Absolute’s new fitness writer is Sarah Hitchman and Daniel White caught up with her to find out more about the lifestyle guru
When I turn up at the charming shabby chic Big Beach Café to meet Sarah Hitchman she is in full swing; on the phone to a client who has fallen foul to the temptation of cake and steadily calming her down as she sips at her espresso.
A few moments later after pleasantries have been exchanged we are now in full swing.
Our new fitness writer is a personal trainer, sports therapist and all-round lifestyle guru. With more than a decade in the fitness industry she has developed into one of the most versatile trainers in the city.
“I can offer the whole package,” she begins. “I can take a client on and I can do all of their nutrition for them, so food diaries, work out what they need to eat and what they are eating too much of or drinking too much of. Then I train them to get them to their goal training wise and if they get broken or injured during the meantime I can fix them, so it’s the whole journey.”
Sarah, who works out of The Personal Training Studio, began her career early, gaining a job as a part-time personal trainer at PTS when she was still at college.
Since then she has gained an endless list of qualifications and her passion for the job has never been in doubt.
“I always knew what I wanted to do,” she explains. “I wanted to be a personal trainer and it just worked for me, I have just fallen on my feet really. Don’t get me wrong, I have worked really hard but I’m so lucky as well.
“There aren’t really any disadvantages; it’s a lovely job. You get to meet a lot of different people from all walks of life, ages and abilities. You get to help a lot of people, you can make a massive difference to some people and if you work in it for 12 years you must be doing something right.”
The highly trained professional not only provides help with fitness problems but is also a lifestyle expert, helping clients through tough times or whenever she is called upon, and she explains her simple attitude towards getting fit.
“I’m not one of those people who cracks the whip,” she smiles. “That is often the worst thing, the harder you are on people the quicker they fall off. My outlook on fitness is to try to make life easier and still achieve what you want to achieve. I can’t take back that you got hammered last night, so let’s just work it out and deal with it.”
Sarah works with a number of high-profile clients from TV and the music industry and she feels it pushes her to never let up.
“Your work is always scrutinised, which I really like as it makes you work a bit harder. You get an awful lot of feedback; you see them in magazines and on TV, which I really like.
“Like the lady on the phone, I asked her how it’s going and she said she had a dreadful day yesterday and I think ‘you do know that yesterday is only Tuesday?’ But it’s part of the job and if she didn’t eat the cake she wouldn’t need to train.”
Sarah Hitchman will be writing out monthly fitness column and if you would like to contact her or for more information please email s.hitchman@googlemail.com or call 07702 224451.