MEET SARAH: LES MILLS NEWMARKET

What’s your day job?

I’m a medical student and work part-time as a receptionist at Les Mills Newmarket.

What got you into teaching/inspires you with fitness?

Les Mills Group Fitness helped me realise my resilience. It gave me a reason to, and the tools to keep going when life felt too hard. It is an immense privilege to share this, and the joy of movement as an instructor.

At a low point in my life, a BODYPUMP class presented me with a challenge that felt insurmountable. Every fibre of my physically and mentally exhausted self believed I couldn’t do it. The instructor, the music, and the energy of the room moved my body to the end of the set, and the reality that I could dawned on me. Each workout renews my faith in my ability to do things that feel hard. This benefits every aspect of my life. This inspires me to keep moving.

What do you teach and why?
BODYBALANCE, Les Mills Shapes, Les Mills Core, Les Mills Pilates, and Les Mills Barre.

I teach because I believe movement and the health benefits it offers belong to everyone, regardless of our background, fitness, goals, coordination, and preferences. 
I teach these programs because I love how they make me feel and I want to share that feeling with our members. I love that all of our offerings have the potential to give people more time on the planet, and in that time, greater wellness and joy.

Why Les Mills?
It’s where the love affair started. Les Mills Group Fitness offered me a place to fall in love with movement and my body when I left school, changed hometowns, and stopped dancing. I was a statistics major and used to wear my VUW (Vic Uni) mathlete t-shirt to Alistair’s BODYPUMP classes at Les Mills Extreme (Taranaki Street). He recognised me and encouraged me, and I no longer felt like the gym was a place only for fit people. It became a safe and welcoming place for all people (even people “like me”) to celebrate moving their bodies. Physical and mental well-being are just nice by-products of the LM experience.

What motivational quote do you live by?
“These things will be hard to do, but you can do hard things."

Any other fun facts?
 I’m not sure if it’s fun, but it makes me laugh. I was the kid who hid in the sheds during P.E. at primary school, wagged cross country day and I used to hide in music or graphics at high school when we had the beep test in P.E. In this same lifetime, I started “wagging” lectures to do my favourite LM class combos (PUMP30, CXWORX, BODYBALANCE). I swear the mental health benefits of group exercise are to thank for the improvements in my grades 😊