A Wokingham woman has been awarded for services to the community through her commitment to promoting health and wellbeing.
Sarah Sylvester is inspiring others to don their running shoes and open up about mental health. The fitness enthusiast has been awarded the Anytime Fitness Member of the Year award.
The accolade celebrates Sarah’s willingness to share her story and encourage others to do the same.
Sarah is part of the gym’s Real People, Real Reasons campaign, which motivates people to use their personal struggles as a spark to develop a healthier lifestyle.
Those commended have experienced various health difficulties from surviving cancer to battling anxiety and depression.
“I’ve been running for seven years now,” she explains. “When I started I was hoping to lose weight.
“I lost six stone purely as a result of a healthier lifestyle, but I became obsessed with running and would get anxious and depressed if I didn’t hit my targets. It was a very solo-thing.
“But then I joined Anytime Fitness, and if I wasn’t sleeping well, I was able to get up at 4am and go and work out.”
With its close proximity to her house, 24-hour opening hours and sense of community, Anytime Fitness became the perfect fit for Sarah. The gym has helped her rediscover a healthier love for running as she plans to run six 10km runs in six different Anytime Fitness locations.
Sarah suffered a breakdown in July last year, but says running helped her recover: “I could barely get out of bed, I had my trainers by my bed, so they were the first thing I saw, and would put them on before my brain got into gear.
“Running has saved my life, and I don’t say that lightly. It’s given me intention, purpose, and a sense of belonging.”
With that in mind, Sarah joined Run Talk Run, a community weekly 5km run.
Founded by Jess Robson in 2017, the group’s mission is to make both running and mental health support less intimidating and more accessible. It’s aimed at those who feel they need a safe space to talk.
Sarah explains: “It’s not about the running, it’s about the chat. We run at the pace of the slowest runner.
“I found a non-judgmental community, a tribe, a safe place and shared it with my husband.
“Showing up to support both the Bracknell and Oxford runs within the Thames Valley expanded my tribe and gave me the courage to become a Run Leader for Wokingham, a final pivotal moment.”
On top of being a Run Leader, Sarah also founded It’s About Time, a mental health community drop-in which is held twice a week at the Bradbury Centre in Rose Street – it is currently on hold due to the coronavirus.
“The first step is always the most daunting, you don’t have to be a certain way or feel obliged to talk, some people do just sit and listen.”
Sarah is grateful to be acknowledged for her hard work, but emphasises why she is doing it:
“It’s a lot to take in, I’m overwhelmed.
“It’s all about inspiring others, to take control of their own thought processes. I just want people to know it’s okay not to be okay, but it’s not okay to stay that way. It’s about thinking “what am I going to do, to not stay this way”, whether that’s going for a run, coming along to a drop-in session at It’s About Time, talking to family members or just being yourself at work.”
And what advice would the runner give to someone thinking of going for a jog?
“First of all, buy yourself a decent pair of trainers. If you’re a woman, get a decent sports bra. Treat it as one foot in front of the other. Reward yourself, be kind to yourself, before you know it, you’ve run 5K.”
When the coronavirus pandemic is over, Run Talk Run will be held on Thursdays, meeting at 6.15pm for a 6.30pm start at Nuffield Health and Wellbeing.
