How do you like to keep active? What activities do you enjoy the most?

I’ve been a competitive swimmer since childhood, I swim train 3-4 times a week and have a gym based strength and conditioning programme that I follow 3 times a week

Why do you feel it is important to lead a physically active lifestyle?

Being physically active has been a large part of my life since I was a child. As I’ve grown up it’s been a way of adding structure, routine and discipline into life. At uni and moving away from home to start my career, swimming became a way of making new friends and building a social network. Nowadays, having been diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 34 and being lucky enough to be in remission for 5 years, physical activity is a fundamental way for me to make sure I’m doing everything I can to make sure I stay fit, healthy and in remission. Swimming and being in the water is my happy place and I find it so beneficial for my mental health as well as my physical health.

How does the Active Hub platform support your physical movement?

The challenges, particularly those where you have to team up with colleagues to compete provide an added level of motivation and drive to get out there and do some sport. Knowing that you have team mates relying on you to do your bit to contribute to the challenge really spurs me on – especially when I’m so competitive by nature!

How has participating in Active Hub events helped increase your engagement with other colleagues?

It’s encouraged me to talk to people I wouldn’t necessarily know or work with so has expanded my network at work through joining a team for a challenge. Looking at the event dashboards also enables us to learn more about our colleagues by seeing who participates in what sports outside of work.

Has having the Active Hub in place via your employer enabled you to lead a more active lifestyle?

I was active anyway so I don’t necessarily do more now that I have access to the Hub, but I do enjoy the challenges and seeing how I fare against other active colleagues. Love a bit of healthy competition!

What is your current active goal?

I have several –

I’m building my training in preparation for the Masters Swimming National Championships at the end of October where I’m racing in the 1500m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 200m breaststroke, 100m freestyle and the mixed 4x200m freestyle relay.

I’m taking part in the Marathon Swims event at the London Olympic pool in November where I’ll be swimming a 10k marathon swim.

I’m currently in the last 25% of a fat loss journey. Having lost 12kg over the past 3 years, I have between 2-7kg remaining that I’d like to lose.

It’s never too late to start. Starting small and building up gradually is the key to making long term changes. Motivation is temporary. Consistency is key. When motivation fails us, we fall back on consistency. Show up for yourself today so that your future self can look back and say thank you to you.