Sporting spotlight: Hannah Impey
Published: 6 February 2024 at 16:17
At age 35, ARU Admissions Officer Hannah was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Five years later, she took on the January HITT Challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
Name: Hannah Impey
Staff, student, or alumni: Staff
Job title: Admissions Officer
Faculty/Service: Corporate Marketing
Tell us about your sporting achievement or upcoming challenge.
I decided to take on the January HIIT Challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK. The challenge was to complete a 20-minute HIIT workout fives time a week for the whole of January.
This charity is very close to my heart, as five years ago, at the age of 35, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Thankfully, after six months of chemotherapy, followed by surgery, I got through it. The scars of what I went through, both mentally and physically, will stay with me forever, so raising money to help fund more life-saving treatment is very important to me.
In addition to this, I needed something to encourage me to get back into regular exercise. Life had got so busy with work and the children, and I had stopped making time to look after my fitness. I knew that this challenge would mean I had to dedicate the time to it, which was just what I needed.
How did it go?
I chose to do my HIIT workouts first thing in the morning. I found it hard to start with, and in the second week I could have very easily given up if it wasn’t for all my lovely sponsors cheering me on. I then began to realise how much better I felt both mentally and physically, and by the end of the month it had become part of my daily routine that I actually enjoyed!
I’ve been overwhelmed by the support of my friends and family who have helped me raise lots of money for CRUK and I’m determined to keep going with the workouts despite the challenge now being over.
What would you say to someone to inspire them to follow in your sporty footsteps?
Sometimes you need to really push yourself to make a change in your lifestyle to do more exercise. But once you make that change, you will feel so proud of yourself. And your mind and body will really thank you!