator based at Ivybridge Leisure Centre.  Her role involved promoting the scheme to local practitioners as well as delivering the scheme to patients within the centre.  Valerie demonstrated a professional, pro active, flexible, mature and caring approach to clients.  She also possessed an excellent knowledge of national guidance and the need for formal protocols to guide practice.  Within her role Valerie also demonstrated excellent leadership skills and an ability to motivate clients. Valerie was able to manage workloads well and prioritise objectives. Her customer care was second to none and she will be sorely missed from this organisation.

James Curry (Leisure Facilities Manager/Ivybridge Leisure Centre) - 16 December 2008