After decades of toil, and being forced to “give up everything” with a devastating diagnosis, Fraserburgh fitness instructor Karen Gibson has now been crowned best in the country.
The 41-year-old has immersed herself in the world of dance since childhood, when she won three championships aged 10.
After turning her attention to instruction, she had to put her passion on hold when she was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) in 2015.
Also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, the condition left her absolutely exhausted while she tried to care for her children and keep up her work routine.
But now Karen – and her fitness brand Soulsa – have been named the UK’s very best.
‘I’d gone from teaching 16 classes a week to being bedbound’
At first, living with ME was a hard adjustment for her to make.
“I’d gone from teaching 16 classes a week to just being really poorly and bedbound,” she said.
“I just put it down to being completely burnt out. I had really bad anxiety and a bit of depression.
“I became very weak and tired – I was sleeping for easily 18 hours a day and would still be exhausted when I woke up.”
Owning a dance fitness studio had always been Karen’s dream – and she’d spent a decade building up a client base, working towards this goal.
‘I had to give up everything’
But it reached a point where she was sleeping all night, leaving the house to teach a class then heading straight back to bed in a bid to “desperately hold onto everything.”
She added: “Just when I got [the studio], my little boy James was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at two years old – and soon after I was diagnosed with ME.
After it reached the point she couldn’t get out of bed, her husband had to quit his job to help look after her.
“I was bedbound for a full summer,” Karen revealed.
“My husband had to stop working and be both mine and James’ carer.
“It was really difficult. I had to give up everything.”
How diagnosis led to Karen Gibson’s next steps
Desperate to get back to full fitness, Karen began devising her own routines – with an emphasis on keeping them inclusive and low-impact, mindful of her own health needs as well as others’.
She spent £50 on some mini tambourines and advertised her new classes, Soulsa, locally.
Only three people showed up to her first session, but determined Karen carried on regardless.
The sessions have since evolved into an award-winning enterprise, featuring lively music, dimmed lights and flashing musical instruments.
‘The best thing is speaking to other people’
After years of recovery, while Karen still experiences ME symptoms, she’s learned what triggers them and how to manage the condition.
She explained: “I still can get symptoms if I burn myself out.
“I’ve learned to listen to my body and look for the warning signs.
“If I need to rest, I’ll rest rather than pushing myself to please other people.
“It’s stress that really brings out my symptoms, if I get worried or angry or if I’m taking on too much. I know now when to pull back and try to control that.”
And she added: “The best thing for me was speaking to other people that had ME because they understood.
“It’s an invisible illness. Some people might see you in the shop and think ‘she’s fine’ when you’re definitely not.”
‘I felt I needed to prove myself’
Karen’s hard work has been paying off.
She recently won big at the Fit Pro HQ awards, taking home the gongs for best female fitness instructor and dance-based workout.
She also lifted trophies at The National Community Fitness Awards, winning best fitness presenter and coming second for best regional instructor.
“I think for some people, winning the awards is just having the title,” she said.
“For me, it’s personal. I was a young mum with my daughter and that can come with stigma, so I always felt I needed to prove myself.”
‘You’ve got to work ten times harder’
Karen said living and working in Fraserburgh has also led to other hurdles.
“You’ve got to work ten times harder to get noticed,” she said.
“You’re not in a big area like London or even Aberdeen, Fraserburgh is a little town.
“With my son’s illness, I’m his full-time carer and with my ME, I really had to strive to build everything up a second time and it’s paid off this year.”
She added: “I think what got me seen was when everything went virtual with lockdown, I was reaching a much wider audience.
“It’s definitely raised my profile in the fitness industry.
“I’ve gone from being a little person in a tiny town to attending these big events and winning awards. Soulsa’s really taken off.”
Read more:
‘It’s a bleak day for ME patients’: Fury after health watchdog delays new guidelines on treatment
Nairn woman diagnosed with ME aged just 22 looks to raise awareness
New dance school to open in Aberdeen with focus on promoting mental health
