Local Faces: Anthony Wilson

THE SOCIAL benefits of fitness culture is something that can get lost in the conversation.

While going for a swim, doing an exercise class or hitting the gym to get a sweat on is great for increasing physical fitness, the psychological benefits are unbounded.

Strenuous physical activity is a stress-reliever and it can boost one’s mood, through the release of happy hormones such as serotonin or endorphins.

An environment like Tallaght Leisure Centre (TLC), can serve as a “social hub” too as it brings hundreds of like minded people together under one roof.

If you’ve stepped foot inside TLC, there is a good chance you’ve come across Anthony Wilson.

Anto is a popular figure, having worked in the centre as a fitness instructor and lifeguard since 2008.

“A lot of people that go into Tallaght Leisure Centre, they’ve no one to talk to,” Anthony (32) tells The Echo.

“Some of their backgrounds at home, they’re living on their own. They come here for an hour or an hour and a half, and that’s the social aspect of that job.

“People think it’s all about fitness but it’s not, the social aspect is unbelievable.

“It’s like the social hub of Tallaght, and it’s not the pub.

“You’re not forced to have a drink, there’s no drink or drugs around, no arguments.

“It’s a social hub where everyone goes in and feels good about themselves – it’s a really healthy environment.”

Originally from Glenshane, Anthony is the second youngest of seven children to Mary and Martin Wilson.

Going through school, in St Aidan’s Community School, Anthony was unsure what he wanted to do but always had a drive to do something.

So, aged 12, he started helping his brother Johnathon on the milk-round every weekend and when he turned 15, Anthony began working in a kitchen as a commis chef.

Anto has a passion for cooking and baking, and whips up a mean sweet and sour curry today.

However, very quickly, Anto discovered that the kitchen culture clashed with his own and he needed to figure out a different path to go down.

“I didn’t have a clue what to do, but my ma was like ‘you’re not being in my house nine to five, there’s a course in the swimming pool up the road, off you go, you’ve nothing to lose’,” Anthony recalls.

“It was that simple. I applied in Fás on the Monday, and by the Friday I was on that course.

“As soon as I started, I got an automatic interest in it. Before you started learning all the science part, it was a proper sports course.

“They got you fit first, so everyone had an interest in it then before getting into the science aspect of it.

“I got student of the year. I was giving everything 100 percent, my mam still has that trophy actually.”

Over the course of the year-and-two-months studying, Anthony was gaining great work experience in TLC and started working full-time in the centre once he finished his studies.

Today, Anto is the main fitness instructor for the Aquafit, Active Age, Barbells, and Fitrobics classes among others.

Every week, the 32-year-old delivers dozens of classes to hundreds of people.

Anto has this high-octane infectious energy about his personality that draws people back to his classes time and time again.

“If you’re nervous, they’re nervous and that’s a recipe for disaster,” Anto says.

“If you’re confident, it helps ease people in to whatever it is they’re doing.”

Reflecting on how he became a fitness instructor, Anthony believes that getting a job is key for younger people as a means to give them a focus in their lives.

“Get a job. It gives you so much life experience and it’s something for you to focus on,” the Tallaght native says.

“Whatever job you have in the world, be the best at it. If you’re working in McDonald’s, you be the best burger flipper there is.

“My mam was bang on, ‘get out of my house from nine to five’, you’re not lying around in bed in my house all day.

“It’s important to have that focus in life, get up out of bed, get off the streets and get a job.”