Meet Wendy, a compassionate soul with roots in Napier and Tauranga, New Zealand. Her life journey is one of resilience, transformation, and a deep commitment to joy.
Born and raised in Napier, Wendy spent five years in Auckland before settling in Tauranga, where she has thrived for 25 years. As a single parent to her neurodiverse son, Wendy's life has been marked by challenges and triumphs, each met with love and determination.
Being active isn’t something she’s always had a connection with. As a kid she tried dancing, swimming and netball but nothing stuck until she was 15 and tried rowing. Having rowed the remainder of her high school years and even getting into masters rowing for a while, Wendy’s love for activity has shifted and changed over her lifetime.
At 46, she realised she wanted to be fit and strong for her 50s (and beyond). Having seen an article online about Skipping/Jump Rope having taken over the northern hemisphere due to Covid lockdown, her curiosity was ignited. This was something she could do at home, in her own time, and do it with music blaring.
She told us, before she started skipping she was starting at fitness point zero. 20 years of an inactive lifestyle, previous ankle operations, knee issues, lower back damage, a c-section and frozen shoulder meant she started slow. Wendy believes if she can do it, anyone can.
Wendy is now three years deep into loving skipping. She grew up in the era where exercise was a punishment for eating and its sole purpose was to burn calories and lose weight. But skipping has changed that mentality for her. Skipping is more than just physical fitness, it’s mentally challenging and it has a strong meditative aspect to it.
“You really have to be present to get your body movements synced with the rope. Skipping has helped me get to body acceptance and understanding that moving our bodies is something we’re lucky to be able to do”
This year Wendy turns 50 and is making a celebration of each month by doing something for herself, whether that’s learning a new skill like sewing or climbing Mauao for the first time with her son.
Her advice for people who follow her - your body is amazing for what it does for you. Be proud of it. Be grateful for what you achieved last year and see the potential of the next year. Seek out movement that rocks your soul!
You can follow her journey, grab awesome skipping tips and simply enjoy watching her crush on Instagram