Full body plan

So here is a plan to get you a full body session, split over the week  and includes cardio and strength. Just remember to check in with your technique, adapt exercises or get checked out by a gym instructor to ensure you avoid injury. Any PT or gym instructor would be happy to help. Enjoy

Band work

I love bands – looped, or not, they are so versatile, easy to store or take away on a break so there is no excuse not to fit in a workout. They are the only bit of kit I recommend buying. So have a look at these exercises to give your workouts a little extra boost. Enjoy.

January fitness goals

When we start each new year, we often make plans to lose weight, run a marathon, or learn a new skill (language, sport, craft) and then we get tired of doing it and give up. I have never been a fan of New Years resolutions, more little challenges. Usually for a short period of time. Effectively SMART goals, specific measurable, achievable, realistic, timely.  For example I chose to run (which i do sometimes) 30miles in one month or complete a 10km in 3 months. Both options are SMART, a little out of my comfort zone when I haven’t run recently, but not completely brand new to me. Easier to stick to as I know they would be completed fairly quickly and I would have a sense of achievement. That said. I haven’t planned my challenges for 2023 just yet…

So start off January slowly, perhaps Pilates is new to you (or you are revisiting it), this plan can he you get started, doesn’t require a gym membership (and there are lots of good options online) and is a gentle way to step into 2023 while you decide on your own challenges.

Happy New Year!

Lower back aches

Quite often lower back pain can be due to other issues, such as glutes/stomach not doing quite enough to support your body, core exercises and some glute work can definitely help with that, but even if you do work on those areas, sometimes long periods of time driving, sitting at desks, standing on busy trains etc can leave us with achy backs. Christmas is a great time for sitting alot, so some of these stretches might just help. And if you need some core work, check out last week’s suggestion. And January will be the month of Pilates…perfect for all these issues!

Core blast

While hitting the gym might not be top of the agenda this month, I have lost count of the amount of people who have asked me about losing belly fat. More complicated than it seems – it’s nutrition (which isn’t on most peoples agenda mid party season), so despite what this headline tells you, these exercises won’t give you 6-pack abs without the nutrition. They will, however, make your core stronger, which isn’t about aesthetics it’s functional, a good strong core is essential for posture and balance. So focus on being stronger with good technique. Try some of these at home or as part of your gym routine.

December already!

This year seems to have flown by, and maybe because the C word hasn’t been mentioned much here, we are all out and about more with Christmas plans (no that wasn’t the C word) has made time seemingly fly by. It does also mean that while it’s the season of goodwill to all, we can end up feeling less then merry, more likely stressed,  overwhelmed or tired from work and just not enough hours in the day. So this December, cut yourself some slack.

So you can’t hit the gym hard, attend all the classes you want to AND still fit in family, work and social occasions. Instead focus on getting decent sleep, hydrate (not with too much actual Christmas spirit) and do the odd workout as and when you can to help you feel good (not exhausted). Here’s an at home plan – only six moves – adjust it as you need to, so it can work for your fitness level and time frame. 

The C-word (COVID) of course….lets hope it stays that way!

Merry Christmas to all.

Working and fitness

I was recently interviewed by a local media company, they create some great promotional videos for ATP Tennis, one of them was about the players very tough training regime. Not everyone can or needs to train the same way as a pro, but they asked me how does the average person fit in fitness while also holding down a busy job, travelling with work and then add in family/friends/social life…..

It can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be, a few simple additions like walking to speak to a colleague instead of emailing, taking stairs not lifts, a lunchtime walk or for the more adventurous add in a 10 minute interval session. It is possible. And it can make you feel a lot better. Have a read of the full interview.

Bodyweight workout

It’s January, resolution time of year – and for many, that means getting into a fitness regime. If you have had a couple of weeks off, coming back from injury/illness or a newbie, bodyweight workouts are a good place to start. This one takes about 30 minutes. 

Don’t forget to warm up and stretch after! Do what you can, start off slow and build up. And enjoy it! Working out should never be a chore – it’s keeping you healthy and helping you do more for longer.

January blues or balance

It’s January, how do you see it? A grey, dull month with no money, nothing to look forward to or as a fresh start, a time to make goals and reassess where you were a year ago.

Or maybe it’s a bit of both. That’s balance, and I think that’s what we should all aim for.

I don’t make resolutions because that’s just another thing to add to a list, but I try to find something to aim for, building my business, changing my workouts, balancing home/social time with work. And I know I don’t get it right all the time. But it’s a balancing act.

Last year my friends and I each planned an activity to do each month – the kind of thing we have often said, we should do more often or that we would like to do. It worked quite well, some months easier than others, but it made us make an effort and share experiences.

I saw another version of this – a resolution a month. I think that is much more achievable for so many people, I am planning on trying a Barre class for January, I have never done it and I think this will be helpful because I can remind myself how hard it is for my clients to make that first step.

Next up I need to set some new goals, I am so thankful that I met my business goals last year, so that needs to continue but not at the expense of my sanity, which nearly happened. I took a break and made the bold step to cancel some things and ask clients to move around their days or times, this enabled me to organise my days better – balancing home and work and making me much happier and therefore more productive. I probably still need to learn to say NO a bit more…… don’t we all??

Basically, we all need to find our balance, in all areas of our life. Easier said than done sometimes but a goal worth striving for to keep us happy and healthy.

Happy New Year.