Having to relocate for work is the start of many stories in the regions across Western Australia. The change of setting is both the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new adventure. Relocating because your spouse got a new job presents a completely different set of experiences. To start, you’re not transferring into an established network and when you add two young children into the narrative, it’s a completely different story.
These were Sheree Johansen’s circumstances when she moved to Geraldton from Fremantle 16 years ago with a two-year-old and a six-week-old baby. Her husband started his new job, but Sheree had to start from scratch. She didn’t know anybody and didn’t have any help with her two young children while her husband was at work, but she desperately wanted to pursue her passion of exercising. So, she did what so many regional women do – she adapted.
Sheree started exercising from home and studying to be a Personal Trainer (PT). Soon after she and her husband welcomed a third child as she was starting her PT business in Geraldton. Sheree began by offering face-to-face group fitness classes but as her networks grew, she would meet women from around the region who commented “I wish you lived where I lived.” The realisation that more women from RRR areas also wanted a group to train with spurred Sheree into action.
The isolation, the business of mothers, and the knowing no one narrative were all familiar. How could these women access a supportive and active network of other women to not only boost their physical health, but their mental wellbeing as well? That’s when Elevate started – an off-shoot of her face-to-face PT business that offered live workouts hosted via a private Facebook group where members could regularly gather to train together and support one another.
When Sheree had her babies, 20 minutes of physical exercise was what she could mentally handle – she could overcome the mental blockage of “I don’t have enough time” to do that. Easy enough to back it up the next day, long enough to get those endorphins pumping, but short enough to fit into her routine.
Elevate is Sheree’s online, live personal training businesses. Although based in Geraldton, Sheree has other PTs join her from around WA and members from remote farms, Morawa, Northampton, and even New Zealand!
Sheree is bringing vital regional support networks to even the most isolated of individuals. She understands the hurdles regional women must overcome, namely isolation and time poverty.
Her “no frills” no glamour approach has created a strong member base of women who embrace the hiccups and unfiltered moments of life as stock standard. One of her PT’s has had her young one crawling across her during a live workout, but this is life! Sheree assured her and her members that it might not work always work, but chances are your child will learn your routine and it will become easier.
Sheree’s live online PT sessions require members to confirm the day before a session and if they miss it, they get a follow-up message to check in. There is accountability but also flexibility to opt for the replay or library option from time to time. Participants can see their PT and hear the grunts and puffs and other associated work-out noises, but the PT cannot see the members. Following every session is the conversation through group comments with how the participants found the workout, or what didn’t work for them. Sheree always invites participants to comment if they need an extra explanation, have a question, or need an exercise modified to fit their particular situation.
Adaptability, a trait in many regional women, is paramount to Elevate’s program. There are a range of classes from entry level beginners or back to basics, to sessions where workouts get progressively more difficult to challenge participants to go that extra step. If you’re feeling a bit unsteady, keep a chair nearby. If you’re feeling extra energetic, add in another jump to the set. Adapt the routine to suit your needs and be supported by Sheree and her team of PTs every set of the way.
Because Sheree has the lived experience of a women and mother in the regions, she has considered many of the barriers that women face when considering an exercise program: cost, fancy equipment, and time. Elevate offers low-cost membership, doesn’t require any equipment, and sessions are 20-30 minutes. The best part? You can work out in the comfort of your own home.
Sheree’s energy permeates through the screen, so next time you’re feeling like you need some motivation and connection to a wider network of women, consider elevating your wellness by reaching out to Sheree at Elevate!
https://www.facebook.com/elevatelivevirtualtraining?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Story written by RRR Network Storyteller Lynn Whyatt.