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Strong for Life

Did you know that the longest running class on my timetable is actually strength training?

I started with Bums, Tums & Wobbly Bits at a school in Reddish once a week.  Now there are multiple ways on my timetable to get stronger - Total Body Tone, Kettlebell circuits, Strength and Cardio, Low Impact HIIT and Pilates!

The advice is that you do two strength workouts a week - and the benefits go far beyond just getting stronger:

💪 builds functional strength
💪 improves bone health
💪 helps with weight m…

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Summer Showcase - Welcome to WalkFit

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Is Pilates the Perfect Exercise?

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Movement and Mental Health

I hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather we've got at the moment!

Sitting in the sun is a great way to help your mental health - the boost to serotonin levels can make you feel so good!  

Another way to help your mental health is with exercise

I know for myself and for many of my classmates, mental wellbeing is one of the top reasons for exercising - alongside physical health.  That is why I was so pleased to see it as a theme for Mental Health Awareness week - which finishes today

Exerc…

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Celebrating National Pilates Day

The first Saturday in May is National Pilates Day, so to celebrate I thought I'd share one of my classes with you!

It uses a towel to help you get some strength and stretch to your upper body with some back mobility work too - I hope you enjoy it!

Pilates - 2_5_24 with a towel

It's a good example of the way I teach Pilates and the benefits you can get from it:

  • improving posture
  • easing aches and pains
  • core and pelvic floor strength without the strain
  • back care
  • whole body strengthening
  • mobility
  • balance work
  • b…

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Core strength without the strain

Did you know your core should switch on JUST BEFORE it's needed?

And that there should be no feeling of strain or bearing down?

Or that you can use other parts of your body to initiate a core connection - instead of sucking in, zipping up or lifting up on pelvic floor

Find out more about your core in the videos below!

If you would like to learn more about switching on your pelvic floor and core without straining and helping it to become more of an automatic switch on - I have a masterc…

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What Is WalkFit and Who Is It For?

I'm nursing a bit of an injury to my achilles at the moment and have had to cut down on how far I walk each day

Friday I was even unsure I would be able to do my class

But WalkFit was actually the perfect thing - enough to mobilise my ankle without over-doing it!

One class member last week also found it the perfect way back into exercise after illness

That's one reason WalkFit is great

For others, it's about easing in to a new fitness habit

Some of the participants who started my Fit in Fi…

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Back mobility exercises

As part of March Matness this week I'm looking at exercises you can do to help your back mobility.

Working on back mobility can help with stiffness, pain, pelvic floor issues and core strength as well as help to avoid injury

All the moves should feel comfortable - we're not trying to push 

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Heart health - the final part of the puzzle

So far we've looked at a few things that can help with heart health, for various reasons:

  • cardio exercise - strengthens the heart and lungs
  • strength exercise - lowers blood pressure
  • Pilates/yoga/mobility - reducing stiffness in the upper body, which will reduce arterial stiffness

The final part to consider is - relaxation, stress management and sleep

Insomnia at midlife can raise a woman's risk of a heart attack by 70%

Exercising can help with stress reduction, relaxation and sleep - j…

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Muscular stiffness and your heart

So far we've looked at heart health in women, particularly around menopause, and how movement can help you - both cardio and strength workouts.

But where does that leave mind body exercises like Pilates and yoga?

As I said last week, bodyweight strength counts as much as lifting weights does - so any squat, lunge, hinge, push, pull moves you might be doing will help with lowering blood pressure in the same way.

But there is another reason why it helps

Stiffness in the upper body is related t…

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