RAW FIT - For a healthy body and mind
Aim
Providing functional, affordable training for all ages and abilities, focusing on improving physical and mental health.
Several years ago I started suffering with anxiety issues. These were triggered from incidents I dealt with at work.
The anxiety got worse and I was later diagnosed with PTSD and Moderate depressesive disorder on top of my anxiety. (these were all things I never expected to happen to me)
Living with these conditions made my work difficult, changed my personality and made me a nightmare to live with. (If you don't believe me ask my wife who has been so supportive)
I began to exercise more, as I found it helped me relax and eased the anxiety just a little. In 2013 I found Obstacle Racing and took part in Tough Guy. I loved it, I loved the challenge the chance to push myself and whilst taking part I felt like me again. I began to do more of them and I was training all the time.
In 2015 I qualified as a fitness instructor after I started taking a group of friends out for since training sessions in a local woods. Once qualified I began holding regular sessions. These were free to begin with as it was just a hobby but it proved popular and I started charging a small fee. This one session led to two and from there I qualified as a personal trainer and a diet and Nutritional advisor. I now run 9 Classes a week with the help of 2 volunteers and also see PT clients.
This type of work has been very rewarding and many of the clients I see also suffer with mental health issues, so I am able to understand what it is they go through and the boundaries they face.
As a result of my conditions I have been unable to continue in my main employment, this has put an added pressure on my family as I was always the main earner of the household.
My work with RAW FIT has expanded. We are not just a normal fitness group. I like to focus on outside training as it's good for the mind. Getting the whole family involved is also very important to me. I have three young children and I always encourage them to be outside and active. We have just started running holiday kids clubs, where children can play games, learn about fitness and have fun.
I have held a number of 6 hour extreme challenge sessions which are designed to push the body and mind. They show people what they can achieve when they push themselves.
Once a year there is a family weekend event, this has camping, family activities and a mud run.
Virtual events are a big thing for RAW FIT as it's a way of getting people around the country active and into fitness. From these challenges I donate 50% of the profits to UK mental health charity SANE. So far over £6000 has been raised.
All these virtual events can be located on our website Www.raw-fit.co.uk along with links to our Obstacle Race team, junior race team, RAW FIT, The RAW Store and much much more.
RAW FIT has recently got involved with beach cleans in our local area. We train outside and thought it was important to help promote keeping our outside spaces clean. We have completed beach cleans with a few fitness session bolted on and this has proven to be a popular idea.
Lastly I started writing a blog called Mental health and me. This is about my experiences with mental health. It's a very personal blog, but I find writing about it helps and it also helps raise awareness for mental health. This blog is shared on my charity page, RAW FIT and SANE.
I am looking to expand RAW FIT by obtaining premises where a permanent training facility can be created for Obstacle race coaching and also taking classes in the winter months. I am also looking into becoming a qualified coach specialising in mental health and continue to raise money and awareness for it..
Having permanent premises would also mean that we could do focused training for people with mental health conditions. Breaking down the barriers and having somewhere they can train where they feel comfortable and with people that understand and don't judge them.
This project successfully funded on 15th May 2018