Clean Well-Being

Effectiveness in exercise.

What does this mean to you?

Perhaps you exercise to feel fitter, stronger or more flexible; maybe you exercise as a way to let go of your worries for an hour; or perhaps you want to move in a place where there are like-minded people and you don't have to explain yourself to anyone.

Whatever your reason, an exercise class has to meet your needs. It has to make a positive difference to your life, otherwise I’d suggest it’s pointless. Progression and consistency are crucial factors for effectiveness. No one can expect ‘results’ after just one class, so it’s important to keep going by turning up and making incremental progress.

What can you expect from my exercise classes? Consistency!

We always start with a warm up, naturally; we breathe deeply and begin to move the body in lots of different ways. I’ll usually do some sort of ‘primer’ move in the warm up that we return to later on in the class.

Each Monday, I do a that is incorporated into every class (when I remember…). It’s nothing fancy – just good practice.

We work the macro and the micro – the big and the small muscle groups. My mission is to help you achieve a stronger body, one that is flexible, well-balanced, and mobile.

Sometimes, we do things quickly, other times slowly. We always focus on breathing.

I have LOTS of cues that I say ad infinitum, including spread toes long and strong, soft knees, pelvis tucked under, ribs over pelvis, chest wide, shoulders down and chin on an imaginary shelf. My favourite is ‘knees and feet forwards and away’, which is a nod to the Alexander Technique.

​Plus, I talk about which parts of the body are in play and why we do each exercise – and the long-term benefits of movement in general. Details matter to me and I like to share what I know with everyone.

Being consistent is one of the most crucial things for health and well-being, especially when people are recovering from injury.

And I’ll add patience to that too.

Change can take a long time and it can feel really frustrating when ‘results’ aren’t noticed immediately. But in my role as an exercise therapist, I remind clients that adapted movement takes a long time to establish itself and it will likely take time to re-establish patterns and habits.

Consistency is one of the most important elements in change: if you are consistent and persistent, you will eventually notice positive change.

I’ve worked in health and well-being for decades and have collated a few tips that are based in strong evidence and also my experiences. They won’t all work for everyone so it’s important to pick the ones that appeal to you. As with all kinds of this online ‘advice’, if you need different or more support, please contact the relevant services (GP, mental health services, charities, etc.). Maintaining mental and emotional health is an on-going process and might sometimes feel more difficult and equally easier than other times. For many people, this is part of being a human and is to be expected.

One of the things I go back to all the time is to write down or draw what's on your mind. (I’m definitely not saying that some mental illnesses will be cured by writing in a journal or drawing a picture of your feelings; hoping that's obvious.) Instead, when you want to look after your mental and emotional health, it can be helpful to allow your feelings out onto paper or a screen; writing or drawing until there's nothing left can feel cathartic and freeing. The act of getting your feelings out can lighten the load.