Women's Health and Wellness Specialist. Movement coach and massage therapist, offering personalised
Operating as usual
Taking a few days out with Aaron 🖤
I'll be about, but as of right this minute any work related things will be answered when I'm back online on Weds ✌️
Have a beautiful weekend everybody!
P O W E R 💪
This is one of those movements that always makes me feel super strong!
And after a couple of very complacent days, it was great to get a sweat on and feel strong within my own body again!
What movements, or anything for that matter, make you feel strong and poooowerful??
My favourite new thing I've been doing during this time....having my workout whilst watching Disney 😄
A little upper body play around with 💪 but can you guess the film?!
My most favourite thing to do post-run is a good old move around through my feet, ankles and calves 🧡
Using the step is a lovely way to add a bit of space to fully get in to the stretch/movement, and I've discovered it's awesome for getting in to the tissue on the underside and arch of the foot for some self release work too!
I'm not really a huge smoothie fan....I always think if I'm having a meal, I'm gonna eat it! Make it feel like a little something more than just a thick drink ya know?!
🥤
But when you finish a run, are pushed for time, it's hot outside and you have some old 'nanas to use up... today it made sense!
And it was pretty good actually! More like a thick chocolate milkshake....
🍌1 banana, frozen
🍫1 scoop choc protein powder (optional, good quality cocoa or cacao can sub for a choc hit)
🥜5 walnuts + 2 brazil nuts (+ 1tsp ground flax actually)
🥛250-300ml organic semi skimmed milk (mill something I used to avoid, and am still uncomfortable from an ethical pov - more on that another time!)
Blitz, stick a straw in and enjoy! Cheers!
🖤
20/05/2020
‼️NEW FAVOURITE SALAD ALERT‼️
Think fresh flavours, crunchy textures from the veg + seeds, in comparison to the soft from the noodles and such a good array of all the good nutrient side too
Are you drooling yet?! 🤤😍🤤
The recipe is a .hemsley one (post is on her feed) and it's pretty easy to adapt if you don't have exactly what's on the list of ingredients, or to your personal taste buds.
The dressing was 👌👌
Yesterday's dinner, today's lunch and possibly even some extra leftovers too! Unheard of for and I to have a dish last more than 2 meals each!!
I also added some salmon in for my meals, for some extra omega 3, vitamin b + protein. Important things at the best of times, but especially to help support my body during this time of the month, especially as a non-meat eater 🖤
18/05/2020
It's known that being out in nature is one of the best things to help boost your mood, and is a brilliant way to help improve our mental health
So just in case you can't, or don't want to, actually be outside today then here's a little bit of nature (+ some beautiful furry friends, said in a completely unbiased way) for your feed instead 🐶🌺🌷🌼🐱
06/05/2020
🌸Y O U R . C Y C L E🌸
🌑PHASE 4 - Menstrual phase. Duration: 3-7 days
What your hormones are doing....your progesterone production starts to drop off (due to the corpus luteum being reabsorbed) which triggers the shedding of your uterine lining - aka your bleed / period!
Oestrogen rises + then drops, which stimulates your hypothalamus to prep for going back to the beginning with another cycle of ovulation
What your body’s doing, and what it might need....your bleed is what characterises this phase. You may also experience pelvic cramps, low back ache, fatigue + cravings (yay!)
💪🏻R + R! Important at any time during your training but, for most, especially during the first couple of days of your bleed when your flow may be heaviest. Take time to stretch, walk + move in a way that feels good. As you move toward the end of your bleed (and therefore back toward the follicular phase) you may feel like amping things up a little again 🖤
Perfect for....self-analysis. The communication between the left + right side of the brain is at its most powerful during this phase. The time you’ll most likely receive clear intuitive-feel-it-in-your gut kind of messages. Check in + listen. Take advantage of this phase to identify areas in your life that may need your attention (especially if it’s a recurring, monthly thing).
🌸🌙💃🏼
Info is based from ‘The Woman Code’ by Alisa Vitti + on women who have a ‘normal’ or ‘regular’ menstrual cycle. Please seek advice from a healthcare professional if you would like or are in need of any information, help and guidance.
04/05/2020
Need a little boost to your Monday morning energy?
I find diffusing some essential oils a brilliant way to keep me perked up!
Today smells like this.....
🌿 Rosemary to help keep me focused
💜Lavender to help keep me calm
🍊Wild orange to pep me up
What is your choice of oils to diffuse/burn, and why??
My legs are dead after yesterday's online plyo session with 💀🏃♀️
I'm absolutely loving the opportunity to be able to try something new and different...one of the small good things about being in lockdown!
For ages I've wanted to join a running or track club but have never found one that offers the kind of thing I want or is close enough for me to get to.
Thank you online training for giving me a great virtual offering instead!
Tomorrow morning I'm joining in the long run... considering the furthest I've gone in about 7 months is 6km, I'm looking forward to (/bricking it a little) trying to get some more distance back under my feet!
🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
Anyway, I know I'll be in safe hands and couldn't recommend Fletch/OneTrack enough (both tagged above) if you want some awesome training and guidance to help improve pretty much all aspects for your running and fitness, and understand WHY you're doing what you're doing (always so important!). Maybe I'll change my mind on that tomorrow 😂
29/04/2020
🌸Y O U R . C Y C L E🌸
🌜PHASE 3 - Luteal phase. Duration: 10-14 days
What your hormones are doing....a rise in progesterone (caused by the follicle from which the egg bursts - the corpus luteum - growing on the surface of the o***y), signals the pituatary gland to stop producing FSH and LH (see previous posts). Also signals the body to keep the uterine lining intact.
Oestrogen levels continue to rise.
No egg fertilisation causes the corpus luteum to be reabsorbed. Progesterone production stops, triggering your period.
Testosterone will continue to increase until the end of this phase.
What your body’s doing, and what it might need....physical energy starts to decline. Premenstrual symptoms may start to develop toward the end of this phase (ie bloating, irritability, mood swings, cravings...)
💪🏻During the first half of this phase, your energy may still be on the higher side, so continue with the more strenuous activities you took on during ovulation. Towards the end of this phase, you may want to start to scale back on intensity - during the final 5 days or so...walking, yoga, movement based training are great for this time 🖤
Perfect for....nesting! As your energy starts to soften, draw your attention inwards. Awareness, attention + comfort are key. The lute always phase is the ideal time to take care of domestic chores, organise your home space, stock up the cupboards etc...due to the hormone shift, your brain will begin to prioritise admin-driven things that you may usually put off. The feeling to nest may also be internal - pay yourself extra attention with your self-care routine (hot baths, time away with a cup of coffee or a book etc...). Time to sloooow down.
🌸🌙💃🏼
Info is based from ‘The Woman Code’ by Alisa Vitti + on women who have a ‘normal’ or ‘regular’ menstrual cycle
🌸Y O U R . C Y C L E . Part 2🌸
🌕 PHASE 2 - Ovulatory phase. Duration: 3-4 days
What your hormones are doing....further hormones are released (sharp rise of FSH as well as luteinizing hormone) which simulates one of the follicles to continue to swell + burst (some women are able to feel this happen!)
....An egg is released in to the Fallopian tubes. This egg travels to the uterus
....Oestrogen levels continue to rise, helping to further thicken the uterine lining (important if you are looking for that egg to become fertilised as it helps support the growth of immune system cells in the uterus...)
....Testosterone has a quick surge, then drops around the time of ovulation
What your body’s doing, and what it might need....this is when you are at your most fertile - hello cravings, and possibly headaches too! Energy levels in this phase, however, will be at max!
Coming in to peak fertility, you may notice some ups + downs in those energy levels and mindset, perhaps feeling like you need to slow down at the end of this phase.
💪🏻You’re primed to take on more strenuous activities during this phase...think weights, plyometrics and running. As communication and connecting with others feels great during this phase too, it’s nice to consider training with friends 🖤
Perfect for....important conversations and connecting with community. Hold off on having those important conversations until after this phase is over if possible, as your heightened communication skills will allow you to convey your thoughts and opinions more clearly.
An ideal time for first dates too 🥰
🌸🌙💃🏼
Info is based from ‘The Woman Code’ by Alisa Vitti + on women who have a ‘normal’ or ‘regular’ menstrual cycle
I did a post last week on the about creating more space around the ribs and belly area, in order to breathe with more ease...
Here's a lovely post from Danielle, one of my fab sports massage tutors (who has also literally just had a baby 👶🎉) about some more lovely stomach based self massage, this time to aid digestion
Honestly, if you've never had soft tissue work done in the stomach area, you are in for a real treat! It's one of my most favourite areas to work on in treatments and to work on myself too 🙌😃
()
・・・
M A S S A G E • F O R • D I G E S T I O N
If your digestive system has felt a bit sluggish at the moment from moving a bit less and maybe eating slightly differently as our world has changed right now, then massage for digestion can help!
Massaging your stomach to help with digestion issues and the feeling of restriction around the area of your abdomen.
The direction of massage starts at your right hip in a clockwise direction.
To set yourself up, lie on your back with your knees up and use a little massage oil or an oil like coconut oil.
1️⃣ Little presses: Along the clockwise direction, take small pumping style presses onto the tummy.
2️⃣ Smooth massage movements: slide your fingers in the clockwise direction for a smooth massage technique.
🔁 Repeat as many times as feels good!
20/04/2020
🌸Y O U R . C Y C L E🌸
Ready to get to know some more about how our fantastic female bodies work?
This is simplified to (hopefully) make sense, but still inform :)
🌙 PHASE 1 - Follicular phase. Duration: 7-10 days
What your hormones are doing....signals are sent to your ovaries (from the hypothalamus to your pituitary gland, to send FHS - follicle-stimulating hormone) in prep to release an egg.
Egg follicles start to swell.
Oestrogen increases (thickening the uterus lining to hold the egg)
What your body’s doing, and what it might need....this phase is the peak of your physical energy! This may also come across as restlessness. Emotionally you’ll be more upbeat + outgoing 💃🏼
💪🏻Time to let the body and brain try something new! You have more energy for a more challenging, stimulating activity. Your ability for learning + sticking to your new thang is much stronger at this point in your cycle, it’ll feel easy + natural to step out of your comfort zone + try new things 🖤
Perfect for....being creative + new beginnings. This is a great time to dive in to new projects at work or at home, and to take on mental challenges whilst you’ve got the extra focus + energy. Its also a great time to be social, so say YES to invites...albeit, when you’re not in the middle of a lockdown 😂
🌸🌙💃🏼
Info is based from ‘The Woman Code’ by Alisa Vitti + on women who have a ‘normal’ or ‘regular’ menstrual cycle
Mobility - GO!
Is there much better than just moving at the moment?
Freeing up from nose to toes. Ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, neck all getting some 🖤
I know exercise is far from a lot of people's minds at this moment, but putting a few minutes aside each day to just move will do wonders for both your body + your mindset.
Stretch, mobilise, dance.... whatever does it for you! 🧘🕺🤸♀️🧘♂️💃🤸♂️
This sequence felt bloody lovely. Will re-film in normal time if anybody would like to give it a try 🖤
19/04/2020
Went exploring 🚶♀️🚶
Found Elmstead Woods 🌳☀️🌼
If there's one good thing I'm taking out of this current situation, it's that I have been given the opportunity to explore our local area more
It has sparked a curiosity of 'I wonder where that path leads to' and allowing myself the time to go + see....
Turns out it's a good idea to follow the path unknown sometimes 💚 @ Elmstead Woods
15/04/2020
LET'S TALK CYCLES!
Or more specifically, periods. Know much about how yours works?
❤️
I find the subject of the menstrual cycle fascinating. For most women, it's something we go through every month (or unless you're me, and it comes + goes as it pleases!) yet is a topic we still aren't talking or learning about enough, in my opinion.
But, it's a massive indicator of our overall health. For some, it's just something that occurs and you get on with life...for others it's something that causes continuous problems.
Which camp are you in?
As someone who largely works with women, and has suffered (and continues to suffer) with ongoing period issues myself, it's something I have tried to educate myself around. I've also found more clients more willing and open to discuss the topic with me as of late.
So, I thought I would do a little series around menstrual health....the 'norms', the phases + what they mean, how different times of the month can affect you and your period can mean for you + your training etc.....
If there's anything else you have a question about, or have always wondered about the magical me**es, let me know! I'll see if I have the answer 😄
First thing I want you to think about before we get started - do you track your cycle? If not, let's start here. I can recommend the app 'My Calender' or 'Moody', but there are loads out there - or you can just use good ol'pen + paper! This is an important starting point, so give it a go if you want to learn more with me 💙
I'd like to just say, I have not done any formal qualifications around this, so all information provided will be what I have read or learned via personal experience or others. I will tag/give credit where I need to so you can look it up through the external sources too!
Weighted belly breathing
We all know the wonders breathing well and intentionally can do for us 💙
Adding a light load to the abdomen whilst doing some deep breathing is an amazing way to aid along with restoring 'parasympathetic tone' .... we are talking rest, digest, repair, reproduce!
Plus it's a great way of helping repair digestive function + restore hormone balance...lots of important things for us females ♀️
I know it's very sped up, but you can definitely see the change in my belly movement as I work through just 3 mins of breathing (you can do as long or as little as you need, that's all the time I could squeeze in before a client).
With having cramps since 6am this morning, this really helped relax things + make me feel less waaaaah!
08/04/2020
BACON OR.....?!
One of the things I'm really enjoying about being at home a lot more is having time to look through my saved posts on insta, which are 98% food, and get to trying a few new things!
No they're NOT bacon silly, they're SWEET POTATO! 🍠🥓
And very delicious.
The perfect dipping accompaniment to the spicy coconut sweet potato soup in fact 🌶️🌴🍵
Which, I might add, is probably one of the tastiest soups I've made in a while!
I've been eyeing these crispy bad boys up for a while, which I came across on page 💙
05/04/2020
Enjoying keeping it very simple this morning....
Homemade bread, topped with homemade butter.
Add in a coffee + a seat in the sunshine coming through the window.
💙
Clobbered a load of kit together to hit up today's UPPER BODY + CORE workout.
Not sure I've ever done one of those before 😂 but I definitely felt that!
...
Pull exercises - suspension trainer •Row to hinge •Bicep curls
•Wide pulls (couldn't get low enough for pull up variation but similar thing)
💪
...
Push exercises - + a block (thought the weights vest was a good idea to start! Nope!)
•Varied push ups - vest / animal / scorpion
•Slow lateral press variations
•Supine hold up + overs
🔥
...
Mixed bag to finish - whatever I could grab / towel
•Bent over rows
•Slooooow beetles / kneetles (playing around with lift/lower)
•(falling) Star lifts
🌟
...
This challenge and movement is what is keeping me fully sane, less stressed and exploring movements. Call it practice for clients 😂 you're welcome!
..
P.s. aplogies for the crappy camera angle! Thought I'd placed it better than this 😒
Clobbered a load of kit together to hit up today's UPPER BODY + CORE workout.
Not sure I've ever done one of those before 😂 but I definitely felt that!
...
Pull exercises - suspension trainer
•Row to hinge
•Bicep curls
•Wide pulls (couldn't get low enough for pull up variation but similar thing)
💪
...
Push exercises - + a block (thought the weights vest was a good idea to start! Nope!)
•Varied push ups - vest / animal / scorpion
•Slow lateral press variations
•Supine hold up + overs
🔥
...
Mixed bag to finish - whatever I could grab / towel
•Bent over rows
•Slooooow beetles / kneetles (playing around with lift/lower)
•(falling) Star lifts
🌟
...
This challenge and movement is what is keeping me fully sane, less stressed and exploring movements. Call it practice for clients 😂 you're welcome!
01/04/2020
ATTENTION ALL ONLINE CLIENTS!
Group sessions for you lovely lot are finally up + running as of this Saturday. A few added extras to your week to, hopefully, get you up + keep you moving!
All details are in the FB group, so head over there to find out what you need to find out more, how to book on + get yourself involved 💪💙💪💙
Quick client check in + home care video to give the neck some love, sent out in to our FB group
A super simple STR to relieve some tension and get some loooovely stretch going through the neck, upper shoulders + chest 💙
P.S. if you are currently training with me and I haven't added you in to this group, please let me know so I can do!
28/03/2020
Client feedback from a couple of sessions this week 💙
As we head in to the weekend, after what has been a craaaazy week, I feel excited, happy and pretty tired...but even more so, I feel huge GRATITUDE 🙏🙏🙏
I feel so lucky that I've been able to transition quickly in to running my 1-2-1 PT sessions + group sessions online 🙏 I feel amazed that my diary is as busy, if not busier than before this sh*t hit the fan 🙏 but more than anything I feel beyond thankful that I have such an amazing, loyal, supportive and motivated bunch of clients + LL members, plus friends + family, to keep me going + lifted through it all 💙💙🙏💙🙏💙💙
This week could have, legit, been the end of my business! But thanks to everyone I work with, and beyond, I'm here to train them all on another day 💪
I know a lot of other self employed people aren't in the same position as me, and this isn't a post to rub anything in anyone's face - I would never ever want to make someone feel like that - but I can't not express my thanks.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
I can't say it enough 💙
I tried to tag everyone but my brain is frayed. If I missed you, I'm sorry but I still love you too!
27/03/2020
Chickpea + 'whatever' veg tagine 🥘
After the quickest, busiest, most blooming mad week I've had in a while this was a great option. All chopped, cooked and plated up in about 45 mins!
Meals like this are my fave...plenty of flavour + spice, a good mix of veg + texture, all in one pan, using what you got in the fridge and cupboards kind of jobby 😄
Served with brown rice + yoghurt.
Can't wait for the leftovers tomorrow already!
💙
| Monday | 6:30am - 9pm |
| Tuesday | 6:30am - 9pm |
| Wednesday | 6:30am - 9pm |
| Thursday | 6:30am - 9pm |
| Friday | 6:30am - 3pm |
| Saturday | 8am - 11am |
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