Today you are going to meet Christine 😀
Hi all! I’ve been a proud Jiggly Jogger since May 2019. I have been married to Scott for 25 years and together we are mum and dad to 17 year old twins; Hannah, our dancing diva and Cameron, our fanatical footballer. They are both the light of our lives but like typical teenagers they can often the source of much stress too . I have worked for Glasgow Life for 30 years - 27 years as a Librarian and for the last 4 years as Learning Services Co-ordinator with a remit for Family Learning – I manage an amazing team of officers who support Glasgows’ primary, secondary and early years establishments to help parents better support their child’s learning . The ability to share my love and passion for literacy and learning and see this benefit the lives of Glasgow's children is something I feel very lucky and privileged to do. I took the decision to join this amazing group after hitting my 50th birthday. On taking stock of my life - as women do at a certain age, I quickly realised I had spent the last 16 years (pretty much since the kids were born) gradually losing sight of who I was, what made me happy and had generally lost my vavavoom for life. I’d spent an incredible amount of time (and still do) juggling a full time career along with being a mum, wife and all things to all people and there seemed to be no time in there for me to be me! The arrival of the delightful menopause didn’t help either, bringing with it gradual feelings of low self esteem, low confidence, low mood and low energy...indeed the only thing that was going up in my life was my weight! It was time for change and I knew that life wasn’t going to change on its own. So, I decided to look for something that would get me away from the daily grind of; work, weans, house, repeat – something that would get me out the house, help me get fit, and hopefully lose a few pounds. After consulting the great god Google, I happened upon a group called Jiggly Joggers and I knew immediately from the name and the pictures that this was my kind of group, so I messaged Elaine that very evening and the rest, as they say, is history! I joined at week 4 of the C25k programme and completed my first C25K Parkrun on 15th June 2019 and my feet literally haven’t touched the ground since. I now run 5 and 10ks regularly and this year completed my very first (swiftly followed by a second) half marathon – something I never contemplated, planned or even believed I had in me! My previous form in terms of exercise and fitness was to join the gym or fitness class give it a go for a few weeks or even months (if I’m really determined) then quit. But from my first week at Jiggly Joggers I knew something was different. The genuine sense of belonging and feeling that I was amongst like-minded people who were all on a different journey but were using the same road to get there is exactly how I would describe it. The journey for me has been completely unexpected and has taken me down some new roads that were also not part of my plan but I do know I’m still on the right road and I’m thoroughly enjoying the ride. I have since become a very active member of Jiggly Joggers supporting its development from constituting the group in January this year through to becoming a member of the board and operating committee of the newly formed CIC company. As Secretary, it is my role to assist with the development and implementation of policies and procedures, support partnership development, identify and pursue funding opportunities that will allow us to grow and develop our offer to members and within the wider community. I truly believe Jiggly Joggers is a very unique organisation that is led by the members for the members. It has an active role to play in the world of community based sport and I believe it is trail blazing the way ahead in terms of being more than just a running club. I have watched many members join with very little confidence and belief in their own ability, struggled (as we can all do at times) with anxiety and other mild to moderate mental health issues and in a very short space of time they blossom and grow both as runners and as as individuals who are then offering the same hand of friendship and support to other members. For me Jiggly Joggers and the amazing women within it, have done so much more than help me improve my fitness and running ability. Over the last 18 months I’ve found my mojo for life again, met some truly lovely, interesting and inspiring ladies who I now call friends, I manage my menopause symptoms much better and above all I have found a place where I can take time for me!...Try asking a GP to prescribe you something that does all of that!! I have learned that we all have our own individual journey to complete and as women, our journey is always going to be that bit harder and filled with challenges. So the need for a place to share, offload and be socially connected with other women to help strengthen our resilience and keep going when the road gets bumpy is essential – and let’s face it, life has been one bumpy ride this year! Jiggly Joggers, provides that place for me and that’s the reason I return week after week. Yes, of course I like to improve and set myself goals but having fun, meeting amazing and inspiring people and learning from the low points is what really matters to me. Participating in the various running events gives me that sense of achievement in terms of my goals but it’s the overwhelming sense of belonging and enjoyment that I get when doing it with my Jiggly family that enhances my whole experience and really strikes a chord ! So, I send a heartfelt thank you for the endless support and friendship that you have all afforded me during my time as a Jiggly - my own wee journey and challenges are now so much more achievable and enjoyable that you are all part of it! Keep well, keep safe and most of all, keep going!!! https://static.wixstatic.com/media/837532_9b14c213519842bfbd70967162d5fda7~mv2.jpg
