265 / 298
bite
real
life
every sort of cardio fitness fad and not
experienced the desired results. Since they
have started weight training, each woman
has noticed a big difference within a matter
of weeks. They are all full of energy and
feeling stronger. It is definitely something
more women should look at.”
Indeed, weight training does possess
benefits beyond mere muscle definition.
Gaining vast amounts of media coverage,
weight lifting has proven to have significant
health advantages as the increase in body
mass increases the pace of the body’s
metabolism which continues to burn
calories long after a workout has ended.
This is one of the particular perks of
weight lifting that Katie enjoys, “If you do
cardio training at the gym you stop burning
calories as soon as your session ends
but, after weight training, you can still be
burning for up to 10 hours. It is a fantastic
feeling to know that I can still burn fat in
my sleep!”
As an owner of an informative Facebook
page, Katie is often questioned by women
seeking advice on how best to start a new
fitness regime.When asked about the role
of technology and fitness, Katie’s speech
quickens as her voice rises excitedly,
“Through social media there are so many
ways to get free advice. So many different
people input into my page with progress
pictures and articles. Many people just go
to the gym and feel lost, whereas, through
pages like mine people can learn about
different types of fitness and can find a
type of training that suits them.”
With a driven nature and a boundless
passion, Katie is eager to educate more
women on the benefits of weight training,
“A lot of people think you need to go to
a gym and run on a treadmill for hours
but there are so many different ways of
training and the internet has been a good
way of opening people’s eyes to that. You
do not have to go and do four hours of
cardio a day, you can go and do an hour’s
worth of training that can be just as or
even more effective.” Posting on her
page several times daily, Katie acts almost
like an online personal trainer for young
women interested in taking up the sport.
Katie comments, “On my page there are
women who said they would never have
seen motivational pictures like those I
post because they would not go out and
buy fitness magazines.
They are able to see
different body images
that they would not
have thought they
could achieve. There
are women who have
been nervous or
scared and have come
forward and emailed
me with questions
because they did not
have any way to do that before.”
As an inspiration to others, Katie finds
gratification in helping others and seeing
the positive results in friends she has made
through weight training, “I have made a
lot of friends which is something I never
thought would happen through a Facebook
page and lots of these girls are coming to
my classes. There is so much knowledge
out there and so many knowledgeable
people you can learn from as well on the
pages.”
Progressing forward with her own
personal fitness, Katie visited the celebrity
hailed haven of the boot camp when
working in Los Angeles in October.
Confirming the celeb seal of approval,
Katie swears by boot camps as the way
forward,“It was absolutely amazing! I think
if we had better weather here, it would
definitely be something I would do more
often. It was just fantastic and everyone
was so supportive. They have alternative
types of training like functional training
where you use sandbags and tyre flips. It is
really hard work and it is the type of thing
you would expect men to do, which makes
you feel really strong and powerful when
doing it.”
Having gained credibility from fitness
fanatics online and in both Glasgow and
LA, Katie Reekie devotes much of her
personal life to focusing on her health and
that of others, something she has found
deeply self-fulfilling. “More than anything
my confidence has grown.Two years ago I
did not think I would ever have been able
to stand up in front of a class of people.
I have noticed all these positive changes
in myself and those who inspire me. It
has really helped me grow as a person.”
In balancing both her successful jewellery
business and her fitness commitments,
Katie strongly believes that time can
always be made for exercise, “People who
say they do not have time don’t want it
bad enough. You can always find at least
one hour in your day. People think that the
day starts at nine o’clock in the morning
but there are people who come in to train
at six or seven o’clock before work or
people who train up to nine or ten o’clock
at night just because feeling healthy is so
important to them. Today there was a
couple in the gym who have a newly born
baby and they took it in turns to watch
the baby whilst the other exercised. It was
amazing to see that.”
www.facebook.com/riptinkafitnessdivas