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Sam Taylor - trying 100 sports and fitness classes in a year



At 35, Sam Taylor struggled to leave the sofa in the evenings and prioritised a wine over a walk. Working full time and running around after three children, she was facing a sedentary future. And then she decided to try something different.

One hundred different things in a year, in fact.

As a self-confessed gymphobe, with a fear of heights and a questionable pelvic floor, she experienced challenges within challenges as she set about trying 100 different sports and fitness classes in a year. Her quest took her over 10,000 miles, as she tried everything from American Football to Archery and Boxing to Underwater hockey. She faced Olympic hopefuls, World Champions, European Champions and participated with people from 8 to 80, in all shapes and sizes.

During this podcast we learn more about her story, the challenges she faced, what she leant about sport, herself and others.

This episode will encourage you to get out there and to try new things!

 

Listen Now


 

Show notes

  • Who Sam is

  • How the idea came about

  • Being into hockey and what community sports can do for you

  • Coming from a sporty background

  • Growing the junior section of her hockey club

  • Why sports are so good for you

  • Her family

  • How she got back into sports after having children

  • Getting the t-shirt and not thinking about the practicalities

  • Coming up to her 36th birthday

  • Telling people, putting it out on twitter and making yourself accountable to other people

  • Being determined and not giving herself time to think

  • Compiling the list of sporting activities

  • Doing the things she was scared of

  • Writing a blog about her experiences

  • Her first challenge

  • Which challenges pushed her outside of her comfort zone

  • The challenge she had the most difficulty with

  • Why heights were an issue

  • Getting injured playing croquet

  • The challenges that were the most fun!

  • Trampolining as a mother of three…. an extreme sport!!

  • Life savings with the little nippers

  • Challenge 66 and why she didn’t care what people thought anymore

  • Hating the gym and feeling terrified

  • Being intimidated by the instructors and how she became friends with many of them

  • How what she has leaned has impacted on her life

  • The dark side of the challenge

  • Getting to the end of the challenge

  • Getting her back fixed

  • Feeling emotional at the last channel - wake boarding

  • Taking up squash and playing golf

  • Her book - Sofa Dodger

  • The work she is doing in primary schools to help children

  • HerMoJo

  • Advice for women who want to get back to health and fitness

 

Social Media

Twitter - @SofaDodgerUK

HerMojo is a joint initiative between two of the leading UK activity finders ( SofaDodger and ACTIVEMapX ). Our focus is identifying #FemaleFriendly locations where women can get ACTIVE together. HerMojo is the largest UK activity finder and the only one in the world focusing on getting more women, more ACTIVE.

 

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