About

Eric de la Harpe

I am a qualified Personal Trainer. I have Level 2 and 3 certificates plus First Aid and I am fully insured.

I work part-time at The Gym Group Oxford, Abingdon.

After decades in engineering and teaching - and raising kids along the way - I saw how modern life quietly wears down our physical and mental well-being. Office routines, remote working, and parenting often side-line physical activity. That insight led me to retrain as a fitness instructor to help people reconnect.

Whether you are a beginner, desk-bound professional or parent, rediscover the fitness you enjoyed before life got in the way. My approach is grounded in real life. Whether you're chasing the bus, climbing stairs, walking the dog, aiming to do your first parkrun or marathon, I’ll help you improve how your body uses oxygen, maintain muscle with age and build habits that support healthy living.

Age-related muscle loss is not inevitable.

parkrun

A colleague told me about Abingdon parkrun in 2013 and said I was lucky to have one on my doorstep. I went along but only managed to do half of it. Something about parkrun, however, clicked with me and 350 runs later I can genuinely say that it transformed my life.

I volunteer after every 10 runs.

Throwing buns

I am also a veteran bun thrower.

I am a former Councillor on Abingdon Town Council.

I am a current Councillor on the Vale of White Horse District Council where I am the Health and Fitness Champion. I also sit on the Climate Emergency Committee.

Engineering

I have a Masters degree in Agricultural Engineering from University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and taught there for several years but ended up in Software Engineering for most of my career. After COVID lockdown working from home became the norm and I came to realise that WFH is not for me so I decided to make a career change into fitness because it's person-to-person.

(The cat was one of the many distractions when I worked remotely. She objected to all the attention the clicky-tappy thing was getting from me.)

Google Sites

Report abuse