Laura  

I realized that I needed to love myself and I want everyone else to see their own beauty, as well, actually. We are all different and I don't actually meet, in my work environment, I've met, I mean, I can probably count on one hand, how many people I've actually worked with with scoliosis, we just don't see them, Will. They just don't come to the gym.

Will:  

Hey, and welcome to the show. Today, we are talking about the back, the spine. It's something that I think about a lot. And not always because I want to. If you're listening to the show, then you probably know that I've been dealing with some back issues that have started to arise in the last few years, and how I've gone from hiding away from them to really wanting to show them off, because I realized that if I'm working through these things as a fitness professional, then a lot of the people in my classes will be to my guest today is Laura Ellis. She is a fitness instructor. She's a SH1FT Instructor. And her and I were talking on a shoot recently, and I found her story so inspirational that I wanted her to come on the podcast and share it with all of you. As you're gonna hear, Laura was diagnosed with scoliosis at 11 years of age. And this is something that she's been dealing with ever since. That hasn't stopped her from pursuing her dreams of working in the fitness industry and meaningfully changing the lives of people in front of her. But the thing I really love about Laura's story is the transformation that she herself has gone through just since the pandemic in the last year. You often hear that if you can't see it, you can't be it. And I think we all know that that applies to body shape, and age and culture and ethnicity. But it also relates to things around ability. As you're going to hear, Laura has gone from hiding her scoliosis to proudly showing what her body can do and acting as an inspiration for others. In my view, the most important thing we can do as fitness instructors is to inspire other people into movement. And sometimes one of the most inspiring things we can do is to show other people what they might think is a limitation and how we do not let it limit us. Here's Laura's story. Laura, how are you?

Laura  

I'm really well. Thank you, Will. It's good to see you again.

Will:  

Yeah. You too. Well, we saw each other recently, Laura came and was part of one of our SH1FT Fitness workouts recently. Did you enjoy the day?

Laura  

I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I want to come back.

Will:  

We'll have to see how you go on the first one. So Laura has been a shift instructor for a while. When did you first train? I think you're one of my originals right?

Laura  

I was, it was June 2018.

Will:  

Yes, five years, five years, almost to the day I imagine. So we're jumping straight into saying hello, we are talking today about something that I often talk about because it affects me in my fitness life very much, which is backs. And when I say backs, I'm talking about the spine. So Laura was recently at one of our SH1FT Fitness filmings. And we got to talking and thought that it would be really interesting to do a podcast talking about our different experiences of dealing with backs that don't always play as well as you would like them to play in the fitness industry. So I'm going to talk a little bit more about what happened to me later. And some of the issues that I have with my back, which people have been asking me quite a lot about recently. But first, Laura, I want you to talk a little bit about yourself. So give us a background on you and then talk a little bit about your back and how you have found that as you have traversed the fitness industry.

Laura  

Okay, so I wasn't always this way. I wasn't always...

Will:  

Always gorgeous and fun?!

Laura  

Oh, bless you. When I was 11 I was overseas on a holiday with my family. And after all these years, I can still remember I was walking in front of my parents and they looked at me and my mom was like, why are your shoulder slanting? I said what are you talking about? She said, Stand up straight. I said I am standing up straight. So I thought it was my dad that mentioned it might be scoliosis. I actually already knew what it was because I remember because I used to be into watching the surgeries and the medical programs when I was really really young. And I remember watching a corrective surgery for scoliosis long before long before I was diagnosed. So pretty much as soon as we came back to the UK, I went to the doctors and it was just a straightaway it was just like yeah, she's got scoliosis so...

Will:  

...and just so for people listening to this, for anyone listening to this, who's a group fitness instructor, I'm sure that you have done you know the basic anatomy and physiology and you've probably been over this, but just for anyone that needs a bit of a refresher. Could you just tell us a bit more about scoliosis and what that is.

Laura  

It's a collapse of the spine, it's the collapse of the spine, it's a rotation through the spine is well, it could be just the thoracic, it could be lower as well. For me, it started in just the thoracic lumbar until my late teens, we noticed that my lower lumbar started to slow, much slower pace, started to collapse. And with scoliosis, the spine will rotate. So your pelvis, twist, your ribs twist. So my right ribcage is round sort of, you know, not sitting where it should be...

Will:  

And what's the cause?

Laura  

You know, what people don't really know, for definite.

Will:  

So I was actually doing a little bit of research before this. And and I was really surprised that in in many, many cases, if not, like most of the cases, there's no specific cause, right? It just, it just happens.

Laura  

Yeah, it wasn't until my late 20s, I was being tested. My bones were being tested because sort of off the back of another illness really. So you know, the body parts that they put you in and at all, they were testing my. And they discovered that I can't store and process potassium. So it wasn't until my late 20s that we discovered that I can my body just couldn't use. It just does nothing with potassium. And I later found out from a doctor that if somebody can't process potassium, then it's quite a high chance that the spine will just

Will:  

Ah, just because the the way the bones grow and develop over time just means that there's something that that changes.

Laura  

Yeah. Yeah, I couldn't believe it. So right. From the age of 11, to probably about 26. We had no clue,

Will:  

Really. So you were just dealing and it was was it progressively getting worse across that time.

Laura  

So when I was 12, I had my surgery on my lumbar. It was nine hours on the operating table, a 50/50 chance of paralysis.

Will:  

Wow. So at 12 years old, you had your first surgery? And that's full on, no? So like, as I was said, I wasn't gonna jump into talking about my story, but my sister actually had her first diskectomy yet. I think she was 18. And it was there was the decision that we as the family were all thinking about as the benefits of having it no longer having pain and the downsides of the surgery. So you guys are going through that with a 50/50 chance at just 12. Do you remember thinking about it and like your concerns at the time? Or were you pretty much being guided by your parents and the doctors and and hoping for the best?

Laura  

They were bsolutely brilliant. My care from start right up until now to this very day has been amazing. And I remember it didn't because what you know when you're a child like nothing really phases you. And I remember when I was wheeled off to theater, when as soon as I woke up, and I was back on my ward. I remember putting my legs up. I remember putting my knees up like that before my surgeons came to see me because I wanted to know if I could move. Yeah, yeah, I remember that. I walked in there like, wow, yeah, that's what we came to tell you.

Will:  

Okay, so first surgery at 12. And then how did it progress during your teens?

Laura  

So when I was about 18, 19, I remember noticing a little bit of a shift, sort of the change in shape on my lower torso. So I knew, I knew that my lower lumbar was going as well. It was really, really quick. It was a quick progression with the thoracic lumbar when I was a child. So when I was operated on I was about 64 degrees, that was 64, quite a lot, they don't let it go past 69, it's inoperable after that.

Will:  

Really, the corrective techniques that they use can't be done when it gets to when it gets to that degree of twist?

Laura  

Yeah, so I was lucky. But now my my new surgeon he says they'll only shift one to two degrees a year as long as I keep looking after myself.

Will:  

Okay, so obviously that brings me to my next point, which is you have had scoliosis since sort of pre teen preteen times when did you get into the fitness industry? Oh, okay. Yeah, this is the bit that's interesting because this is this is where I want to talk about sort of how that's impacted your journey through fitness and, and also all the other things that fitness instructors would be interested in hearing about what someone that's been dealing with dealing with the back like yours for the whole of their career, I imagine, given the age it started.

So I was I was 26 I was going through it divorce actually. And I wanted to, I'd already started exercising, changed my eating habits. And I lost a lot of weight before I got married, I did it on my own, just from home really. And then when I when we parted ways that I wanted to get out, socialize and meet new people. And that was literally what it was about for me. And that's all it was ever meant to be for me. Until one night, I left an instructor's class. And it turned out she was the owner of this particular gym, in my hometown. And she she followed me out of the room, and she said, hey, can you tell me a little bit about yourself? Do you would you like to do this as a professional? Because I can't help but watch you and she was like, you're really good. And I said, Do you know what? Actually, secretly? Yeah, I have a little bit, I have thought about it along the years, along the way. And she said, yeah, just stick with me. Just, you know, let me take you under my wing. Go off and do your exams. I went off did my exercise to music at Zumba and a bunch of other stuff all those years ago, 10 years ago. And yeah, so then I started teaching and then I went on to do my PT and started to train and yeah, I built my full time business from that, but it was literally being in the right place at the right time if I hadn't met her.

Will:  

Yeah. It's the tap on the shoulder moment that a lot of instructors talk about right when someone sees you in class sees that you're vibing, you're having a good time, you look like you'd be good up in front of motivating other people. Had you had you exercise through your teens? Like it's a bad sport and fitness being part of part of your life? Or did you or or was this something that kind of started in your 20s?

I say yeah, in my 20s up until my surgery up until the surgery when I was 12 I I was really active, but after my surgery it's 18 to 24 months recovery. So I did and I just gave it all up. Yeah, I gave it all up and so I had a few years there where I just told myself that I just couldn't that it just wasn't going to work for me anymore. 

Will:  

So I'm curious like with your spine, is it painful? Or like does it does the like the pain increased in the surgery helped with dealing with that tell me a little bit about how it how you deal with it when you exercise and when you do sport and fitness.

So I don't have the pain in my thoracic lumbar and around my ribs I used to have have in my surgery 25 ish years ago, whatever. But now that my lower lumbar is slowly deteriorating, it hurts the most there. The mornings are the worst, but I know that as soon as I get out of bed and I start moving, I'm absolutely fine.

Will:  

Really. Okay. And so when you come to do class, there's there's no major pain.

No, no, not at all. It helps it massively.

Will:  

Yeah, this is interesting. So I alluded to the fact that that I have had some back issues although not going as far back as you had to say my family has hereditary back problems. My dad has had spinal surgery, my sisters had spinal surgery, I haven't had the need for that and I cross my fingers that I never have to go through that stress because it doesn't sound like it would be very fun. But I have a disbarred the my cervical spine and then slowly my discs are degenerating in my lumbar. And unfortunately, it seems that when one starts to degenerate, I correct for it and the one above it will start to degenerate in the opposite direction. So I've got sort of herniated discs that when they are properly herniated are just amazingly painful to the point of you know, can't walk can't sleep, but provided that I managed them. Okay. generally pretty good. And I was having a discussion with someone recently about this and I have to agree with you that when I get out of bed in the first in the morning, I'm often like so kind of hunched up that I really can't do anything, lay down on the floor, do a bit of foam rolling, start to move around, and then it does feel a lot better. But I, I do often think that I can understand how people that have bad backs just stay away from sport and fitness and one of the biggest realizations that I've had is how much better my back is when I am constantly moving it and doing stuff. So tell me a little bit about like the type of fitness that you got into when you first started. What was what were the type of classes

I love aerobics. I love old school aerobics step classes. I love weightlifting. Weightlifting is my jam these days. I love your L1FT.

Will:  

Yeah, there we go. Plug the format, plug the format.

Laura  

I love it. Yeah. So I kind of I stopped start, I never keep going all day long. I don't, I try not to do too many back to back classes. I'll do two or three then, I'll take a break. 

Will:  

Oh, only two or three. Yeah. And

Laura  

Yeah, and then I'll go back for another three or four. Yeah, I teach a lot of aqua. Really good for people like me. I do teach at poolside. But when I do get in the water on the occasion is amazing. So anyone with skeletal problems or injuries and stuff, they will get sent to me.

Will:  

Uh huh. Yeah. So this is what I was going to ask is now because you? Because the thing about my back is that is it's a hidden thing. Whereas obviously with scoliosis is something that people can see. So how have you found, how have you found that in the fitness industry? Have You Ever Have you had any, like experiences that have been positive or more negative? Tell me a little bit about that.

Laura  

Yeah, so that's an interesting one. So I up until really, really recently, I would, I would hide it, I would hide my back, I would not be seen in a tight vest, or a what I was wearing, for your for your new releases, I would...

Will:  

Which, by the way, I suppose you said this at the start, when you first reached out to me, it was one of the things that I was sort of super excited to get you involved in because it is massively, massively important for me and one of the things we really care about at SH1FT is showing the breadth and depth of what bodies can look like and bodies that work in fitness. And it's not one shape. It's not one size. And it includes people that have certain physical limitations that they work through and work at their own pace. And so I was super excited that you were so game to just jump up and get into our workouts and also just to show your body the way it is and and show the joy in movement that you can have. So that was a recent thing, because that was one of the things I loved most about you working with us in the filming was that you were so ready to just be there and not hide the fact that you didn't have the same looking spine as the people next to you.

Laura  

Yeah, I spent far too many years hiding away from it. Because when I, yeah, I'd say, really, really recently, the last six months, maybe I would not be seen without reasonably

Will:  

Ah, so this is really recent.

Laura  

This is really, really reason was because I didn't want people to walk into a room and see that I'm just...

Will:  

Ah, because they because they immediately pre judge everything else based on that on that particular thing.

Laura  

Yeah, I wanted them to get to know me and my work first. But now, now I flipped it around because I realized it's actually more important for people to see that we can do everything that everybody else can do. Yeah, for sure.

Will:  

So tell me, how did you come to that realization, because I mean, I think that is fantastic. And it's a journey that I went on a little bit of my teaching career too, because I might have some of my back issues come from my achilles not growing properly, and various sort of biomechanical things up and down my spine. And I would put lifts in my shoes and go out of my way to avoid anybody seeing it. And it was when I started SH1FT, I realized that, like I was in my late 30s, I was still physically fit. And if I was hiding things that were limiting, for me who is a fit person, I can objectively say, you know, I'm fit and I'm healthy, and I know how to I know how to move. If I'm hiding it, then it's not really allowing anybody that does have limitations to see that they can be reflected in this class will be included in this class. And so now, you know, I talked about it on the videos, and I'm pretty open with the fact that you know, some movements aren't open to me. Sometimes I go to like a CrossFit class and the guys are looking at me expecting me to be able to do it. And I'm like, No, I can't do those squats can't do those lifts can't do heavy things that affect my lower back. But because it's important, right, because if you don't see if you don't see different shapes, sizes, body types and ability types reflected in people that teach then how can people who want to go to a class ever see themselves? What gave you that realization? Because obviously, we've talked about you've had this since you were 12. And now you're older than 12. And you but you only recently came to the realization, so what changed, what happened?

Will:  

I realized that I needed I needed to love my body just that little bit more. You know, I don't care what I look like. Actually, I'm quite proud. 

Will:  

This is a podcast so you can't see Laura right now but when, she looks great. You will see her on a workout coming out soon. 

Laura  

Yeah, I realized that I needed to love myself and I want everyone else to see their own beauty as well actually, it's, it's, we are all different and I don't actually meet in my work environment I've met so I mean I can probably count on one hand how many people I've actually worked with have scoliosis. We just don't see them, Will. They just don't come to the gym. And so they just don't think they can do it.

Will:  

This is one of the reasons that I really wanted to have you on the podcast to talk because I realized that I this is the first conversation I've had with someone talking about fitness and you know, whether it's painful whether it gets worse gets better with someone that's got scoliosis and I realized that's such a gap, because it's not like like back problems are not that uncommon. And it feels like something that we should talk about so that we can understand more about it and I realized that was a real gap for me so thank you for coming on the podcast and fill it in for me and whoever's listening to this because you're absolutely right. 

Laura  

Yeah, thank you so much for having me actually. Yeah, I hope I if if I can reach out from this and anything else I go on to do you know and if I can just reach out to more people and make them realize that the body the body is incredible like when you lose something everything else will actually make up for that I realized that you know I don't have any movement whatsoever in my spine from top to bottom I've got nothing left so everything else makes up for that, my arms, my legs, I'm a ballerina, as well. 

Will:  

Yeah, because you're flexible. We we're talking about like the moves in the workouts that I'm not gonna I'm not gonna ruin the surprise and but you were like yeah, I can do that, no problem.

Me and Libby, it was Libby, wasn't it, we ended up swapping roles without without discussing it because Kate said I know you're really flexible. So me and Libby ended up swapping.

Will:  

This is an interesting thing. So you said before and before we kind of got off track but it was it was a good track to get off. Do you have people that have back problems often now come to you for exercise referral and PT and classes, how do you find working with people that have back problems?

Laura  

Yeah, quite easy.

Will:  

You can relate right?

Laura  

Quite easy. Cuz I remember when I had because I had to do my pre-surgery work on my spine my post surgery work and my rehab and that never really stopped and then i i went off and did my Pilates diploma for completely selfish reasons. You know, I wanted to work more on on spine and hips them you know and so I do a lot of that Yeah, but I still don't get enough people with scoliosis coming to raise so

Will:  

and what, so from a like personal management perspective, what is there anything that you need to do to protect your spine and so you mentioned before that provided you do the right things that it should only change by what to two degrees per year so what do you have to do in terms of constant management and and your fitness regime to protect your back?

Laura  

You've got to keep moving, you've got to keep moving it doesn't

Will:  

I mean that's that's a simple like truth of life right like for everybody no matter no matter what what issues they may or may not have.

Laura  

Yeah, use it or lose. I try to keep my weight down because obviously it's not good to carry excess excess weight. What else do I do, just stay busy?

Will:  

Like there's no like like stretching or anything that you specifically do when you get up in the morning it's just about making sure that you're moving.

Laura  

Making sure moving, hot baths, and sun beds...

Will:  

Bubble bath, glass of champagne, you know the normal fitness things...

Laura  

Glass of wine or two every day.

Will:  

And then what about the so long term prognosis is that it will continue to continue to twist a little bit but that if you manage to keep moving that the the impact of that can be lessened over time.

Laura  

So I have already been offered a second surgery because when when a curvature reaches 30 degrees, they by law they have to. So I've got an extra bit because my I think my rod is about 12 inches...

Will:  

Ah, so do you have so I actually didn't ask about this. So the surgery was to was to place a rod that sits within sort of the spine.

Laura  

Yeah. All bolted down or bolted together. 

Will:  

So that's to stop it moving further. Like to kind of fix it in place.

Laura  

Yeah, so they straightened me out as much as they can untwist it and move things back to where they belong really. And they went in, I was quite lucky, they were able to go in through my side rather than all the way down my back. So they placed it at the front. So it sits behind my lungs. Yep. Yeah. So that's where it is. But I've got another curve just underneath that one, which was 45. I think like before the pandemic, and that one's shifting quite fast.

Will:  

And so there's the potential that if it continues to shift that you might have to get surgery. And is this the same kind of risks associated with surgery? Or have they have they developed medical technology in a better way since?

Laura  

He tells me no, he tells me no, the new surgeon, he said, no, it wasn't they said, it wouldn't be half as long now, he said, I've seen the same surgery done in like, you know, three hours now instead of nine. So it's come on a long way. It really has. Yeah. Am I, would I go ahead and do it again? I, I don't know. I don't think I will.

Will:  

Really? Prefer just the movement movement medicine instead.

Laura  

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah. Cuz they want to go all the way down now and leave literally just three vertebrae at the bottom. I said, No, no, just leave it where it is. Yeah.

Will:  

And so you, you've worked with other people with scoliosis? Is there is there a typical sort of way people are affected by or does it really affect everybody individually, depending on what section of the spine it's affecting and, and how it's impacting on the hips, etc.

Laura  

Obviously, your thoracic region is the most is our most mobile. So when that collapse, that tends to be, it tends to be the part that will collapse the quickest. That will just be within months. Usually, you'd have to...

Will:  

I wouldn't know this because I have zero movement through my thoracic spine. I'm I'm hyper mobile through my cervical and lumbar, which is why they're a bit screwed. And then like, so I'm interested to hear that it's normally the got the most movement for most people, because for me, it's like flat.

Laura  

Yeah. Oh, bless you. i So I guess, one of the reasons I don't really feel like they need to do it again, for me is just because I don't have we don't have an awful lot of movement in our lower back anyway. So I'm just scooping away in the messages from work, and it's more and that's more cosmetic, you know, and like I said, I don't care what I look like, so it's fine. They can leave it where it is. Yeah. I think emotionally, or you don't, it's much more common in females than it is, is men. Yeah, hugely, hugely, much more common in girls. So I think they just tend to shy away from exercise, shy away from life a lot of the time, and that's, it's quite sad. Like I say, I do get the odd , you know, somebody will be referred to, to me. But yeah, I think I like to think they go away with a different with a different mindset. And that's, that's the main reason I went into the fitness industry was to just change people's minds about our bodies and the way we look and the way we feel.

Will:  

You know, I was the so so since you've been in the fitness industry for a while now, how many? How many years in the fitness industry? 

Laura  

10. 

Will:  

Ah, there we go. Got clean decades. So and it's only in sort of the sort of the past year or so I guess, post pandemic ish, right? Like coming out of the pandemic is when you kind of made the decision that you were going to be more more on display. So you could be inspiring to other people who have the same thing or other things. When what have you found the reception to be like, how have you found people to react to the new really, sort of in your face Laura?

Laura  

I, I don't get a lot of people in the UK, I don't get much. I don't hear or see. I'll get the odd nod of respect from people when I walk through a gym or if I'm just about to do whatever, I'll get the, you know, when I yeah, that's nice. That's nice. You know, and every now and again, if I get a group of friends, someone might elbow the other. But I never say anything, and you know, and

Will:  

Ah, so you're meaning when people when people like see that there's something there's something different going on with the shape of your spine, and then will kind of and how does that make you feel when that happens?

Laura  

It's absolutely cool. I mean, I'm just glad. They're, I'm just glad that I'm living a really really full life you know, and yeah, I'm with for those people again. I just hope that they go away just like, wow.

Will:  

Yeah, they're blown away by how awesome your classes and then they realized that that's the most important thing, right?

Laura  

Yeah. And just, you know, going away being like nothing limits her. So why should it us? You know, that's really, really important to me.

Will:  

Yes. And I think that's the crux of it right? Like if you have to boil it all down, that's the most important thing that any fitness instructor can give to their clients. It's not about changing the way they look. But it's just about owning their own body and being being happy with the things that can do and not so focused on the things that it can't, right?

Laura  

100% Yeah, yeah, I'm pleased.

Will:  

So I think I've got a really good sense, Laura, for sort of how you're approaching fitness now. If you had to leave the people listening to this with sort of one thought and then also, where's next for you, what would that be?

Laura  

I knew at the start of my fitness journey that I wanted to bow, I would have to bow at some point. And that I when I reached that point, I, I need to know that I did absolutely everything I set out to do. And then some. And you know what, Will? I already have. Yeah, it's just been, it's been incredible.

Will:  

Yeah, but that's not the end for you, right? You still got a few good years in the fitness industry left I hope? 

Laura  

Definitely, definitely. 

Will:  

Now you just have to find like, set your sights on the next thing and figure out what that is, no? Thank you very much, Laura for taking the time to chat with us today. It was really, really inspiring to hear your story. If you want to check out Laura we will link to her social media so you can connect if you want to. And if you are a SH1FT Instructor or want to be,, you will be seeing Laura coming up in some workouts very soon. Thanks so much for your time.

Thank you so much, Will.

Will:  

Thank you for listening. If you're enjoying the show, don't forget to subscribe for all the latest episodes wherever you get your podcasts. And while you're there, please drop us a review. You can also get in touch with me at will@sh1ftfitness.com. I'm Will Brereton and you've been listening to Group Fitness Real Talk.