Jen Orlins

What was your relationship to exercise before you started strength training at Fitology Hub?

Exercise was always something I felt I had to get done. I would brace myself, expecting it to be unpleasant and maybe even slightly painful and would try to push myself to do things I didn't enjoy doing, so really struggled to maintain consistency.

I am someone who really benefits from having a support system - not because I'm not motivated, but exercise was always something that was all too easy to sideline.  I find it hard to prioritise myself if someone else needs something from me, and I only have so much time in every day, so something's got to give. Exercise often got pushed aside, even though I always feel better after exercising and have more energy for other people as a result.

When I first came for my consultation at Fitology Hub, I was struggling with a lot of hip and back pain, which had become really bad after having my son. I wasn't able to exercise much during pregnancy because I had SPD (Symphysis Pelvis Dysfunction) and then, after I'd had my baby, I tried to do Couch to 5K, but my back went into major spasms and was really painful, so I had to stop. I saw a physio who told me I had weak back and hip muscles and poor flexibility, which is what made me seek out strength-training in the first place.

Fast-forward to now and I did my first ever 5K run a few weeks ago and I was absolutely fine! I had no pain and my body felt like it been prepared. It helped that it was a park run, so I had loads of happy faces cheering me on, but still... I definitely could not have done that 18-months ago!

How has strength training impacted your life?

It has had such a huge impact on my life, I can't even tell you! I'm Head of Physics in a secondary school and I'm in charge of a lot of much older men, who are not always comfortable accepting my authority and can frequently be undermining and disrespectful. Being physically stronger has been very transformational. I feel more confident and powerful in my body and that has had a knock-on effect in my job. I don't mean in a macho way or in an overpowering way at all! I suppose it's just that I've always struggled with imposter syndrome, so often found it difficult to feel I was worthy of my position. This would get worse when certain things happened, like at an Open Day once, when a prospective parent asked me to point them in the direction of the Head of Physics and when I said, "That's me!" they looked really surprised! I even got mistaken for a sixth-former once! Before I started strength-training, things like that would make me feel like I might not be up to the job, but now I just laugh it off and take it as a bonus that I can be one of the youngest members of my department - and a woman on a male-dominated staff - and absolutely smash it! The stronger I get, the more confident I have become in my own authority and I know I absolutely deserve to be where I am.

I've even started using my strength-training as a metaphor in my teaching! It's a perfect concrete example of how, with consistent time and effort, you can build new skills. The fact that there are very clear and scalable metrics for progress is extremely satisfying! Although I know it's never a straight road and there are weeks where I have less energy or power than others, seeing incremental progress in how much I can lift in measurable units, has had a huge mental effect on me. It has been a really important lesson, and one I'm now applying to learning Polish, which is my husband's mother tongue.

After having my baby, someone asked me how I felt about the changes to my body and, I remember thinking that, to be honest, I'd always had a difficult relationship with body image even before pregnancy! I'm not sure I ever believed that could really change, but, since focussing on what my body can do, I feel more powerful in myself and it's like this new feeling, the feeling of being capable and strong, has overridden that old negative internal voice about how I look. It has actually enabled me to stand taller and be more present, which has, in turn, made me more able to be helpful and useful to others.

I do voluntary work now with the Collective Ownership Society to help make housing co-ops more accessible to people in London. Housing co-ops are much more common in the rest of Europe, particularly Vienna and Zurich, and I believe so strongly in this better alternative than leaving people to live with uncertainty, often in sub-par conditions, and at the whims of unscrupulous landlords. I now feel more able to give this extra time for others since investing more time in my own health.

How has being a member of Fitology Hub impacted your life?

As a teacher, I always have what I describe as "ambient anxiety" which steadily increases during term time and really comes to a head towards the end of term. It can take me a while to decompress, even when term is out, and I can find it really difficult to clock off in my head and to focus on other things.

The nervous system regulation breathwork at the beginning of sessions has been amazing for me. It's so important as a way to reduce stress and get the most out of my sessions. It helps me sustain focus and feel really present in my body, so that training never feels like just another thing to tick off my to-do list. My sessions settle me and ground me and I always feel better afterwards. All the trainers here are so friendly and kind that I just love coming. I'm so used to looking after everyone else all the time - at work and at home - that it feels really good to feel looked after here.

I'm originally from Liverpool and, because it's so much smaller there, if there's something going on, like a cool gig or something, and you go along, you'll end up seeing a lot of the same faces you saw at the last thing you went to. It feels easier to find your crowd because there's more overlapping, generally. I don't think Londoners are any less friendly as individuals at all, but the way things are set up here and the sheer scale of the city means there is a lot less overlapping. It's so easy never to cross paths with the same people again, even if you share similar interests.

Being a member of Fitology Hub has given me that missing sense of community. It's so nice to come to sessions and to chat and check-in with each other. Seeing the same faces each week means that I can ask how someone's upcoming thing last week actually went! It's nice to get the opportunity to see the nice people I've met here again and again and again, and to feel relaxed and part of something.

As a neurodivergent woman, feeling welcome and having a real sense of belonging doesn't often come easy. At Fitology Hub, I feel like I can just be myself. I was feeling anxious before my 4:1 session earlier today, because I still had my head in work-mode, but I don't feel anxious at all now! It's like this amazing reset button and it really helps me to sustain my focus outside the Hub too.

There is a perfect mix of novelty and familiarity in sessions. The trainers are always so kind and patient and are always happy to repeat things I've missed or misunderstood. I never feel awkward for having to ask because it's never a problem! They are so reassuring and the sessions are so uplifting. Every member is unique and we are all celebrated for every special thing we can bring to the table.

I'd never kept up with any form of exercise before I joined here, but being a Fitology Hub member has honestly made my life better and I wouldn't want to be without it now.