fitness

Apr

2023

New Year, New… Blue?

It’s the dawn of a new year. The internet is flooded with articles about how to make this year your best yet - how to achieve all of those goals that you’ve had in the back of your mind for years, and how to finally break free of negative habits and feel complete in yourself.

Now, I don’t know how you feel at this time of year, but I know that for me, all of this pressure to suddenly self – actualize can paralyse me into doing absolutely nothing. Then, I feel awful about it.

I struggle in January. The days are gloomy, it’s cold, and all I want to do is curl up with a good book and drink hot chocolate. I’m a personal trainer, yes, but I’m also human. Personal trainers go through cycles of motivation too! And I know how challenging these cycles can be to handle.

I used to beat myself up terribly during winter, because I struggled to get myself going with ANYTHING, let alone kickstart an ambitious training regime, or the pursuit of a lifelong dream. As I grow older and hopefully wiser, I’ve realised that just because the world is telling me that it’s the right time to set goals and achieve them, it may not be the case. You are an individual, and what works for you will be unique to you and where you are in your life.

It’s important to accept where you are at all times. Sometimes you are ready to take on the world, to set goals, and to achieve them. Sometimes, you need to rest and take a break. Taking a break doesn't have to mean complete inaction, though. There are actions that you can take if you are finding that your energy is at a low ebb, in preparation for when you are ready to take things further. Here are a few gentle ideas for gradually preparing yourself for more energised times.

Scribble out what you want to achieve

This is a simple way of kicking off a goal setting process, but without putting any pressure on it. You can sit down with a pen and paper, get comfortable, put on some relaxing music, and simply scribble out what it is that you want to do in the future. There’s no right or wrong way of doing this – you just let yourself be truthful, and scribble out absolutely everything that comes to mind. No one will ever see this, it’s a process purely for you, so let yourself be completely honest about what you want. It can be a really cleansing experience, allowing yourself to really consider what you want to be, or do. Enjoy the process and remember, there’s no pressure on it!

Scribble out what you feel frustrated with

This is the opposite to the above in some ways. The method is the same, sit down with a pen and paper, make sure you’re alone and have some headspace, and scribble out whatever comes to mind, but this time focus on what is really frustrating you. This could be things that you feel get in the way of you achieving what you want (this could be lack of time, too many other priorities, a specific person or responsibility), or frustrations that you may have with yourself (do you feel that you just can’t get going, that you have too far to go, that you don’t know what to do?). Just anything at all that makes you feel frustrated, because once it’s on the page, it’s out of you, and you’ll feel better for it.

Stretch, stretch, stretch!

So many people neglect stretching, because it can feel like “light” work that isn’t going to have any major effect. The fact is, stretching is ESSENTIAL if you want to have a well trained, functional body. Flexibility allows you to perform far more effectively when you are ready to do more intensive training, so use the downtime to work on gentle stretching work to get those limbs ready for a more high energy period of training. I personally advocate a mindful approach to training, where you focus in on your body and breath with no distractions, but, if it gets you moving, do some stretching in front of the TV! You will feel brilliant for it, and you won’t get bored!

Learn to Rest

This is a tough one, sometimes. It’s a skill to be able to rest in a way that is recuperative. I still struggle with this, because even when I’m on “holiday”, I’m often still beating myself up about what I should be doing, and making plans for how to do better once my holiday has finished. Perhaps you spend evenings sitting watching Netflix, enjoying chocolate biscuits and feeling guilty – or you spend time feeling anxious about not getting enough done, or an incomplete to-do list that you are pressuring yourself to complete. None of those things are resting. Your mind and body are in a state of turmoil and you will gradually wear yourself down and then feel terrible that you don’t have a great deal of energy to do the things that you want to do so much!

Spend some time learning to really rest. It’s easier said than done, I know, but learn to be kind to yourself, and develop this essential skill. If you’re relaxing with a TV programme, really go with it. If you’re logged off work and your brain needs to decompress, let it happen! If you combine rest with the brainstorming above, you’ll be doing plenty to help yourself to prepare for a more active process of setting and achieving your fitness goals when you’re ready.

Trust yourself

Finally, I can testify, from personal experience, that slow and steady is the way to achieve lifelong, sustainable change. I’ve been letting myself grow and develop new, healthy habits for years, and now, winter isn’t a time for my health and fitness to fall by the wayside. Exercise is a way of life, and I don’t need to kickstart anything in the cold, dark of winter. It’s part of the day to day, business as usual, because I do the hard work of making change and improving at a different time of the year – a time that works well for me and my personal rhythm. You will find your way – trust yourself!

So, there you go! That’s my alternative take on how to take advantage of the dawn of a new year. Take it easy on yourself. January may be peak time for your productivity, or it may not – just listen to your own body and work with it. There’s no forcing long term change, so believe in yourself and the process of preparing the ground for the time that you are ready to take the next steps to achieving all of your health and fitness goals 🙂

Mar

2023

Three things I’ve learned from children about movement

On my fitness journey, I’ve had the privilege of learning from many wonderful people. I am often surprised by the wealth of wisdom and knowledge that we hold, and can share with one another. Nothing, however, surprised me more than what fantastic teachers children are, in the art of movement and body confidence.

Here are 3 key lessons that children have taught me so far!

It’s not about how the body LOOKS

When a baby is developing the core strength to hold themselves up, or a toddler is using all available furniture to climb up to a tin of biscuits, or a 5 year old is climbing up a huge wall using a rope, they are NOT concerned with how their body LOOKS. Nor are they motivated by whether that particular motion will tone a specific part of their body. They are completely focused on what they want their body to DO, and they put all of their physical energy into achieving it. There is absolutely no concept of making themselves ‘look’ better, and this enables freedom and abandon as they explore the world.

To a child, the body is a vessel, one that is fun to explore with, and to USE. Somehow we lose that sense as we get older. The body becomes about the external, the aesthetic. We forget how to embrace it’s power to learn, how to appreciate the way that it deepens our experiences, and how to live through it. Seeing the relationship that a child has with their body is a wonderful lesson in how to embrace being alive through physicality.

If at first you don’t succeed….Try again. And Again. And Again!

One of the things I admire about really young babies is their ability to keep on trying the same thing, over and over. For example, when my daughter was tiny and learning to crawl, she would go through an entire lifetime of emotions in a few minutes. She’d be focused, then frustrated, then exhausted. Hopeful, inconsolable, and most of all.. TENACIOUS. She wouldn’t give up! She would ride the wave of emotion rather than fight it and the rewards are clear. She is now a walking, talking, running, climbing, tantrumming toddler!

As adults, we tend to want to get things ‘right’ first time. We are brought up on the notion that perfection is aspirational. If you can be ‘perfect’ quickly, you’re somehow innately talented. You’re superior to someone who has to toil to learn something. The truth is, if we had those egotistical ideas as babies, none of us would get anywhere. We’d paralyse ourselves into inaction with self criticism, because there isn’t a baby on Earth who is born and gets up and just starts walking!

There is a wealth of positive experience, and reward, in the PROCESS of learning. Kids remind me of that every day.

Our bodies are FUN

Have you ever been around a baby who spends AGES lying on a playmat, trying to hit the singing cloud that’s hanging down? Or a toddler who will NOT sit down because they keep on trying to climb up onto a chair to reach something that they want? Or a 5 year old who climbs up the same rope ladder 10 times without a rest and won’t stop? Kids appreciate the enjoyment that their bodies give them. They don’t mind being out of breath, or taking a risk, or experimenting. They get frustrated when they can’t do something, but they don’t let it stop them. They find it too damn tempting to get up and try again because it feels so GOOD to move!

Kids appreciate their bodies and know how to love them. They USE them, rather than judge them.

Disclaimer

So, there you have it! 3 lessons that I’ve learned from hanging out with kids. As a disclaimer, though, I’m not suggesting for a minute that it isn’t kind of annoying when you want to settle down with a Netflix show after a long day and your toddler wants to play the ‘I’m going to climb something REALLY dangerous’ game 😊 But, they do have a lot to show and teach us about how to really enjoy and use our bodies, in a way that we seem to have forgotten. I'm very grateful for having a little human being around as a free movement teacher!

To your body confidence!

Feb

2023

How to find the right personal trainer

It’s the new year, and you’re feeling motivated and ready to kickstart your healthy regime. You’ve already decided that you are going to find the perfect personal trainer to help, but Google has 10 pages of options, you’re completely overwhelmed by what’s available, and you can’t be sure that what you read on a website reflects what you’ll get in real life.

Finding the right personal trainer is a challenge. No question. Here are a few tips on how to approach the search.

Consider your high level requirements

When you hire a trainer, you’re paying good money to fulfil a need that you have. It’s all very well to say that you want to get fit, but to get the most out of the personal trainer experience, you need to know what your requirements are before even beginning to look at the trainers in your area.

Do you have a preference for the gender of your trainer? Do you want to train at home, at a gym, or outside? Are you looking for someone who has a no pain, no gain approach or someone with a gentler philosophy? How often will you be able to train? What are the high level outcomes you’re looking for? Perhaps you want to learn how to lead a healthier lifestyle day to day, perhaps you are preparing for a big life event like a wedding, or perhaps you are already in training and need a trainer to help you to advance to the next level. These are all examples of things that you should consider before beginning the process of looking for your trainer, because this will help you to focus your search.

Request a meeting

There are LOTS of trainers around. Each trainer is a person, and we are all different, so you are likely to connect with one trainer differently to another. Don’t be afraid to shop around and arrange initial meetings with the trainers that you think might be a good fit for you, just so that you can spend a bit of time with them and gauge how comfortable you are with them.

Finding the right personal trainer is all about gauging how you connect. It's difficult to predict who you will click with just by looking at a website. You’ll be spending lots of 1:1 time together, so that sense of feeling relaxed and comfortable in a face to face scenario is vital. When you meet the right trainer, you’ll know!

It's personal!

Remember, you are hiring a “personal” trainer. You are paying good money for that personal element. It’s vital that you feel comfortable. You must feel that you can trust your trainer, that they are invested in you and your progress, and that you are able to speak to them openly about where you are and any challenges that you are facing. Finally, you aren’t looking for a trainer who will apply a pre-packaged one-size –fits-all programme to you (you can save yourself lots of money by finding a programme online if that’s what is on offer). You’re looking for a trainer who will create a programme for YOU, accommodating all of your requirements, quirks, and goals. Ultimately, that’s what you’re paying for.

Take your time

When you get the urge to kickstart a healthy regime, the tendency is to jump in, join a gym, hire a trainer and spend loads of money on new workout gear immediately. This is often quickly followed by guilt and regret when the money is going out of the account but the gym membership card is nowhere to be found, the clothes are gathering dust, and you’ve stopped seeing your trainer because you always found a reason to cancel. This is often due to impulsive decision making and a sense that getting things done and bought quickly will yield the best results.

When it comes to your health and fitness journey, you’re making a long term lifestyle change. Make the most of the energy that you have to drive forward, but there’s no need to make rash decisions. In the long run, they will hinder you.

Take your time to choose a trainer. You can gauge a lot from the way that a trainer interacts with you on the phone or via email. From that, you can decide on whether you want to set up an introductory meeting. From that meeting, you can make a decision on whether you feel that you will benefit from having that trainer in your life. Don’t put yourself under pressure to make a decision too quickly, and definitely don’t allow anyone else to make you feel obliged to decide before you’re ready.

Remember the purpose of having a personal trainer

Ultimately, you want a personal trainer because you feel that you need someone to keep you on track with your fitness aspirations. You want someone who will make sure that you get your workouts done every week, and the assurance that the work that you are doing will pay dividends. Most of all, you want to feel that your trainer cares about you and your progress, and is willing to put the effort into training you that you expect for the price that you are paying.

If at any point you are speaking to a trainer and you are unsure that they meet any of those basic points, stop and assess whether they are the right fit for you. Every trainer has their own approach, and every client has their own requirements, so the perfect trainer for you is out there. It might just take a bit of time to find them!

Hopefully these suggestions will help you on your search, but if you have any questions that you’d like to ask on the topic of how to find the right personal trainer, I’m happy to help! Just use the contact form HERE and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

To your success!

May

2019

Simple tips for a healthier lifestyle (Part Two)

Welcome to part two of this post, giving you simple, easy to implement tips for moving towards a healthier lifestyle.

These are small ideas, but with each small change that you make, you are shifting your self perception, and sending yourself positive messages about who you are, and the lifestyle that you lead.

Remember, slow and steady wins the race. Have a read of these ideas, pick one or two that you feel would help you, and commit to integrating them into your lifestyle. Don't try to do too much at once. There's plenty of time to keep evolving and improving!

Here are a few more tips and ideas for a healthier, happier you.

Commit to 10 minutes of physical activity a day.

This doesn’t have to be a big deal. Don't worry about what exactly it is, or how effective it will be. For a start just decide what you will do (a walk, a jog, yoga, trampolining in the garden, playing with your toddler, anything that you can easily fit in) and get it done every day. When you're starting out and it all seems overwhelming, you can paralyse yourself into inaction. Keeping it light and simple makes it easier to get going.

Give yourself 5 minutes a day of free time.

No phone, laptop, other people. Just five minutes of quiet to relax, breathe, and let yourself travel to your happy place. It's amazing how long it can seem when you haven't done it in a long time. That 5 minutes is important for you. It's down time. No plans, obligations or noise. Just 5 minutes of space.

Reflect on the day.

Before you go to sleep, think of 3 things that you are grateful for. Then think of 3 things that you did on that day that you are proud of.

It's so easy to go through life without noticing or appreciating the small moments that we experience every day. Amazing things are happening in our lives all the time. You're doing amazing things every day. It's important to take a few minutes to notice them.

Eat slowly.

Food is one of the great pleasures in life. Rushing through a meal doesn't allow appreciation of it! Even if it seems odd, slow down and let yourself really taste your food. Make a ritual out of it. It's better for your digestion, will encourage mindful eating, and best of all, you'll enjoy your food even more!

It's the small things, the small steps and changes that really make a difference. Life is too short to rush through, letting those amazing things pass us by. Let yourself take a bit of time to enjoy the tiny details of the day to day - and keep being kind to yourself. With small changes and some patience and compassion, you’ll get to where you need to be.

May

2019

Why exercise?

Apr

2019

Simple tips for a healthier lifestyle (Part One)

Being healthy isn’t about how you look. It’s about how you feel. It's about how well you look after yourself.

Here is part one of this article, filled with simple, easy tips to move towards a healthier lifestyle. The simplicity of them will surprise you!

Drink water.

It's essential! If you are feeling at all grotty, or lethargic, a glass of cold water can work wonders! If you’re going to make one change, this should be it. Just drink more water.

Get more sleep.

This isn't a negotiable item for our functioning. If you sleep enough, and well, you can perform to your peak. You feel good, are energised, and your mind and body can work at their best. If you miss sleep... You get very wired, very quickly. Ask any new parent! There are few things in life that are more important than getting enough sleep.

Be aware of your rhythms.

We are expected to conform to a 9-5 lifestyle. We have to fit into that structure. But let yourself become aware of your own rhythms. Perhaps you're a morning person, but feel low on energy in the afternoons. Perhaps you really start feeling energised towards the evening. Perhaps you have intense bursts of energy on one day, and then feel tired the next day. Let yourself listen to your own body. You can then start to introduce ways of accommodating your unique rhythms in your day to day life.

Make small, gradual changes.

It's important not to feel overwhelmed by the number of changes you are implementing at once, so choose one or two of these tips to incorporate into your lifestyle to begin with. Introduce new things slowly; you are going for long term, sustainable change - it's a marathon, not a sprint!

Part two of this article will have more tips and ideas for how to make small changes that will make all the difference to your lifestyle, so watch this space!

Apr

2019

I never feel like I have enough energy to exercise

Ah, we've all been here. You have the best of intentions, but when your alarm goes off in the morning, your bed is heaven. Or you get home from work, exhausted, and a takeaway and Netflix seems far more therapeutic than a workout.

First things first. If you're feeling low on energy and at all out of sorts, go to the doctor and talk about it. There could be medical reasons for how you're feeling, and the first thing to do is to make sure that it isn't the symptom of a medical ailment.

If you've been to the doctor and there isn't anything medical, and you're struggling to get going, it may be time for a change in perspective on exercise.

The trick is to look at exercise in a new way. It isn’t something that you have to do, that’s hard work and exhausting. It’s a pleasure, good for both mind and body, and it gives you energy.

Easier said than done, I know, but this is the ticket to a healthier lifestyle. Somehow, we have become a society that feel that an evening in front of the telly is better for us than a walk outside. That a bar of chocolate can heal our psychological exhaustion from the trials of day to day life. That exercise is a looming cloud over the day, when in reality, it's the sunshine that gives your body nourishment and energy and just so happens to ensure that you stay in shape.

The first step, is to make an appointment with yourself to do your workout. Mark it in your calendar. Treat it like you would any other appointment. It is like a couples therapy session between you and your body! It's IMPORTANT.

Now keep reminding yourself that you have a workout in your diary. Make sure you know what workout you are doing. Keep reminding yourself that you don't miss workouts. Self-perception has the biggest role to play here - if you perceive yourself as someone who sticks to their workout schedule, that is the person you will become.

Now, I'm not saying that feeling low on energy is an easy one to fix. But if you have been to the doctor, and there isn't a medical reason why you're feeling low on energy, it's worth seeing if working on your self-perception helps.

Don't limit yourself. Believe in yourself. It's important that you look after yourself. Exercise will give you energy. It's a way of showing yourself love. It's a way of reminding yourself that you're worth the effort.

Give it a go and see how you get on. Remember, you don't miss workouts! You are active! You work out, and radiate health and energy! You are the picture of wellness. And every so often, you enjoy a takeaway, Netflix series and bar of chocolate and feel absolutely NO guilt whatsoever, knowing that you look after yourself and your body.

That's a good way to live.

Mar

2019

How to overcome procrastination

Ah. Procrastination. A common enemy!

Procrastination is often the result of being unsure. Unsure of what you actually want to be doing. Unsure of what your goal is. Unsure of whether you're doing the right thing.

My first tip for overcoming procrastination is to do a bit of planning. Really consider your goals, and really get them embedded into your thoughts by writing them onto index cards, putting them onto post it notes and sticking them up around the house. Then, consider how you are going to reach those goals. Do some research into how to fulfil your specific goals (or hire a specialist, like a Personal Trainer to write you a programme!). Then, follow the plan. Don't think about it. Just follow the plan. The work that you've done in setting your goals and creating the plan has removed any need for being unsure.

Jan

2019

Why forget about how my body looks?

Now, I'm not advocating a complete lack of pride in your appearance. I'm suggesting that there is a level of appreciation that your body deserves, that it is probably not receiving. In fact, your body is probably taking continual abuse from the person it is working so hard to keep alive. You.

We have forgotten how wonderful our bodies are. How miraculous. Every second of every day, our bodies work to keep us alive. We breathe, move, live, through our bodies, but we tend to take them for granted. How often do you stand in front of the mirror and shame your body, saying that you wish it was different? That it looks horrible? That you hate it? Now, think about how often you look in the mirror and applaud your body, thank it for keeping you alive, for allowing you to experience life through your senses, for enabling you to do the things you enjoy.

For most of us, there is a major imbalance between the first and second scenario.

It's to be expected, in some ways. Many industries rely on that internal bully that we all have, telling us that we aren't good enough, because that bully is what allows the media to convince you that product a, b or c is going to make you perfect. So you'll buy it, and when you are still looking at yourself, shaming yourself, bullying your body, you'll buy something else to numb the pain for a while.

It's time for a change. It's time to love your body and be grateful for it. To nurture it, and stop bullying it. Experiment with different activities and see what FEELS good, not what someone tells you is a miracle fix for a false aspiration based on how the world tells you you SHOULD look.

Enjoy the life that your body enables you to lead. And forget about what the world is telling you you "should" be. You are you, and you ROCK!

Dec

2018

How do I fit exercise into my busy schedule?

Time. In the modern age, everyone seems to suffer from a lack of Time. And exercise is one of the first casualties of the epidemic.

It can seem very overwhelming, the idea of fitting in exercise when there is so much to do, so many plates to spin, and often, very little time and space to look after yourself. But here's the thing. Looking after your body is literally a matter of life or death. Your body keeps you alive. If you aren't looking after your body, you are reducing its ability to look after you. So, as a society, it might be a good idea for us to bump looking after our bodies up the priority list.

There's a conception that exercise has to be a big deal. That it has to be a regimented thing that you buy special clothes for, go to special places for, or have special equipment for. That's not the case. Exercise is just moving. So you could count walking around the park as exercise. Playing more actively with the kids is exercise. Dancing in your living room is exercise. 10 minutes of moving in a way that gets your heart rate up is exercise. We all have time for that. Try it. Start with 10 minutes a day of something that will get your heart rate up - dance, run around with the kids, take a brisk walk around the block. There's no right or wrong. Just move.

Once that's done, hurrah! You've done a 10 minute workout!

Do that every day, and gradually see if you can build up to 2 active 10 minute sessions a day, then 3. Notice how relaxed you feel after a bit of physical activity. Once you remove the pressure around having to do a long, regimented routine, you'll be able to find ways to incorporate exercise into your life. It will become part of your day, rather than an imposition. Eventually, it will be a habit, you will feel much more connected and confident in your body, and you’ll be getting fitter every day.

Scribble out what you want to achieve

Scribble out what you feel frustrated with

Stretch, stretch, stretch!

Learn to Rest

Trust yourself

Three things I've learned from children about movement

It’s not about how the body LOOKS

If at first you don’t succeed….Try again. And Again. And Again!

Our bodies are FUN

Disclaimer

How to find the right personal trainer

Consider your high level requirements

Request a meeting

It's personal!

Take your time

Remember the purpose of having a personal trainer

"Finding a personal trainer is all about how you connect. You’ll be spending lots of 1:1 time together, so that sense of feeling relaxed and comfortable is vital. When you meet the right trainer, you’ll know!"

Simple tips for a healthier lifestyle (Part Two)

Commit to 10 minutes of physical activity a day.

Give yourself 5 minutes a day of free time.

Reflect on the day.

Eat slowly.

Why exercise?

"When you are sedentary, you feel lethargic, unmotivated, and mentally drained. This isn't coincidence. This is biology."

Simple tips for a healthier lifestyle (Part One)

Drink water.

Get more sleep.

Be aware of your rhythms.

Make small, gradual changes.

I never feel like I have enough energy to exercise

"The trick is to look at exercise in a new way. It isn’t something that you have to do, that’s hard work and exhausting. It’s a pleasure, good for both mind and body, and it gives you energy."

How to overcome procrastination

"Procrastination is often the result of being unsure. Unsure of what you actually want to be doing. Unsure of what your goal is."

Why forget about how my body looks?

Many industries rely on that internal bully that we all have, telling us that we aren't good enough, because that bully is what allows the media to convince you that product a, b or c is going to make you perfect.

How do I fit exercise into my busy schedule?

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