During half term, Jude and I were invited to David Lloyd leisure club in Hatfield. Since Jude started school last September, I really miss our days out together. We used to have a lot more time to just hang out at home, meet friends for play dates, walks through the forest and road trips together. Now we are limited to weekends and school holidays so I was really looking forward to spending the whole day with my little chap.

As we arrived at David Lloyd, Jude ran ahead of me wearing a backpack that was almost bigger than him and a tennis racket under his arm. (You’d never guess that his Dad is a PE teacher and Mum is a personal trainer!) I had no idea that the Hatfield David Lloyd club was so big! They have everything that you could want from a gym and spa. There are indoor and outdoor pools, tennis and squash courts, fitness studios, a crèche, soft play, restaurant, spa, sports shop… there’s even a hotel!

First on the schedule was a tour of the club. Jude went into the crèche and I was confident that he would be well looked after. Previously, I’ve been quite cautious about leaving Jude at clubs/crèches etc. That said, the staff were so attentive and lovely, I had no doubt that Jude would be absolutely fine.

We met one of the clubs personal trainers in the gym, he gave us a quick tour of the layout and equipment as well as showing us how to use the Boditrax machine. Boditrax is a body composition measuring tool … basically it’s like a scale that scans your body to give you information about your health. The results include body fat percentage, heart rate, BMI etc. As a member of the club, using this machine would be a great way to personalise your training and to track improvements. Many of my clients like to have some kind of proof that all of their training is paying off. They want to see results! Simply weighing yourself is not a very accurate way to measure your progress. Personally, I find it quite fascinating to know a bit more about what’s going on inside my body.

Next up … the classes. Jude went to a tennis lesson whilst I rolled out my yoga mat. The yoga class was suitable for all abilities and the teacher was very knowledgeable and experienced. I left the studio feeing relaxed and re-energised. I was reunited with Jude in the cafe and we ate lunch before changing into our swimming kit.

Okay, so this was the most important part for both of us. I have always been a terrible swimmer, I don’t have any positive memories of swimming as a child and as I got older, I just avoided going swimming as much as possible. At the begging of this year I set myself a goal of completing a Triathlon, very ambitious I know! As a parent we always encourage our kids to try new thing, to be brave and to just ‘give it a go’. So, as I attempt to practice what I preach, I’ll be pushing myself out of my comfort zone and diving in, literally! As for Jude, he had very sever eczema as a tot so we were advised to avoid swimming. He’s been swimming a few times, usually when we are on holiday in a hotel or at the beach, but he has never had an official swimming lesson before. Fortunately, Jude’s skin is much better now and I think it’s really important for him to learn to swim.

Whilst at the club, Jude had a 30 minute swimming lesson with an instructor called David. At first Jude was so nervous, I sat by the edge of the pool and I did my best to encourage him with a huge smile on my face. (Inside I was feeling mega nervous too) David was so brilliant with Jude and the other two children at the session too. The other children were both able to swim and were very happy and confident in the water. I think this helped Jude a lot, as he could see how much fun they were having. Within 10 minutes I could see Jude smiling and splashing around, he was keen to hold on to David as much as possible but at least he stayed in the water for the whole lesson. I felt so proud of him! We are both signing up for lessons this summer at the club so I will be sharing our journey here on the blog.

As a family we are looking forward to exploring everything that the club has to offer. Jude’s got a brand new pair of swimming goggles, Rob is keen to get out on the tennis court and I can’t wait to spend an afternoon in the spa! We’ll be heading back very soon!