Hello, I'm Rachel

and this is my little pooch called Fletch.  You can often find us outdoors enjoying walks on the Malvern Hills.  

My story didn’t start in the health and fitness world and some of it may even surprise you.  So thank you for stopping by and spending time here on my website.  

Growing up, most weekends, my Mum, Dad, my brother and I would visit Dartmoor.  My Dad was an outdoor instructor, and Dartmoor was a place where I felt most alive. We spent our weekends letterboxing (hidden rubber stamps) tucked away under rocks, trees and in walls.  A bit like geo-caching, as we know it now.  

We would collect them, log them, e]arning badges when we hit 100, 200, and beyond. It sounds simple, but it was magic. It was adventure. It was freedom.

Those weekends on Dartmoor were my happiest memories.  A welcome escape from school, which, honestly, I found really hard. I wasn’t academic. I wasn’t sporty. PE was something I actively avoided.  I was so unfit and so uncomfortable in my body that exercise felt like something that happened to other people. The kind of confident, athletic girls who seemed to belong in those spaces. Not me.

So I understand, from the inside, what it feels like to believe that movement isn’t for you.

What changed everything for me was when I started cycling.  It gave me more freedom, I loved whizzing down hills and I actually felt capable of doing something that bought me so much joy.  Sadly, I did end up chasing PBs, performance and the numbers on the scales seemed to dictate my happiness but there was still something missing.  

I moved to Worcestershire in my early 30s and I didn’t like the unfriendly welcome I’d experienced from male dominated cycling clubs.  Plus I didn’t want to always go on a bike ride and feel like I had to keep up at 15mph!  How many things do wel miss cycling this fast?  

So I started a women’s social cycling group.   Now an award winning cycling club, called Women on Wheels.  And honestly, something clicked. Not just physically, though that came too, but something much deeper.  I found a sense of belonging. I found purpose. I found the same feeling I’d had as a little girl on Dartmoor, stamp book in hand, taking on something bigger than myself and realising I was more capable than I’d ever believed.

That sense of confidence, connection and belonging is at the heart of RJ Fitness and Coaching. Because I know firsthand that the right space, the right people, the right landscape and the right encouragement can completely change how we, as women, feel and see ourselves.  

Every walk on the Malvern Hills, every cycling session, every trail run, it’s all tackled together with a group of amazing women right behind you too.  

You don’t need to have been sporty. You don’t need a history with exercise. You just need to show up. The rest, we can figure out together.  It’ll usually involve somewhere beautiful,  always with tea and cake waiting at the end.

I don’t like to take being active and feeling strong too seriously.  In fact the more play there is in there then it’s much more enjoyable and doesn’t feel like exercise.  

So if you want to feel more confident, capable and connected with other likeminded women using the outdoors, then you’re in the right place.    

I look forward to meeting you soon, Rachel x