MEMBER OF THE MONTH : Debra Arnold

How long have you been a member of Avenue Tennis?
I joined as a racquets only member when the club first opened. I enjoyed playing tennis very much but quickly realised I was nowhere near fit enough to play the sort of matches I wanted to, so within six months of first joining, I upgraded to the Platinum membership.

Tell us about your experience with your Personal Trainer (Jess Huggins) and your wellness journey...
Initially, I aimed to increase muscle mass as well as improve strength and speed for tennis. Still, the information from the wellness review and the Tanita measurements revealed that I also needed to do something about reducing body fat. Jess designed two programmes that focused on all these aims, and although progress was slow to start with, I have begun to see significant changes in both body composition and the quality of the tennis I play. Jess is very knowledgeable, and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with her, developing my knowledge of why and how to exercise correctly to achieve results, she is very positive in her approach and explains things in a way that makes sense.

What is your next step?
While I have made good progress, there is still a long way to go. I have developed a real enthusiasm for working in the gym and the many physical, mental and social benefits that this brings. I intend to continue to work hard and will achieve the level of fitness I aspire to.

Jess Huggins: 
I started looking after Debra on her Wellness Journey in March 2019, where, from the results and discussion had at a Wellness Review, concluded she’d like to increase her upper body and core strength as well as drop her body fat % and ideally drop some weight. Debra has smashed these goals and more – she has lost an average of 3 – 6cm in her measurements as well as decreased body fat% by 2.2% while improving her muscle mass and water intake. 

I consistently saw Deb training hard in the gym, and her results show her commitment to training as well as sticking to the nutrition advice I suggested (nothing to fancy, just a simple calorie deficit). Since our last review, I have prescribed Deb some more challenging exercises to keep the intensity of her workouts just right to maintain her all-important health and fitness goals. I look forward to continuing this wellness journey with Debra. KEEP IT UP, DEB!