Dave’s Story

David, 58, was always a keen sportsman in his younger years. Before pursuing a career in finance, he regularly played football, rugby, and tennis. However, as his career progressed, fitness began to take a back seat. Starting a family and travelling globally for work became top priority and regular exercise gradually dipped.

Now semi-retired, David felt ready to take the next step in his fitness journey. While he had the desire to improve his health, he lacked nutritional knowledge, confidence, and motivation. With a growing focus on his cardiovascular health, David was also keen to meet new local people with similar interests.

FIT Bluebirds proved to be the perfect solution, offering a fun, social environment alongside a structured approach to fitness and wellbeing. What stood out most to David was the friendly, welcoming nature of the sessions. There was no judgement around weight loss or ability levels, which was particularly important for someone who had avoided exercise for a long time.

Initially, David was sceptical that he would achieve anything. He had tried gym memberships, fad diets and online workouts, but nothing ever stuck. Like many others, David struggled to work out alone and needed the support of a community to keep him going.

Thankfully, David quickly found a diverse and supportive membership at FIT Bluebirds, where participants encouraged one another and stayed accountable outside of sessions, creating the strong sense of community David had been searching for to kickstart his fitness journey.

The circuits classes after the 12 week period were a real game-changer. Acting as an aftercare support service, the continued alumni support through weekly workouts became a personal highlight for David.

These sessions provided something enjoyable to look forward to each week while helping David stay on track with his health goals. They also allowed him to regularly check in with fellow FIT Bluebirds and speak to the Foundation’s personal trainers for advice and guidance when needed.

David felt comfortable being his complete self throughout the programme, supported to ask questions and truly understand the importance of diet and exercise and how that impact overall wellbeing. This support is evidenced by an incredible 16kg weight loss during the 12-week course.

During FIT Bluebirds, David also successfully completed the Couch to 5K challenge and is now an active member of the Cardiff City Over-50s Walking Football Club. Since joining the programme, he has reduced his blood pressure, improved his sleep quality and gained a wealth of energy along the way, dramatically improving his quality of life.

Looking ahead, David is currently training for the Cardiff Half Marathon in 2026 - something he never thought would be possible again.

FIT Bluebirds supports people returning to fitness later in life, while helping people like David build meaningful connections with a football club and friends he will never forget. Most importantly, the weight loss programme gave David back his identity: a healthy, active person who can achieve anything he sets his mind to.

David reflected:

“I worried I’d be the least fit person there, but everyone starts somewhere. The support is genuine and non-judgemental. When I started FIT Bluebirds, I couldn’t jog for 60 seconds without feeling breathless. Now I’m training for a half marathon. If someone had told me that six months ago, I wouldn’t have believed them.

“This programme doesn’t just change your fitness, it can change your life. And those changes stick.”