Kelly Matthews PT

For women who lead busy lives with work, motherhood, relationships and other commitments, the hardest part often isn’t the workout.

It’s putting yourself on the priority list.

It’s taking 45 minutes to yourself without feeling guilty.

It’s continuing to show up for yourself when life gets busy.

When you spend most of your time caring for others, the hardest part is taking some time for yourself without guilt.

But think how great you will feel after taking that time for yourself and how much better you can support and show up for others by showing up for yourself.

It’s not always an easy first step, which is why I’m here to help as a coach - to support you in whatever you need and to help you see the value in your own health and wellbeing 💜

I have spots available for online coaching - pop me a message for more info or to have a chat.

So many women get anxious about the free weights section and will actively avoid it. I’ve done so many gym inductions or show rounds where women say ‘this area is really scary’ ‘it makes me uncomfortable.’

So here’s a little tip for when you go into the gym…just take a walk around and do a loop of the free weight section. Get familiar with the area - who is in there and the equipment.

You’ll soon see that it’s not a scary space to be 💜

Some people think that once they pay for a coach, they will automatically get results.

I’d love it if that were true.

But the truth is that you, as the client, need to put in the work. We will give you all the tools and advice that we can to help you get to where you want to be, but you have to implement those things to see the results.

And not just implement them for a week…it needs to be done consistently over time.

You won’t see a huge weight drop in one week. The scales will fluctuate. You won’t necessarily master new habits in a matter of days.

These things take time and you need to be prepared to make the investment in yourself, and not just financially.

I’m here for you, but you need to be prepared to do the work.

Are you ready for it? DM me the word ‘ready’ and we’ll have a chat ☺️

I’m a personal trainer and Pilates instructor, but my training during pregnancy has been sporadic, at best.

A mixture of nausea, tiredness, fatigue and just general disinterest has meant that I’ve been training once every 2 weeks, if that. Despite my job, it doesn’t mean that I’m always on top form or always wanting to work out.

It’s been hard not to feel guilty and feel like I’m not doing the best for my baby by not training regularly, but sometimes you’re just in survival mode! Ive also struggled to accept that my workouts have to be modified to accommodate some of those symptoms. But you just have to meet yourself where you’re at.

If you’re expecting a baby and are training 3 times a week, then that’s amazing! But if you’re training once a month because you’re dealing with symptoms, then that’s also amazing 🤩

Workouts can be tailored to help with symptoms such as round ligament pain and pelvic girdle pain. And sometimes you have to accept that your workouts don’t look the same as they did before, and that’s okay 💜

One of the biggest lies you’ll hear in fitness is that there is one overall end goal.

The truth is that you never ‘complete’ fitness. Staying fit, healthy and strong is a lifestyle and your goals will always be changing depending on what stage you’re at in your life, whether you compete in a sport or just want to reach a different personal goal.

There are no quick fixes or speedy weight loss hacks. It takes commitment and consistency. It also helps if you can find a form of exercise that you love!

There’s been a bit of a clash recently between strength training and pilates.

It’s true that you will see some people suggest that you can build muscle and get ‘toned’ just by doing Pilates. Now Pilates has a LOT of benefits and it can help you build some muscular endurance however, to stimulate muscle growth, your body needs to be challenged. This means enough resistance, enough intensity and progressive overload.

That’s where Pilates can be limiting and it’s just not going to give you the same results as lifting weights in the gym.

My view is that people should do both - weight training to build muscle and get that ‘toned’ look, and Pilates for control, stability and core strength.

There’s absolutely room for both, you don’t have to choose 🫶

I’ve heard a few women in the last week say negative things about themselves when working out. One lady didnt even want to look in the mirror for technique purposes as she was so fixed on what her body looked like.

It makes me sad that women talk about themselves like this and I’m making it my mission to change the way women think and feel about themselves in the gym.

It’s time to reframe the way you think and talk about yourself - not just in the gym, but day to day as well.

The more positive and confident version of you is coming! 💜

This is why strength training matters.

Not just for muscle definition, but for the shift in how women see themselves.

My client noticed her shoulders and arms looking stronger recently and felt confident enough to actually admire them in the gym mirror whilst we were training. It was glorious!

More strength.
More confidence.
Less hiding.

That’s what we strive for at Coached by Matthews 🫶

We have a photo frame on the wall in our bedroom with a load of our wedding photos in and this classic makes an appearance.

This photo was taken at the end of my dad’s speech - he finished with a toast and we all took a shot of tequila rose. Ironically, as I was looking at this photo, I was stood in the bedroom shotting gaviscon to deal with my pregnancy heartburn…

Oh how times have changed in 3 years! 😆