Bath Lives - Natasha Lewis

A former Sports Performance student and member of the elite GB bobsleigh Team, Natasha Lewis has since turned her attention away from her studies and sporting endeavours to a career in personal training. Alongside Dave Bowler, Natasha has set up Get Fit in Bath - a programme which aims to help people reach their personal fitness goals and promote a healthier, happier lifestyle to local residents. We sat down and quizzed Natasha about her new business venture:

Where is home and why?

I've lived in Bath my whole life (21 years) and absolutely love it - I used to be a full time athlete and all of my coaches and friends lived in Bath, so it made sense to stay put. I wanted to venture outside of the city when I went to University, but I was offered a place to study a degree in Sports Performance at the University of Bath so continued my then career in Bobsleigh alongside the course. When I finished university, myself and Dave started up GFIB and obviously... It's based in Bath! It's a great place!

What inspired you to set up your business in Bath?

I actually started personal training only last year (2013), whereas Dave has been doing it for a few more years than me, I had seen his work and saw how passionate he was about helping his clients achieve their fitness goals and I instantly fell in love with the idea about becoming a personal trainer. After deciding to step away from my bobsleigh career and knowing that the end of my degree was quickly approaching, I decided to go for it and pursue a career in personal training. David had always wanted to set up his own business in Bath and once he realised I shared the same dream we decided to go about it together and get Bath fit!

What are your professional goals?

My main goal right now is to establish GFIB a reputable business. We've set a lot of goals for ourselves to achieve, especially for the New Year, but we're keeping those close to our chest for the time being. In terms of long- term goals, we want our business to branch out into across towns and cities.

Did anyone try to discourage you from setting up your own business?

No, not really, my dad has his own business and often warned me before starting that it wasn't easy, especially in the first year. Myself and Dave both knew we had a lot to do, and in someways a lot to prove- there are hundreds of personal trainers in Bath, working in gyms and those who also have their own businesses and we knew we had our work cut out. 

What advice would you give to anyone looking to do the same?

I would tell them to have a plan - you have to know exactly what you want, you have to take help when it's given, and really put yourself out there to make yourselves known, I'd say that's the hardest part. Thinking outside the box and going that extra mile with everyone is a great tip I would give to anyone wanting to set up their own business- fitness related or not. 

What do you think attracts business to Bath?

Bath is a beautiful city, there are hundreds of families and businesses based in and around Bath, and for a personal training business who is based outdoors, business can sometimes be tricky, but the locations which we use for our sessions in and the surrounding areas are just amazing and I really think that attracts the people of Bath to come and train outside in a natural environment.

If you could do it all again, would you do anything differently?

Not at all, the past year has been a complete learning curve for me, I learn every day about my job, I've been faced with so many different situations and challenges and also so many different personalities. It's been hard, and I've made mistakes- I think everyone has, especially when it's a new business, but I've learned so much from those mistakes. You can never learn enough. Knowledge really is power and I encourage everyone to try and learn something about what they do every day.

How do you spend your time off?

On my very little time off I like to train...as sad as that may sound, it's in my blood, anyone that knows me knows how much I love to look after my body and to push myself to the absolute limit. My clients always laugh at me when I tell them how much I train - I'm sure think I'm slightly mad, but I love it! 

Your phone book must be full of business contacts, but who is the most famous person in there?

I don't really know of anyone particularly famous, I've trained with many Olympians before starting personal training and I have a couple of Bobsleigh athletes who are pretty high up on my phone, but to say I actually train anyone famous would be a lie I'm afraid.

What has been your biggest achievement to date?

My biggest achievement has to be getting selected into the Great Britain Bobsleigh Team and getting to travel all over the world to train. I was also selected to go to the Michael Johnson's Performance Centre in Texas to train with him for 10 days, which was one of the most amazing experiences of my life so far.