How I found fitness, health and my 5th baby… enCore fitness centre

Whilst at school, I absolutely hated school sport. My poor Mom had to write notes to the teacher and the excuses would just run out.  It was crazy…

After meeting Joel and seeing his love for fitness, we started to run together and I started to enjoy the endorphins I was feeling…  It made me feel like I could fly.

The first few years living in Sydney, can only be described as frantic. I carried and gave birth to my beautiful twin girls, whilst still caring for my older two children. My post-natal body was different. I, unfortunately had rectus abdominal separation, and was off to the physiotherapist on a regular basis.  

I was finding it hard to climb the stairs and do things with the kids that Moms were meant to do. I felt sad and knew that I needed to change.  

One day, I was paging through a magazine and came across an advert on Xtend Barre. I thought, “This is seriously up my alley”.  I needed to go and try it out.  The only problem was that with four kids and the closest studio being in the Bondi, it was a time juggle… yet I succeeded!! 

I attended four classes in the first week, and fell in love with the quick results and the endorphin spike that Xtend Barre offered my body and mind. I decided to sign up for the first big Xtend Barre training event in Sydney, while studying Pilates.  I completed these fabulous training programs and started to accumulate hours of teaching. I have now lost count on the amount of hours of teaching I have taught.

I was running after four kids and training hard, however, I knew that, I had to eat correctly too. I wanted to lose the weight that had slowly made my body it’s home over the years. I discovered ‘Ultra Lite’.  Ultra Lite is an eating and weight management plan that involves proper healthy foods.  It is not a meal replacement, it’s not a pill and it is not a meal delivery service.  This was a learning process for me. I learnt about portion sizes, which foods were more nutritionally beneficial and which I had previously thought were healthy and actually were not so health. The best part of Ultra Lite was not only the weight loss and the health education I achieved. It was that my health fund paid a portion while I got healthier.

Hand in hand Pilates/ Xtend Barre and Ultra Lite helped me to feel both happy and healthy!

My 5th child as we all joke is enCore fitness centre. I unconditionally love this boutique, bespoke fitness studio in St Ives.The studio is filled with love, passion and support for each person who walks through the door.  

I know their struggles, I have been there, and I have walked in their shoes trying to be the best Mum I can be… struggling to find that magic medium of life. This is what I know for sure…  We are all hero’s in our own story book and it fills my heart with joy to know that we are all in this together, writing a page a day, to create positive habits that will create positive results not just as a Mum, but as a healthy person too.  

I am delighted and honoured that you are part of our studio and that; I get to be with you for one little moment in your day, in your story book…

              

My Story

I am the eldest of 2 daughters. My sister, Di, and I were blessed to have the best upbringing that I think any child could wish for. We received the best gift possible. One that money could not purchase. Our parents believed in us.

My parents told us to trust ourselves, to create the kind of life that you would be happy to live, not just for today, but also for our entire lives.  They encouraged us to find that little spark of possibility and to create and fan the flame within. They taught us to live with passion, to reach for the blue sky and to squeeze every drop out of our lives. 

In a time when self-esteem, confidence and self-worth were not hot topics, we received the seeds of mindfulness, passion, a zest for life and assurance.  

I entered my teenage youth with a love for life, plenty nurturing and positive, humble grounding courtesy of my incredible mother and father. I was also hugely fortunate enough to meet my now husband at school when I was 16 years old.  We met, fell in love and Joel and I have been together since.

The road was not paved with cherries and ice cream. We worked hard and created a beautiful, solid foundation of love, respect and admiration for one another. Over the years, this foundation has formed a structure, a building and then a tower of love.

In 1999 we were married. In 2001, we were blessed to have our beautiful eldest daughter Mikayla.

In 2002, our small family of three said our goodbyes and left South Africa for the stunning shores of Australia. The first year of our immigration was very difficult for our little family. 

I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease, had a couple of miscarriages and lost my darling Mom. I miss her each and every day.

The wheel does a full circle and through all our emotional challenges, we were blessed with our son Ryan in 2004. We were once again blessed with our twin girls, Tammy and Carly, in 2009.

Our family of three became a beautiful, large family of six. We are parenting our children with the same belief, understanding, kindness, respect and love that both Joel and I received as children.

Your destination for health and fitness

Welcome to the new home of Encore Fitness Centre!