Giant Team Effort Helps Pure Wellness to National Award
Not every church can simultaneously provide a thriving spiritual environment and a top-class fitness area, yet Green Pastures Ballymena is such a place.
The flourishing evangelical church has also been voted gym team of the year at the 2022 September Health and Fitness Awards in Belfast. Indeed, the Pure Wellness gym at Green Pastures is going from strength to strength, thanks to the fantastic Team managed by manager Estelle Wallace.
Starting in her spare room, today Estelle is a fully qualified instructor with over 20 years of experience in the industry. Estelle says she's "utterly privileged" to manage what she describes as "the most wonderful gym and team."
On why Pure Wellness should win in this category. Estelle commented: "Of course, it was a special award, not just for me but for the entire group. They all worked hard and deserved this recognition. I believe we have a different vision than many gyms. Yes, we offer fitness, and we are extremely good at what we do and get amazing results via training and classes, but my Team has an edge that works on the inside first and then manifests on the outside of the person as they see themselves through the lens of truth. I would describe them as "care and love on legs."
Estelle added, "My Team comprises many walks of life with one thing in common. Loving people. They are themselves overcomers, from drug addiction, anorexia, and exercise addiction. We have walked the walk and worked to help others escape the hole we once experienced. I have a team of four paid staff and ten fabulous volunteers who give time every week to love and care for our members."
All the personal trainers at Pure Wellness are fully qualified to a high degree and are continually eager to bring the best into Pure Wellness. The gym offers life coaching, emotional eating therapy, and bespoke nutrition plans, and coaches are also highly qualified in these areas. Interestingly, Pure Wellness focuses on fitness, health, and general well-being, and Estelle believes this makes it stand out.
She explained: "Our motto is we are a gym not for the beautiful but for the broken. So many great gyms focus on muscles and six packs, but our heart is to bring fitness and wellness to those with low self-confidence and perhaps feel left out by society. Yes, we have many confident-fit people on our member list, but many cringe when a camera comes out for a social media post as they feel unworthy. As a team, we know who likes what and what makes others uncomfortable. That's so important these days. The Team treats everyone equally and meets them exactly where they are. Our members consistently thank us for their care and friendly banter and communication."
Over 400 gym owners, personal trainers and fitness professionals gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in South Belfast, which saw businesses and individuals awarded through various categories, including Health & Fitness Service of the Year, Breakthrough Personal Trainer, Gym Team of the Year and Community Engagement of the Year. And while delighted to win this year's award for gym team of the year, Estelle says she's also blessed to have a squad that works with unity and compassion to overcome genuine challenges and cites legitimate examples.
"As I mentioned briefly above, my Team comprises people who have experienced personal breakthroughs. Ryan is one of our top boxing coaches from a drug addiction background. He suffered greatly from an accident at work and tried to take his own life. We are so thankful that through his cry for help, he found his love for boxing again. He is using what was once his crutch to help others in the same place of hopelessness. He's an overcomer and helps many people improve their fitness and mental health. He's a treasure! We also have Heather, my staff member; Heather came into my life nine years ago weighing five stone. Suffering severe anorexia since the age of 9, Heather had been in Holywell throughout her teenage years, and she missed out on so much life. She made progress with hard work and lots of patience, food and tears. I saw the gold in her and knew she had it in her to be a fantastic trainer. Fast forward nine years, and she's now my senior trainer and level 5 nutritional coach. She uses her past to help other people fight this terrible condition. What a story!"
Estelle says she works with people who suffer like her, as she admits to being steeped in an exercise addiction.
She clarifies: "It ruled my life; it ruined my life. Again, I'm an overcomer, and I use my dark times to bring light into those in the tunnel. I'm also a fully qualified life coach and counsellor who deals with eating disorders, body dysmenorrhea, emotional eating, and self-hate. It's a joy to help.
My other team member is Rachelle, who came to Pure wellness as a member struggling greatly with depression and grief from losing her mummy to cancer. Again, as the years passed, I saw her gold and gently pushed her to qualify as a PT. She hasn't looked back; she's so busy and much-loved PT. Our other team member is Joe. Joe has had cerebral palsy from birth. Joe is our amazing receptionist who knows everyone by their name. He's our ray of sunshine, and everyone loves him. We are a mixed bag, but we work so well together. We strive for unity, and it shows. We never compete; we complete. Finally, my Team suffered a loss six months ago as we lost our wee team member Pearl to cancer. We prayed we carried her, but sadly her time on earth was over, and she was called home. We grieved together, but it's made us even stronger. We are everyday people who have survived dark days to bring light into future days for those who cross our path in Pure Wellness. I feel very blessed to do life with my Team. I guess we have all survived things that had the potential to destroy us."
The 2022 Health and Fitness Awards were supported by media partner Q Radio and event partners CleanCo, Quorn Foods, Linwoods, Fibrus, Crowne Plaza, Belfast, Meaghers Pharmacy, Symprove, Design NI, Polished London, Gym Plus Coffee and event organisers and founders, Weir Events. On the recent award, Estelle concluded: "Team wins to me are that we can look back at the end of each day and know we did the best we could for each member we meet. Often, it's not about wins but survival."
If you want further information about the gym classes, contact Estelle Wallace at Pure Wellness Gym at 028 25422541 or find them on Facebook.
