Clare Jones Personal Training

Happy Scoliosis Awareness month! 💗

What a way to kick off the month. This weekend I attended my first ever Scoliosis fitness intensive. A huge thank you to Strength and Spine and Dr. Beth for the weekend of insights, knowledge and support, and to all of the amazing people who attended and shared the experience together.

I had never contemplated how emotional, challenging and incredible it would feel, all at the same time, to be in a room full of people who "get it". To be able to gain such hands-on support in a world full of confusing and contradictory messaging about scoliosis, as well as out-of-touch or ill-informed medical professionals with their "wait-and-see" approaches, was really special 🥹

Scoliosis can sometimes feel like such a complex condition that understanding and trusting your own body can feel so difficult. For me, I feel like this is the start of even more learning about my own Scoliosis/ spinal fusion, and I hope I can use this knowledge to help others as I progress in the fitness industry too.

To Strength and Spine and everyone who came, thank you for your patience and kindness at my emotional overwhelm at the event ❤️ I am always open to chat to anyone about the impact of scoliosis - whether you want to bitch about your spine or share your insights of what's helped you manage it physically and emotionally.

🌟Special shout-out to Jenny in the last photo - who by coincidence had the same spinal surgeon as me! 😲

BIG NEWS 📣 It's been hard to build up the courage to share an update but lots has been happening, which has been both exciting and challenging!

🏠 Move to Manchester
After 17 years in London, this summer I moved to Manchester with my partner. It's a really big change, but it's a fantastic city to settle down in and make moves into the fitness industry. Speaking of which...

🏋‍♀️ First employed fitness role!
I've started my first ever full-time employed fitness role at Life Leisure in Stockport, working as a Health & Wellbeing Coach. As part of my role, I work on a GP Exercise Referral scheme helping those with long-term conditions become and remain active, which I'm loving! Being able to use my experience of scoliosis and spinal fusion, I'm finding really helps me relate to clients with health conditions that affect their confidence in many areas of life. Hope to work with a few more scolis along the way too!

📖 GP Exercise referral course
I'm completing an Exercise Referral qualification, that will allow me to help more people with long term conditions via the scheme, which is a big motivator for me working in the fitness industry. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to upskill and help more people 🙂 Thank you

☕️ If any Manchester, Stockport or North West based scoli-warriors fancy having a meet-up in person, please drop me a message, I would love to connect ❤️

In 2011, I had spinal fusion surgery for an 'S' curvature, fused T4-L4. My scoliosis Cobb angles were getting into the servere range and increasing every year. I was scared how this would affect me in my older years, and I was so self-conscious of my scoliosis that it affected me emotionally and psychologically every day.

I decided to have surgery in my early 20s rather than wait and see, and watch it progress year after year. Despite the surgery being the biggest, most terrifying, risky decision I've ever made, it was also the best decision I've ever made. One that has really transformed my life for the better in more ways than one.

This photo taken in the first few weeks after my surgery was from the first walk I did where I felt less stiff, more balanced, was walking a little faster, and feeling more comfortable in my "new" body with my bionic spine 💪

I felt so proud of the decision and of what my body and mind had achieved.

Belive in your ability to make good decisions and knowing what's right for your and your body.

Scoliosis Support & Research

Super happy to be training clients at Define Fitness 💪 A great private PT studio - well equipped, with a friendly community, just a couple of minutes from Beckenham Junction station.

Also, right next to The Beck river, so the most peaceful studio in Beckenham 🏞 Come on down and check it out! 👋

I've been having some fabulously productive lunchtime training sessions in the Women's Community Studio at King's Sport & Wellness. What an amazing facility, especially for women & a nice touch to have inspiring athletes like on the walls!

I did both my Personal Training & Gym Instructor courses here with , so it's nice to be back training myself. Gotta make time for your own training as a PT 💪

This career change is way harder than I expected!

I suspected it would be hard, but the amount of old emotions being stirred up from my teenage years of struggling with scoliosis has been an unwelcome surprise. Feeling uncomfortable in a fitness space is a familiar feeling, which is amped up by being a Personal Trainer in a fitness space. I hadn't realised how conscious I was until it was pointed out to me (lovingly) by a friend who has become a client.

Despite the struggles, it's 100% worth doing! I believe you can turn these experiences into strengths to help & really empathise with others on their journey to fitness.

I'm very lucky to have some wonderfully supportive friends & colleagues in this process. Can't wait to get stuck in!

I'm pleased to see that ultra processed foods are making it into the mainstream media these days & being studied, better understood & their effects shared widely.

People deserve to know what's in their food & the impact it has on their health. Only then can they make an *informed* decision about what to put into their bodies.

Remember - moderation is key! You don't have to choose to never eat these foods again. It's very hard to avoid them in today's society, but at least you can have more awareness & make different choices if you wish.

Thank you Rob Hobson Nutritionist & also one to of the OGs in ultra processed food education Chris Van Tulleken for getting this into the mainstream media!

I had my spinal fusion surgery to correct Scoliosis in 2011, fused T4-L4. Going through such a huge physical change came with plenty of mental and emotional ones too, not to mention the backlog of somewhat unresolved body image issues from before the surgery.

Having recently retrained as a Personal Trainer, into a physical profession and an industry focussed on image, some of those old emotions crop back up to haunt me from time to time.

Although it's a challenge, it's certainly one that feels worthy of pursuing. It only makes me more sure that the ability to relate to others with body confidence issues can be my superpower - assisting me in helping others to overcome their barriers to feeling confident in fitness environments and their bodies!

Very excited to get started & see who I can help in this new profession 💪