Empowering women to feel strong in both body and mind is what makes Eija Puustinen jump out of bed every morning.
Determined to help women feel confident, safe and supported in the gym, Eija has recently opened her own ladies only gym and fitness studio in Blackburn.
“After working in various different gyms and roles in the fitness industry, I decided it was time to open up my own studio and offer females a safe and supportive environment with fun yet challenging fitness classes and weight training sessions,” says Eija.
“I’m creating a community for like-minded females to come enjoy fitness and find new friends.”
Safe space for women to workout at this Blackburn ladies only gym
Eija’s journey to open a female only fitness studio in Aberdeenshire began in her home country of Finland where she excelled in cross country skiing, athletics and ice hockey.
“Winter sports are huge in Finland because we get snow for about four or five months of the year,” says Eija.
“So since I was five years old I’ve competed in ice hockey, cross country skiiing and track and field – all different stuff.
“My mum is a primary school teacher so she really encouraged me to do sport and I’m glad she did because it became a career for me.”
Uplifting Blackburn ladies only gym
After giving up competitive sport at the age of 15, Eija became a sports coach before studying for a bachelor’s degree in sport and leisure management.
“I started doing my bachelors degree in Finland and as part of the course, it was recommended that you do a semester abroad,” says Eija.
“So that brought me to Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen where I studied.
“My plan was to stay in Aberdeen if I managed to get a fitness job and that’s exactly what happened.”
Perseverance pays off
Not afraid of hard graft, Eija, 37, initially worked as a fitness instructor and personal trainer at Bannatyne Health Club in Danestone before moving to Aberdeen Combat Centre in Berryden.
After building up her experience, Eija then started working at corporate gyms including at Aker Solutions in Dyce.
But everything changed due to Covid.
“My goal has always been to climb the ladder in the fitness or gym world,” says Eija.
“So I was going in that direction before Covid happened.
“That’s when I decided that I didn’t want to work for anyone else anymore so I went self-employed.”
Demand for female only fitness studio
With her personal training career going from strength to strength, Eija decided to take the plunge by opening up her own female only fitness studio Phase 2 Fitness in Blackburn Industrial Estate.
“Women kept saying to me ‘I wish there was a ladies only gym”, says Eija.
“A lot of the women told me they had gym memberships but they didn’t tend to use them because they felt intimidated or scared to use the machines as there’s so many people around so they didn’t feel comfortable.
“So I decided it was now or never and opened up Phase 2 Fitness.”
Empowering women to feel confident in the gym
Located in a warehouse unit, Eija has transformed the space into a welcoming fitness space for women.
“The goal of the place is to create a safe, supportive and encouraging environment for ladies who might not have had a good gym experience before,” says Eija.
“Obviously most gyms need to have hundreds of members but I’m trying to offer the opposite as I don’t want it to be super busy.
“So when you pay for a membership you actually get to use the classes and you’re not number 20 on the waiting list for a class.”
Ladies’ only weightlifting classes at this Blackburn gym
Eija’s fitness studio is also a safe space for women of different faiths.
“There’s one lady whose religion doesn’t allow her to be in a mixed gym so it feels good that I can offer her a space that she feels comfortable in,” says Eija.
From fitness boxing and circuits to bootcamps and step classes, Eija says there’s classes to suit all ages and abilities.
As well as this, Eija also runs women’s weightlifting classes.
“There’s not many women’s weightlifting classes around and the only ones I see they do it as a two hour, one-off class,” says Eija.
“But my ‘ladies that lift’ sessions are ongoing and are ideal if you would like to learn how to lift weights in a supportive and encouraging place.”
Going forward, Eija has big plans for her Blackburn ladies only gym.
“It’s not a traditional gym in the sense that you can’t just come in and use it in your own time but maybe in the future I will offer that alongside the classes,” says Eija.
For Eija, seeing women gain in confidence is the reason why she loves her job.
“It’s rewarding to see women get fit, strong and healthy and feeling comfortable,” says Eija.
Finally, what are Eija’s three top tips for health and wellbeing?
“Keep it simple. Find an exercise/sport that you enjoy doing and makes you feel good mentally. Also, measure your progress by how your clothes fit you rather than what the scales say.
Want to give it a shot? Details on Eija’s Ladies Only fitness studio
For more information on Eija’s fitness studio, check out her website aberdeenfitness.com and Facebook page @Phase2fitnessstudio
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