Ready for action…
t might be fair to say that Heidi Ellen Love that never does anything
by halves.
Whether it’s doing dress prop on Penny Dreadful or doing a little one-to-one soul-searching with the Dalai Lama in India, Heidi believes in giving it all you got.
Heidi in Northern India 1998
Which may explain why the Greystones sports and fitness trainer has just picked up Most Dedicated Children’s Fitness Instructor 2022 at the Irish Enterprise Awards.
Not bad going when you consider Heidi had to take her kaleidoscopic kid classes online for the past two years, thanks to that pandemic thingy.
“To go from kids playing games, swimming, making art and just generally running wild, to being on Zoom,” says Heidi, “that was hard to figure out initially. But then I just thought, okay, we can make this work to our advantage, and just twist what we’re doing to suit everyone being in their own little safe space.
“And that meant embracing digital art, doing Manga designs, and letting the Fitkidz Creative Club become a much bigger part of the classes. And it just worked…”
Hence the glittering award.
At the same time, Heidi had begun teaching T’ai chi, yoga and dance outdoors in Charlesland for those senior citizens who liked their chill turned all the way up to 11. As word spread, soon there were over 20 ladies turning into stretching, flexing dancing queens on the green.
“If anything, the lockdowns reminded people just how important it is to get out there and move,” continues Heidi.
“To give yourself a physical workout is also gifting yourself a mental workout too, of course. As these Warrior Women – as we called the group – have proven…”
A fully-qualified children’s fitness instructor, Hatha yoga instructor and a Swim Ireland teacher, Heidi is currently busy bringing art and exercise to a noted Dalkey afterschool when she’s not out on that Charlesland green.
Ali & Lauren on the Disenchanted set