Vicki Leaver has been a regular user of LAL since she took part pay as you go Zumba classes back in 2011 – that’s a decade of classes, gym sessions, swimming with the kids and soft play at Bell’s Sports Centre!Vicki Leaver has been a regular user of LAL since she took part pay as you go Zumba classes back in 2011 – that’s a decade of classes, gym sessions, swimming with the kids and soft play at Bell’s Sports Centre!

“I was paying per class for Zumba and had decided to brave a gym induction - I really loved it and that was the start of my fitness journey with LAL.”

Over lockdown Vicki tuned in to our At Home Hub, following virtual workouts and family fun as well as the more inventive challenges.  At the time, we caught up with her and the kids to chat about exercise from home, with a promise to follow up come ‘normality’ kicking in!

Finally…. Here we are!

When did you return to the gym?

On 26th April! The first day the gyms reopened, I booked the earliest 2 slots and threw myself back into it. Not going to lie, I was definitely overzealous with my workouts and was creaky the next few days.

I should have been more sensible and slowly eased myself back in. However, after a couple of days of creaking, I was back to normal and have been back daily, with the exception of a few days off after receiving my first covid vaccine. 

What have you been doing?

I use the weights and resistance rooms at Live Active Rodney and will be going to the strength gym at Bells now that my weights lifting ability is back up to pre-lockdown levels.

Dylan, my eldest, is 19 now and he has been like my own PT! He’s made a series of workouts up for me so I follow those daily alongside my own routine.I focus mainly on weights as opposed to cardio as I walk around 15000 steps each day on the school runs.

On a personal level, I'm 42 and in that delightful perimenopausal place in my life. As a result of starting HRT I'm more conscious of being susceptible to osteoporosis due to a change in my oestrogen levels. Strength training is especially vital to help to build bone and muscle strength, burn body fat, and boost my metabolism.

How are you finding the 'rules'? 

The whole set up of the gyms have been perfect.  As a member, I can prebook my sessions 14 days in advance. There are set numbers per session, and I actually like seeing how many people have booked in. It settles any concerns about it being "too busy".

I go to Rodney most regularly and from the second you arrive it feels safe. There are hand sanitising stations from the front door and all the way throughout the gym. There are clear arrows and markings on how to navigate your way around the building. 

Each room has a number of cleaning stations and also has a maximum number of people permitted although this doesn’t feel restrictive. It actually helps with keeping socially distant from people, which if you're like me is always welcomed during a workout! I like to get in, get my sweat on and leave!

The staff at Rodney are constantly scooting around cleaning and everyone I've seen at the gym also cleans the machines thoroughly after use too.

The whole place is permanently sparkling!

As rules go, they really don't impact your workout at all. If anything with the windows and doors open for ventilation reasons, it's actually a welcomed breeze of air!

What did you miss most in lockdown? 

It goes without saying that I missed the gym.  Not only for working out but for my own mental health. Gym time is the ONLY time I get to myself away from my daughters.

Working out at home isn't quite the same. My youngest, Jasmine, liked to join in with my workouts and would appear underneath me when I was doing a plank or she’d try to sit on my tummy mid sit up. So it added a whole new dimension to those workouts!

With lockdown, especially during the winter months, we were all stuck indoors and it was tough going. I know my daughters have also missed their classes and activities at Bell's and as a family we are all looking forward to returning to the leisure pool for our family swims when it opens in September.

You were kind enough to let us into your garden last July post Summer lockdown for an interview and photo. How did winter lockdown go for you?
We did more of the same this lockdown. We went for walks, runs - although I've discovered I'm definitely a fair weather runner. After running in the icy, snowy weather this time around, I can say with certainty I definitely prefer running in the sunshine! 

We also used a few different activities from the family hub.  It's been really handy to dip into especially on rainy days. There was colouring in activities and even baking Ideas, so it wasn't all working out.
 
We used the National Trust activities too for taking with us on our adventure walks. I've been making up scavenger hunts to help pass the time on our wanders. 

Anything else at all you want to say?

Just glad to be back in what I class as my second home!

Join Us!

You can join Vicki and our other regulars, in various gyms, classes and pools across Perth and Kinross.  

-  book classes and gym slots via your pin.  
- How to book online in advance of the class. Check out our handy video