Sarah Dunbar weighed almost 17 stone and was suffering with postnatal depression when she decided to make significant changes for the sake of her health
Sarah Dunbar, before and after her fitness transformation(Image: Sarah Dunbar)
After the birth of her second son, Sarah Dunbar admits she lost herself and her own health took a back seat. Eating poorly, her weight crept to just under 17 stone and the Eston mum believes she was suffering with postnatal depression.
After deciding she wanted to do something for herself, Sarah took up boxercise and loved it. Bitten by the fitness bug, she later joined a gym where she gained valuable insight into the benefits of strength training and healthy eating.
During covid she gained a diploma in fitness before setting up her own gym for women at Teesville. She now runs classes seven days a week alongside a team of instructors and a massage therapist.
She continues to train at The Gym Group on Skippers Lane where a fellow gym-goer suggested she take up bodybuilding. And next month, the mum-of-two will take on her first ever bodybuilding contest.
Sarah said, like many mums, she lost herself in motherhood, continuously putting others first. But she firmly believes it is vitally important for women to take care of their health, both for the sake of themselves and their families.
“As women – because we’re just so giving and caring – everyone else comes first, when it shouldn’t be that way,” she said. “Two or three hours a week of exercise is the best thing you can do for you and your family.”
Sarah admits she didn’t look in mirrors before her fitness journey(Image: Sarah Dunbar)
Sarah, who also works part-time as a beautician, has two sons, Cole, 18, and Ollie, 17. Following a break up when the boys were two and four, Sarah decided she wanted to take up a hobby for herself, which would help her lose weight and improve her fitness.
“I kept thinking I had nothing going for myself and I just needed to do something for me,” she said. “After that I thought, that’s it, and the first class I went to was boxercise and I loved it.
“Don’t get me wrong, I was the biggest and the most unfit there. I never used to look at my own body in mirrors. I got into a real bad state with myself.
“When I went to boxing, just punching those pads were a release. I then joined the gym and had personal trainers which taught me so much.”
She encourages women to eat healthily alongside exercise routines(Image: Sarah Dunbar)
Sarah literally went from strength to strength and, in 2015, she took part in an Ultra White Collar Boxing event. She had considered bodybuilding but then covid came along and shut everything down.
“That’s when I did my diploma in fitness,” she said. “I had done my boxing at the Muay Thai gym and the owner messaged me and said the gym is free now, why don’t you take it?
“I started with a couple of classes a week. It was only quiet at first but we’ve now got classes seven days a week.”
Her business SB Fitness runs small classes with an average of 12 women and a focus on healthy fitness. “I actually teach technique and how form is so important to building the muscle,” said Sarah.
“Slowing things down, time under tension. A lot of the girls come in and say that’s the difference – that’s what they like.
“Also when I lost the weight I learned about my macros. All I had known was about skipping meals and eating 1,000 calories or less and that isn’t right. As women we don’t eat enough protein and don’t look at what we’re eating.
“I’m a foodie – I love food and I’ll never change, but it’s about eating the right food. A lot of women come in and haven’t eaten and I say to them it’s like a car – if it’s got nothing in the tank, it’s not going to get you there.
“I have to teach them things like carbs aren’t the enemies, it’s about eating the right type of carbs.”
Sarah is now preparing for her first bodybuilding contest(Image: Sarah Dunbar)
This knowledge is passed on through Sarah and the team of instructors at SB Fitness. “Across the board we’re all experienced in strength training because that’s our niche,” she said.
“For woman it’s a game changer, especially as you get older. We have got 60-year-olds in our classes and age is not a restriction. In fact it makes it even more important.”
When Sarah returned to the gym about two years ago, it was suggested she take up bodybuilding. She added: “It’s been the best move I’ve ever made – for both my fitness company and for me. It’s my anti-depressant – my escape.”
As she now prepares for her first bodybuilding contest – the PCAs taking place in Manchester on September 6 – Sarah admits she’s nervous but looking forward to the challenge. Looking back on her journey, she said: “Sometimes when you go through life, you don’t realise how far you’ve come.
“I feel like all I do now is keep fighting and testing myself and I love it.” For more information about SB Fitness ladies classes visit the website.
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