Real sport and physical activity career stories: Lynne Otto

I used to be a stage manager for the Royal Ballet. In my free time, I took part in a FitSteps dance fitness class, which is a Latin and ballroom-inspired fitness programme. Being a massive Strictly fan, the idea of learning all the Latin and ballroom dances you see on TV was irresistible! Unfortunately, after a while, the teacher relocated.

I couldn’t find anything similar in my local area that suited my style, so I decided to train to teach the class myself and take it over. I was in my late 40s at the time, and I never thought I would become a fitness instructor at this age. Now, I’m really passionate about advocating for people retraining to join the sport and physical activity sector later in life and providing fitness opportunities and communities that are accessible for older adults.

I originally did online training to help me take over the dance fitness class I was previously attending. I quickly followed this with in-person training, as I love being in the room and engaged. You get to meet a cohort of like-minded people and build your network.

Since then, I’ve joined a Broadway Boogie Encore class and have gone on to train and become a brand instructor for that, too. On top of my group exercise qualification, I’ve also trained to design exercise programmes for older adults, completed an award in delivering chair-based exercise and recently qualified to teach water fitness classes.

Every day is a school day, and I find it really exciting that I can add different elements to my teaching. Through my training I’ve also learnt about how to communicate, how to structure a class and about anatomy. I think that my training has made me a better instructor and I love doing CPD to move forwards.

I’m a dance fitness instructor, but I have a lot of different jobs. I am a national brand choreographer for Broadway Boogie Encore, where I create original low-impact content combining fitness, mobility and my love of theatre for instructors to teach across the country.

As well as working in community spaces, I’ve also recently started delivering sessions in a gym environment, working at a local health and fitness club. I teach chair dance and fitness sessions to care home residents, and I run Warm Spaces sessions in association with the local council.

Through my work, I have won several awards for supporting mental health issues and local community and charity projects.

While I enjoy community classes and the friendly environment they create, I decided I wanted to also expand my expertise to become a fitness presenter. To do that, I created a regional group, FitSteps East, where I’ve brought together lots of fellow instructors as well as participants and it allows us instructors to present on a stage and grow our skills.

It’s great to connect with my peers, support each other and share knowledge. That’s now in its fourth year, and I’m very proud of how I’ve been able to develop myself and connect people in real life. I’ve also now presented at major fitness events such as FitJAM and Project Fit as part of the Broadway Boogie team.

As I am now in my 50s, the flexibility of my work is very important to me. I like that I can have a couple of hours of classes and then schedule in a break to support my recovery. I want to extend my career as long as possible while making sure I’m looking after myself, so I’ve also been considering how I can keep progressing safely as I age.

I’ve been increasing the chair-based exercises and low-impact classes that I offer, but there are already a few similar sessions in my local area, so I want to find a way to make sure that what I provide is unique. Maybe I’ll get more involved with delivering classes in care homes, because I think it’s so important for people at that age to have opportunities to keep active.

I can see more options for delivering sessions in a gym environment, too. Lots of older people don’t want to go to weights or circuit classes that involve floor work because they are worried about being able to get up again. They benefit from the exercise and from the community that group exercise classes bring, though, so I want to be part of adapting the gym environment to work better for older adults.

Discover DSM Dance with Lynne