burdekinlocal.com.au
COMMUNITY NEWS 11
thursday 24 june 2021
Faces of the Burdekin: Kelsey Shand Marina Trajkovich
WORKING at Wilmar has been quite a career change for Kelsey Shand, who got her start in the fitness world, but it’s a job she’s found a passion for. Having lived in the Burdekin her whole life, working in an industry so synonymous with the region is something that fills her with pride and satisfaction, but it’s her love of health and fitness that helps her find balance. The Wilmar administrator has recently found herself back in the fitness industry, running group fitness and yoga-pilates classes at Nrgize Fitness. “I’m based at the Pioneer Mill and work Australia wide with the cane industry in my job, a bit of everything. I actually love my job,” says Kelsey. Before working with Wilmar, Kelsey trained as a personal trainer, working at a local gym before moving to an administrative and eventually managerial role with an Ayr based physiotherapy practice. She says that after a fiveyear break from working in the fitness industry, running classes again has been a
welcome change. “It’s absolutely a way of life, and I don’t exercise to lose weight or achieve certain things. I exercise for me, to feel good, and for my brain to feel good and happy, and I think everybody should do that,” says Kelsey. Her ‘restore’ classes at Nrgize combine her love of yoga and pilates, and she loves the opportunity to help others unwind. “Pilates is always something that I’d really enjoyed. I like that it’s a gentle type of exercise but also bloody hard. You’re able to isolate muscles, and everybody can do it from any fitness level. You don’t have to be a marathon runner to do it,” says Kelsey. “It should be that you want to exercise, and I’m very focused on, let’s find something that you do enjoy doing so you feel happy within your body and your mind. “I have specialised in mat pilates, back pain and pilates, and I’m currently studying pre and postnatal pilates,” she says. Fitness has always been a huge part of her life, and she’s passionate about using exercise to advocate for
mental health awareness in the community. When she’s not training at Nrgize or working with Wilmar, she’s going on multiday hikes in the region or taking part in community fundraisers.
She’s a co-organiser of the End of Harvest Golf Classic, raising money for local charities and is about to begin a Run for Life fundraiser, running 100km throughout July for Reach Out, a charity focused on youth
mental health. “I started running for my mental health. I was suffering from anxiety a few years ago and running was a way for my brain to switch off. It’s become a big part of my life,” says Kelsey.
“Mental health is a big thing, and it’s important for everyone to talk about, to look after our own mental health but to also look out for the people around us as well.”
