New Fitness Studio in Almancil

The owner, Justine Buckley, is a 32-years-old British lady who has spent a third of her life living all over the world. “I trained to be a dancer in England and I moved to India to do Bollywood movies and then I travelled a lot - I was in Greece, Spain and Asia, and then I got a contract in the Algarve in a casino to do a show. I came just for the summer and then I kept coming back”, she said.

In fact, she fell in love with the Algarve immediately and has decided to put down roots. “Just the year before Covid-19 I did a show for a full year in the Algarve and it was the longest time that I have been in a single place, normally it’s three months here, six months there, but it was quite nice to stay in one place”.

After that she went back to England to do her Personal Training qualification, but always with Portugal in her mind, she ended up returning. Meanwhile, she had an opportunity to take this new studio in Almancil, which she quickly accepted. “I live in Vilamoura and I have clients in Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo, Almancil and Vilamoura, so it is right in the middle of everything – it’s perfect”, she highlighted.

Dance and stretch classes

The new studio offers stretch and dance classes, both can be one-on-one or in group. Regarding dance she does lady dance classes as well as couples dance. On the stretch side, “I mostly do one to one. Sometimes I train two people who came together, for example two friends or a mother and daughter,” she told me.

While people tend to prefer one-on-one classes as it allows them to feel much more comfortable, both have positive sides. As we just said, the one-on-one class can be great for those who need to build their confidence first, but group classes can be fantastic for those looking for a fun atmosphere. “I want it to be personal, so I put up the sofa and have tea and coffee. When people finish the training, they can feel free to sit and talk to me or speak to each other. Actually, since we opened (five weeks ago), we have people who have met here and made friendships.”

Promoting human connections

Since January she has been running the studio with the main goal of creating a personal, comfortable and fun space, as she knows how important it is to create personal connections between people. “I want people to leave classes feeling great”, she stated.

“Training and exercise make you feel good, but when you have a connection with someone, it makes you feel even better. When you go to a class with a group of people it's more social and fun, which is nice. Classes for me are not about making more money,” she said.

For further information, please see Justine’s Instagram, call 913 958 902 or contact via Whatsapp +447708922330.

Paula Martins is a fully qualified journalist, who finds writing a means of self-expression. She studied Journalism and Communication at University of Coimbra and recently Law in the Algarve. Press card: 8252

Paula Martins