A new Aberdeen wellness studio aims to stop people thinking of working out as a “punishment”.
Fitness coach Claire Spence and sports massage therapist Jayne Ritchie have teamed up to create a studio where people can build confidence working out in a unique safe space.
Claire, who runs Naked Clean Health, has exclusively worked with women to encourage them to lose weight without unrealistic timescales.
The pair champion the importance of educating yourself on the body’s limits, and why the mind is just as important in your fitness journey.
‘The gym can be such an intimidating place’
Throughout the pandemic, Claire offered fitness coaching for women online and realised they wanted a place where they could meet-up.
She also noticed a growing trend where they voiced their anxiety about going to the gym.
“I would say more than 50% of the women I coach were really struggling with that aspect,” she explained.
“And they were also struggling to look at movement as like medicine for your physical and emotional health.
“They were looking at it still very old school, where they have to go to a class for punishment, and basically burn calories.”
She added: “Gyms are such an intimidating place.
“The end goal is that they come in, have this initial experience with us and they can feel like they’re meant to be (at the gym), and they can use all the kit the boys can use.”
‘We haven’t seen this in Aberdeen’
The new studio will allow Claire and Jayne to create a one-of-a-kind community in the city that works to empower people to train and work together.
“That’s been the biggest thing for the girls,” she said.
“They can work together and be in a safe space where they can train, guide each other. All of these different things we haven’t seen in Aberdeen.
“There’s nothing out there to help women take that first step.”
Other classes such as yoga and Pilates will be on offer.
In addition, there will be workshops with talks from sports psychologists, with themes like body neutrality and learning to understand how your body works.
Jayne said: “It’s about showing them what they can do and that it’s not just about being in a gym.”
Claire chimed in to emphasise your mindset goes hand-in-hand with weight loss.
Apply workshops beyond sports and to everyday life
With the help of Jayne’s expertise, there will be a focus on sports recovery, stretching and ensuring you have the fundamentals beyond weight loss.
She said before the pandemic, the workshops her clinic hosted proved popular, such as how to manage anxiety.
Jayne added: “There’s so much that you can apply not just to sport but to everyday life.
“And I think being able to teach people different coping mechanisms is something that we can pass on to so many different people.
“To be able to deliver that is huge.”
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