Welcome back!! And I look forward to you, meeting some awesome people through this blog, by the end of this I hope that you want to go out and surround yourself with people like these guys because as they say your vibe attracts your tribe :) happy reading folks

Well now where do I start with these incredible humans, community driven family that are like many in the Devonport community that are slowly dwindling down you know the guys that do their best to help the community the best they can. Let’s start with Gaye she is like a Mother to me now and someone who I thought would never even come along to our Group Fitness Sessions let alone be at for this long :) she is one amazing human 25 years this year teaching the future generations, boisterous, can sing a solid tune and loves belting out the classics as they hit the speaker during a session. When Gaye first started coming along it was her and Fiona (blog coming for Fiona) and Kelly, it was really the one and only T-Rex that got Gaye and Fiona to start coming along to get a little fitter, a little healthier and stronger :)

I remember when I met Gaye, I instantly was drawn to her, she is funny, outrageous, will tell you how it is, no holds barred kinda lady and if only she knew the foundation on what the group would become and is today, with the mantra of everything in good time and nothing beyond your current physical limitations and basis of “Win Your Race At Your Pace” you see Gaye wasn’t as mobile as she is now, she probably never thought she would be in all honesty but I believed in her then and I still believe in her now, I remember when she said you’ll never get me to run I ain’t made for that :P but as time went on her warm up walk became a warm up shuffle and a few times a warm up jog, I will never forget when she jogged half-way round the soccer oval we used in the first 2 years, she was adamant that it was always a shuffle but we all knew she jogged a little ha-ha and I was so pumped and proud of her. It wasn’t long until she asked if Declan her youngest would be allowed to come and participate as he was starting to understand that he himself needed to make some lifestyle changes and well we did a blog on him in two parts :) feel free to go meet him and read a little on his journey, he is one awesome kid! So for sometime it was Gaye and Deccy + Fiona. Along her journey Gaye has faced some setbacks none as big as her achievements but some and even though its frustrating and sometimes annoying but she also knows the process with some setbacks but forget the negatives for a minute, let's talk about a huge positive that was achieved, early this year the scouts had a huge walk/hike they had to go on and Gaye was there and she did an AMAZING job she completed to the bottom of the lookout and back at Wineglass Bay which is no easy feat lets just say, so to say I was proud is an understatement, we were all very proud of her and the huge effort she displayed in achieving that much. Mrs Kelly has come a very long way both physically and mentally with her fitness journey believe me, it’s not easy and I think she was a bigger influence on Deccy and the rest of her crew than she probably realises and with that we lead into the 3rd addition of the Gang, competitive by nature, full guns blazing individual Latham the eldest of the two sons was soon becoming a here and there participant at the time he was involved with another local gym and exercise business which was good for me because it gave me a clear vision on how to approach him and what he wanted from the sessions and well when he said I was better (Unknown at this stage) than the comp I was pretty chuffed ha-ha to say the least because to be honest I didn’t know where I rated and really don’t care for it generally.

**This Is Declan, His Journey Will Inspire You…**

Latham started coming more frequently it was now Gaye, Fiona, Declan and much to Declans amusement Latham :) where do I start with Latham, well declan if you read this just remember you have your own 2 part blog and he doesn't ha-ha again you win :P read declans personal journey here https://www.turtleshellfitness.com/academy/2019/8/27/if-a-12-year-old-can-work-it-out-why-cant-you- and here is part 2 :P https://www.turtleshellfitness.com/academy/part-2-kids-can-be-stubborn

I first met this young man in a combined 1-on-1 session with Kelly, you see Latham is competitive and I love that about him, it drives me to ensure anything I do for a group session will bring the best of him out and push him to his limit, so in personal training environment I got to really see this side of Latham, he did bring up the competition where he was at the time a member and learned very quickly that I would do things differently, safer, more practical and way more functional and still find himself having trouble moving the next day ha-ha Latham but he knows I know that if I have a new routine or any tweaks to the group sessions I am cool to run him through it first as a test subject because to be honest the second thing that bounces from Latham is he wont give up easy for a guy that never really that I know of did any sports as a kid has this mentality that competitive sports people have and they will just go until they absolutely have ZERO left so I value that heaps because he can allow me to set him as the benchmark and then adjust my workout ideas accordingly to each individual within the group which is rare and hard to find because if you have done group fitness before you know it’s hard to find the balance for each level of fitness and for each person's capabilities but with a few clients especially Latham you can kind of find the limit and then work back to cater to each person’s needs. It wasn’t long until it started to become a total family affair as one night Greg rocked up, I actually had no idea he was there to train I just thought Gaye had been busy with School related stuff you know marking papers or an end of term report fest as teachers do and that Greg was just bringing the boys but NOPE he joined in and fit right in as though he’d been coming for ages…

Greg, let's discuss Greg, I hadn’t met the bloke and to be honest I felt like I knew him and knew well like a good mate, I heard about him from Gaye and Kelly but never had really met him until they came back from the cruise and I bumped into him and was finally formally introduced to him and from then on I just liked him, I have an immense amount of respect for the man, for what he believes in and what he stands for as I stated earlier this Family is just one of those ones you look at and admire and hope that you can just be as good as them in the community. I never thought Greg would ever join us but he did, I didn’t think he would ever enjoy it but he does, I remember one night he came back from an extended away due to work hrs and Volunteer Commitments and he said to me, “you know what, I have actually missed this, it’s good to be back” man it doesn’t matter how many times I hear that from however many different clients everytime I hear that it’s like hearing it for the first time, it feels incredible to know that people enjoy what I provide and get what they want from it at the same time. Greg's fitness has come leaps and bounds like his form and technique of the basic exercises has really come so far from when he started, I remember when he started I forgot he was knew and I didn't spend much time with him as I said it felt like he’d been with us from the beginning so I had to peg it back a little and spend the time I needed to for him and to help him correct technique and form. You see most groups that happens to almost every client for short and longer periods but we strive to make sure each individual gets the attention and help they deserve to better help them improve overall and enjoy it most importantly, after all if its painful and ineffective you more than likely will quit and we do not want that we want everyone to succeed in their own time and within their own pace and limitations. He still has a slip up with those squats but man he knows when I am about to say something and he makes the effort to correct, the thing I love about Greg and his approach almost 100% of the time he will give his absolute best effort especially when he is their with both boys and you can see he tries to lead by example not only for Declan and Latham but for everyone that is there, he never whines about the workout I set out, yeah he gets cheeky af but that’s part of him and without that it wouldn’t be the same, but he gets in and gets it done.

So wrapping this amazing and awesome blog that is about one truly amazing family that I consider part of my own family, these guys define what TSF is about and why we exist, we exist for people like Gaye, Greg, Latham and Declan people that want to be included, people that want to make the effort and not ridiculed or put down no matter how fit or unfit they are. For people who just want to get a little Fitter, Stronger, Healthier and have a damn good time doing it. Each one of these Kelly Gang Members has taught me something valuable about myself as a Father, Brother, as a Son and most definitely as a Fitness Professional and Business Owner, you see I am one to find and take value out of anything and everything and I take immense value from the Kelly Gang and only if they knew how much I respect them and love having them around, and yes even you Declan cause I know you are reading this :P

To whoever is out there reading these I hope you enjoy these blogs/stories/insights about myself, the people I get to be around for the majority of my week and the adversities they may face each session, each day, each week, each month but with every road block these guys still manage to blow me away.

Final note: If you are someone that is from this industry and has clients please care for them, appreciate them, encourage them, involve them, include them, because everyone deserves the right to be Healthy, Fit, & Strong and I mean everyone !!

Thanks ! and see you soon :)

Meet The Kelly Gang! Man These Guys Are Awesome !!

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