Elspeth is an Interiors and Textile Designer (https://www.facebook.com/elspethdallydesigns/) who lives with her partner and 10 year old son, Finch, in Brockley. Elspeth has a respect for the process that brings a design to life, rather than solely focussing on the money-making final product. She applies this consideration equally to her physical training and has grown to understand the importance of pacing herself to progress through new challenges steadily and safely. With the support of her much-loved Fitology Hub Coach, Bea, and the community of women she has trained alongside, she understands that good form is worth rewarding just as much as impressive feats of fitness.

For a woman from the landlocked West Midlands, the sea has always been a special place for Elspeth. Fortunately her career has given her the flexibility to live at different spots along the British coast, as well as in more exotic locations. After studying Textile Design in the North East of England and Winchester she moved to Brighton for her first forays into the world of work as a Freelance Designer for Fashion Print. When friends were shocked that she and her boyfriend at the time had never visited the Brighton Pavillion, as the city’s main tourist attraction, they joked that ‘the day we go to the Pavillion is the day we leave Brighton’. Pretty much true to their word, they packed up and made for the bright lights of London just one month after they took up a £1 ticket offer for local residents. The whirlwind didn’t stop there, with Elspeth landing a job within 24 hours of the move.

After 5 years, working as a Hotel Interior Designer in London, Elspeth became tired of project budgets being squeezed at the expense of sustainability. A self-professed ‘hippie chick’ at heart and not one to follow 9 to 5 rules, she left on a sabbatical to visit her sister in Singapore and swiftly landed herself a job offer. She returned to the UK and boldly quit her job before officially accepting the new role, flying back to Singapore on New Year’s Day. After 3 years she returned to London, where she has lived ever since.

In 2014/15 Elspeth experienced two significant and painful events, the first was a fall from a loft hatch that left her with terrible injuries to her left elbow and upper arm and the second was her sister being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. These events instigated her moving away from rigid employment and towards using art as a more therapeutic outpouring, as well as starting a clean slate with her physical training.

Before the fall, Elspeth had enjoyed a life-long relationship with fitness. From the age of 4, she excelled in whatever physical endeavours she set her mind to. From elite gymnastics, to running for her county and competing in the 100m hurdles, her grit meant that competing at the Olympic Games was more than just a teenage pipe dream. Although this particular dream was scuppered by a knee injury, her enthusiasm for finding the next adrenaline rush and challenge never waned.

Frustrated by experiences in conventional gyms and a boxing club, where she would be heckled by onlooking men and drilled without detail, it is thanks to her friend and fellow member Coral that she discovered Fitology Hub. Since joining she has grown in confidence, with her coach Bea being mindful of both her limitations and her determination to train in a controlled way. She is proudly able to hold a plank position once again and incremental challenges ensure that she is well supported and motivated at the hub, a place that she now considers a second home.