A Dulwich based personal trainer who works at Everyone Active’s Dulwich Leisure Centre, has turned her life around after a challenging start where she was made homeless at just 16 years old.
After a tough few years, Kerry Ann Haywood was determined to stay positive and change her life. After working in sales for a short while, Kerry Ann soon discovered a new passion for fitness so entered the industry in 2011, initially working on the floor as a fitness instructor at Dulwich Leisure Centre. She soon qualified as a PT and started her business in 2014.
Two years ago, Kerry Ann took to her first body building competition – a sport she never thought about taking part in previously. Successfully placing in both her categories and coming away with four trophies in a further competition at the end of the year, Kerry Ann was determined to up her game and continue pushing herself.
However, in early 2020, Covid came along posing yet another challenge and threw her business and competing plans into turmoil. With Dulwich Leisure Centre being temporarily closed due to restrictions, Kerry Ann got creative and devised a ‘doorstep weight drop off’ so she could continue to train clients online.
She commented: “I have faced a lot of challenges in life, but I think it’s really important to stay strong. I love training, I’ve got a deep passion for body building and I find it’s a great way to channel my creativity.
“But the second lockdown really hit me hard mentally. I’m only human, and we all get down days, but I knew I had to find a way to keep my business going. By offering a safe way to drop off and collect weights, I was able to keep my business afloat.
“When May came around I knew I had to get back on track and find something to focus on again, which is why I decided to start training again for my next competition. Not only was it great for me physically, but mentally too.”
Kerry Ann will be entering the Naturals Regional Qualifier this September in The Pro Tan Naturals Cup, which she hopes will take her all the way to Arnold Sports Festival the following month.
She hopes to continue inspiring others with a similar story to keep going and achieve anything they can set their mind to.
