Late starter now fit for success

Derrin Tuckey, whose clients range from athletes to ACC patients, says she loves 'helping people be the best they can be'. Picture / Kenny Rodger

Derrin Tuckey, New Zealand's personal trainer of the year, gives hope to couch potatoes.

The 38-year-old Rotorua woman, who won the top prize at the inaugural Fitness Life Awards in Auckland last night, said she did not set foot in a gym until her late teens.

"When I was at high school, I wasn't sporty at all."

But once in the gym, Ms Tuckey felt right at home and began training in earnest.

She went on to win body-sculpting competitions and eight years ago became a personal trainer - a job she loves.

She works with clients from all walks of life, including athletes, ACC patients and middle-aged women wanting to lose weight.

Each group presents its own challenges - including the firefighters who were called to fires during sessions at the gym.

Particularly rewarding was helping a leg amputee to improve his balance and encouraging three women in their 40s to lose enough weight to enter a body-sculpting contest.

Ms Tuckey, who is self-employed and studying for a Diploma in Sports Studies at Otago University, said personal trainers had an important role to play in improving people's health.

She hopes to expand her business to reach those who do not like gyms or feel intimidated by exercise.

She is setting up a private studio and in the future wants to offer training to people in their homes.

Fitness Life magazine, the founder of the awards, chose Les Mills Extreme in Wellington as fitness centre of the year.

Judges said the gym provided great services not only to members but also to the community, with initiatives such as a 24-hour youth fitness challenge last year.

Ms Tuckey was also recognised for her community contribution. Head judge Wendy Sweet said she stood out because of the range of clients she worked with in Rotorua.

"She has been very successful in a community that has very diverse needs."

Ms Sweet said Ms Tuckey was motivated by love rather than money.

Her commitment to professional development was also admirable.

Ms Sweet, a senior lecturer in fitness studies at Waikato University and Auckland University of Technology, helped to establish a professional body for registering personal trainers last year.

The industry's future depended on people like Ms Tuckey because personal training was not just about helping people to look good, she said. Trainers could help to tackle national health problems such as heart disease and obesity by working alongside medical professionals.