“Life is about to give us a wake-up call - and we must now be more conscious of our health and well-being than ever before.”

It’s a powerful statement, but then again, Carl Williams knows what he’s talking about.

He’s been managing director at Synergy Health and Wellness Centre at Pembroke Dock for over six years. Like all personal trainers and owners of fitness complexes, the immediate future appears uncertain.

Therefore, it says much of the personality and character of the 24-year-old that his immediate focus has been to help people. Not only his clients, but everyone on social media, by adapting their exercise plans in order to maintain fitness levels and a positive mindset.

A lot of his training is designed to improve esteem through hard work, with as much emphasis on mindset as physical development. Hence why he will now be posting four live workouts per week via the company Facebook page, free to all to follow.

“I hope this can help people maintain some sort of routine,” he explained to me, obviously via telephone given the current circumstances.

“As what lies ahead is going to be detrimental to people’s health and mindset.”

Indeed, given the current uncertainty and almost inevitable shut down of society, insecurity is likely to be rifer than ever.

“So many people have used exercise to improve their mental health and now it is going to be easy for some to drop back into states of anxiety and depression.

“There is so much negativity on the news and the internet and people have to be careful about what they read, especially if they’re going to be stuck at home. I’ll be urging everyone to read things like motivational quotes and if nothing else, just do a few minutes of pure exercise first thing every morning.

“Doing that on a daily basis will make a huge difference. People have to fit in structured activity because days are going to be long, and it will be easy to turn to comfort food and alcohol.”

It’s a notion that many can resonate with.

Williams is clearly refusing to wallow, and yet the dangers that now hover above his business, as with so many others, are unavoidable in this discussion.

Long term, he hopes to implement a scheme where paid up members can take part in online classes, and yet he knows solutions to impending losses must run far deeper.

Already, he’s had clients trying to prematurely end their membership deals as confusion reigns.

“The problem for us in the British independent leisure industry is we are only ever two or three months away from closure.

“Something like this could end it (the industry). The big chain companies and council facilities will be ok as they will be funded but us ‘little people’ won’t get the help or support. Simply cutting business rates won’t keep doors open either.”

He’s right, it won’t. But for now everyone in all walks of life must be prepared to adapt and keep going and Williams appears to epitomise that.

And as I sensed, he wasn’t going to put the phone down on a negative note.

“Right now we all have to take the positives from a bad situation. This is an opportunity for people to get fit and healthy, and to focus on family and themselves.

“I hope the online classes can get that exposed to the masses.”

It takes a certain type of individual to remain strong through adversity.

I think it’s fair to say that Carl Williams is that type.

  • For more information on his online classes, and the company, visit the Synergy Health and Wellness Centre Facebook page or http://synergyhq.net/