Since joining Highwoods Nutrition, yes, I’ve lost weight. That’s lovely.

But what has fascinated me just as much is watching people.

Some arrive looking nervous.

Some hesitate outside the door.

Some apologise before they’ve even sat down.

Yet within minutes they’re chatting over a shake as though they’ve known everyone for years.

I wanted to understand why.

So I sat down with Tanya, the owner of Highwoods Nutrition, to hear the story behind the smiles, the community and the club that has become such an important part of my own journey.

It Was Never Part of the Plan

If you’d asked Tanya a few years ago where life was taking her, running a nutrition club would never have featured in the answer.

For twenty years she built a successful career in banking as a Relationship Manager, a career she genuinely loved. Then the pandemic arrived, redundancy followed and suddenly everything she’d known disappeared.

“It wasn’t just my job I’d lost,” she told me. “I’d lost my routine, my colleagues and that sense of belonging that had been part of my life for so long.”

Encouraged by her greatest supporter, her dad, Tanya began building a new business. It was a huge leap of faith for someone who had always worked for someone else.

Then life dealt another devastating blow.

Her dad died unexpectedly during heart surgery at just 62 years old.

Reading those words, I could almost feel the weight of what followed.

Grief.

Shock.

Trying to keep going when the person you would normally turn to is no longer there.

Like so many people, Tanya kept moving forwards because she had to.

But eighteen months later she found herself exhausted in every possible way.

Physically.

Mentally.

Emotionally.

Spiritually.

She’d gained weight, lost confidence and became convinced there must be something seriously wrong with her health. Medical tests showed nothing obvious. Her GP suggested antidepressants. While she understood why, something inside told her there had to be another way forward.

Then one Facebook post changed everything.

A friend shared her own results from a nutrition club.

Something resonated immediately.

“What started as wanting to lose weight became so much more,” Tanya explained. “As I began nourishing my body properly, I regained my confidence, my energy and, perhaps most importantly, my sense of purpose.”

Listening to Tanya, it became obvious that Highwoods Nutrition wasn’t born from a business plan.

It was born from lived experience.

Today, helping people improve their health isn’t simply her career.

It’s her passion.

And perhaps that’s why the atmosphere feels so different.

The Door Matters More Than You Think

One of the first things I noticed was something wonderfully simple.

Someone meets you at the door.

It sounds almost insignificant.

It isn’t.

Walking into somewhere new can feel incredibly daunting, especially if you’re already feeling self-conscious about your weight, your health or simply asking for help.

When I mentioned this to Tanya, she smiled.

“For many people, walking through the door is the hardest part. We want every person to feel they’re arriving amongst friends, not walking into a room full of strangers.”

It’s such a small gesture.

Yet I suspect it’s one of the biggest reasons people relax so quickly.

Nobody Is Judging You

I asked Tanya what she’d say to someone sitting in their car wondering whether to come inside.

Her answer was beautifully simple.

“Almost everyone who walks through our doors has felt exactly the same way.”

“The reality is that nobody is judging you because everyone is focused on their own journey.”

Sometimes courage isn’t about making huge changes.

Sometimes courage is simply opening a door.

The Scales Only Tell One Chapter

This was the part that really interested me.

Many of you know that I’m fascinated by how the body changes, not just by what the scales say.

Tanya feels exactly the same.

“The scales are only one small part of the picture,” she explained.

“Regular reviews are about supporting the person, not simply measuring the result.”

Every review becomes a conversation.

What’s gone well?

What’s been difficult?

What habits are changing?

Where does someone need reassurance?

The number itself is only one piece of a much bigger picture.

Tanya today. This is the lovely lady who will welcome you into the club. Yep… She knows her stuff…She will happily talk through new recipe ideas. Last week someone arrived with a loaf of bread. Tanya worked out the nutritional value and we all got to taste it. It was absolutely delicious. 

You will  also find her sitting amongst the group chatting, sharing tips, listening to peoples stories.

I can honestly say it is welcoming and motivational. I will be honest, I find it hard going to club in, but I know this is the thing that is helping me, so I am commiting until I feel confident to go it alone for a while.

Looking Beyond the Numbers

One of the biggest misconceptions around weight loss is believing the scales tell the whole story.

They don’t.

At Highwoods Nutrition, Tanya looks at body composition rather than simply body weight.

“We’re aiming for healthy fat loss whilst protecting muscle,” she explained. “We’re also looking at things like visceral fat because that’s where some of the biggest health improvements often happen.”

But even that isn’t everything.

Are people sleeping better?

Do they have more energy?

Have they become more confident?

Do their clothes fit differently?

Are they smiling more?

I’ve watched people arrive at reviews disappointed by the scales, only to leave smiling because they suddenly realised how many other things had changed.

Sometimes we simply need someone to help us see our own progress.

Trust the Process

Weight fluctuates.

Life fluctuates.

Anyone who’s ever tried to improve their health knows that progress rarely follows a perfectly straight line.

Hydration.

Hormones.

Stress.

Sleep.

Exercise.

Even yesterday’s meal can influence today’s weigh-in.

“A plateau doesn’t mean failure,” Tanya reminded me.

“It usually means the body is adapting.”

Her favourite phrase has become something of a club mantra.

Trust the Process.

Simple words.

Powerful message.

A Little Observation From Me

As many of you know, my own background is in movement and bodywork, so I probably notice things that most people don’t.

One of the unexpected things I’ve become fascinated by during my own journey is watching people’s review photographs.

Not just because bodies become smaller.

But because posture often begins to tell its own story.

As weight changes, so can the way we stand, breathe and move.

It has sparked all sorts of questions in my own clinical mind and has inspired several blogs exploring how our bodies adapt over time.

Perhaps that curiosity is one of the lovely things about working alongside other professionals.

We each notice different pieces of the puzzle.

Together, those pieces begin to create a much richer picture of health.

The Best Part of the Job

Before we finished chatting, I asked Tanya which moment she loves most.

She didn’t talk about kilograms.

She didn’t mention targets.

She smiled.

“When a member walks in excited because they can’t wait to tell me something good that’s happened.”

Sometimes it’s weight loss.

More often it’s life.

Sleeping better.

Feeling confident enough to date again.

Coming off medication with their doctor’s support.

Fitting into clothes they’d tucked away years before.

Simply getting their sparkle back.

Those are the moments she celebrates most.

Three Words

Before I left, I asked Tanya one final question.

Describe Highwoods Nutrition in just three words.

She didn’t hesitate.

Welcoming. Supportive. Empowering.

Having now experienced it for myself, I think she’s summed it up perfectly.

Fi’s Final Thoughts

People often assume this journey is about losing weight.

The longer I spend around Highwoods Nutrition, the more I think it’s about gaining something far more valuable.

Confidence.

Hope.

Energy.

Community.

And perhaps a reminder that none of us has to figure everything out on our own.

As Tanya said so beautifully, you don’t need to arrive fitter, more motivated or with the perfect plan.

You simply need to come as you are.

Sometimes, that’s exactly where the next chapter begins.

Finding My Way Back to Me

Highwoods Nutrition has become a piece of my own self-care puzzle.

Like many women, I’d spent years looking after everyone else while quietly accepting that feeling tired, losing strength and watching my body change was simply part of getting older. It wasn’t until I began my own weight-loss journey that I realised there was another lesson waiting for me.

The numbers on the scales were going down, which felt encouraging, but the information from the body composition scales told a different story. Alongside losing weight, I was losing more muscle than I wanted to.

As a therapist and movement specialist who has been teaching since my twenties, that stopped me in my tracks.

The body I teach today isn’t the body I taught thirty years ago. More importantly, the women in front of me have changed too.

Many are navigating menopause, caring for ageing parents, recovering from cancer treatment, living with Osteoporosis or simply wanting to stay strong enough to enjoy life. Their goals aren’t six-pack abs or marathon times. They want to carry grandchildren, walk further, get up from the floor with confidence and remain independent for as long as possible.

That realisation made me look at my own teaching with fresh eyes.

Rather than simply offering Pilates classes, I wanted to create something that truly reflected what women over fifty need today: a blend of mobility, strength, balance, cardiovascular fitness and movement confidence, all underpinned by the clinical understanding I’ve built over the last 25 years.

That is how Fi’s Fifty+ Movement Club was born.

It’s still rooted in Pilates, but it has evolved into something bigger—a place where movement is used not just to exercise, but to build strength, confidence and freedom for the years ahead.

Sometimes the greatest gift our own journey gives us is the courage to evolve, so that we can help others even better.

And for that, I’ll always be grateful that Tanya and Suzanne became part of my puzzle.

Check out Tanya and Suzanne at

• Highwoods Nutrition

If you have been on a weight loss journey or are over 40 you may find the following articles interesting:

• Why Women Over 50 Need to Stop Chasing Thin and Start Chasing Strong
• Lose the Weight. Keep the Bones.