Candy Sully - Personal Trainer and Ambassador

Please tell us about sporting events you have taken part in or have coming up. Sell yourself, this is your page :)

I've always enjoyed running, though it was historically fun runs and half marathons I'd tend to get involved in. Then my husband sneakily registered me for a full marathon and I returned the favour by booking us in for the multi-stage Marathon des Sables.

I've since been hooked on ultra marathons and have done several single stage races of up to 54 miles, along with the MdS.

Tell us about your journey to fitness? Where did it all start?

I love to be fit and ready for almost anything. Growing up in South Africa, I led a very active lifestyle so exercise, particularly functional fitness work, supported my outdoor pursuits at the time (spear fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, running and horse riding).

When I came to the UK I joined the British Army Reserves and ended up assisting the squadron PTI in getting new recruits fitter for basic training. I loved it!

A few years later I qualified as a Personal Trainer and haven't looked back.

If you're interested in starting your own fitness journey, Sundried's Activewear is suitable for people of all abilities. 

What are your training goals now?

I'm currently working towards running The Ridgeway in SE England. I have no idea why that route, but I love the idea of running through sites of historical interest. Also, a friend keeps pressuring me to row the Atlantic with them. I love a challenge, so…?

Tell us one unusual fact we wouldn’t know about you:

I am trained in bomb-disposal and worked abroad supporting Humanitarian Mine Action before returning to the UK to raise my daughter.

What advice do you wish you'd been given when you first started out?

Life happens! Things happen that are out of our control and our fitness and training plans need to be flexible as a result. I was always so focused on the idea of progression in my and my clients' workout programs but sometimes injuries or life admin just gets in the way and we need to take a breath and not give up.

Do you follow a specific nutrition plan? If so, what/when do you eat?

I tend to do intermittent fasting during the week and have my first meal, which is generally eggs, after 12pm. It works for me; I'm not really a breakfast person.

I also like to focus on keeping my food as unprocessed as possible.

Sure; almost everyone likes sweet treats but I try to enjoy these in moderation!

What do you do to keep your clients motivated? Do you have any top tips to keep motivated?

I try to keep exercise fun and mix things up a bit, using different training methodologies. It keeps clients enthusiastic about working out, especially when not everyone likes to exercise.

Adding in small challenges during a workout also shows clients they can do so much more than they realise and boosts their confidence in their abilities.

Talk us through your training regime.

Being a working mum often means I have less time that I'd like to exercise, so I aim for compound movements rather than training isolated muscle groups.

I love HIIT and tend to use this as my cardio strength training. I make use of a range of free weight options, which I believe helps keep me focused and I'll also use some of these sessions to test out new workouts for my clients. I'll add in a dedicated strength session and three running sessions per week. A typical week's running involves an easy, long and either tempo or intervals session.

How do you keep your fitness knowledge up to date?

I do a lot of reading and online research, especially into related disciplines. I'm particularly interested in body mechanics and how certain movement dysfunctions can have far-reaching consequences. I'm fixated with balancing the body!

What are your top 3 trainer tips?

There's no excuse; your gym is wherever you are!

Always listen to your body.

Even little and often is better than nothing.

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

New York Cheesecake! I don’t think I'd last more than a day of just cheesecake but what a day…

Why work with Sundried?

I love the sustainability of the Sundried range. It's so great that a brand of activewear is out there providing responsible eco-friendly yet durable clothing.

Favourite fitness quote:

Summer bodies are made in the winter! I think I saw that in a running magazine and it's so true.

To hear more from our ambassadors and get free tips on workout plans and more, connect with the Sundried Personal Trainers on our app.