health

I started to suffer with anxiety and obviously that brings in struggling to breathe sometimes and then panic attacks and that kind of thing.

I was also struggling with putting weight on and was mindful that I needed to do some exercise - I wanted to lose weight but also had anxiety going on.

I felt like all the other kind of exercise that I did - swimming, joining the gym, walking - they just never hit the anxiety. 

So I would do them and never feel relaxed or feel calm. And then I would go t…

I've been posting a lot on Facebook recently as I'm trying to raise my profile a bit

And it's obviously working as I'm reaching more people

But with that come people who aren't really a good fit for what I do

This meant that last week I got trolled on one of my videos 

It was just a simple video - showing hip circles as a way to ease out your back and hips after sitting for a while

So nothing massively fitness about it and nothing controversial

But this bloke said that if I lost some fat t…

It's been a while since my first blog about prolapse and a few things have changed since then.  So I thought I'd do a couple of updates

There are two ways you can look at helping with POP symptoms - what can you do to prevent things getting worse and what can you do to make things better.

So first we'll look at preventing things getting worse

One of the key things with this is looking at intra abdominal pressure (IAP)

IAP is the pressure within the abdominal cavity and is reliant on the flui…

I had a Balinese-inspired massage last week and the beginning of the ritual was to put a heated eye mask on

I then enjoyed being massaged with small and large bamboo sticks as well as with hands. 

Then the time came to roll over...

Weirdly, having an eye mask on made it really difficult for me to turn! 

That small dulling of one of my senses affected the rest of my body, especially my proprioception - where I was in space.  In the end I had to lift it off my eyes so that I felt safe to move!…

It's so easy to lose yourself when you become a mum...

In the early days, you're at the beck and call of a tiny dictator, so something as simple as having a shower can feel like a real treat!

You may then get so used to putting everybody else first that you forget your own needs

I only woke up to this fact a few years ago.  So I decided to do some training that was less about exercise for once and more about my mood.

I learnt a few simple steps and have been implementing these regularly and …

I've created a Back Pain Relief course for Mums-to-be and one of the modules is all about sleep

Quality of sleep has a strong association with back pain.

It also affects stress levels which can have a knock-on effect on your pelvic floor

I really struggled at the beginning of the first lockdown and was waking at 4-5am every morning.  To begin with I stayed in bed for a couple of hours, just trying to get back to sleep but never really managing to

I came to the conclusion that it was better t…

This should cover all the questions I'm normally asked about exercise and pregnancy, but if you have any questions I haven't covered please ask below!

For most women, exercising during pregnancy will be of great benefit.  You should always seek the advice of your healthcare provider first, especially if you have a higher risk pregnancy or an underlying health issue.  They will then advise you on the type of exercise that is suitable for you.

All the published guidelines and benefits are based …

For many women, a bout of morning sickness is when they first realise they are pregnant. 

It's also one of the reasons women stop exercising in their first trimester - that and the exhaustion you feel in the early weeks of pregnancy.

It's worth nothing that that tiredness can also be a factor in morning sickness, so it's important to prioritise rest whenever you can - avoid bright lights, loud noises and rapid head movements too

Hopefully some of the tips below will help you so that if you wa…

As it’s National Breastfeeding Week I thought I would share my breastfeeding story in case it’s helpful to anyone.

My first birth was by Caesarean section. The baby was whisked away straightaway - I didn’t even get to see her. Even when I was in the recovery room she wasn’t handed to me. I think because it had passed that golden hour of first contact that no one really bothered.

So there I was with a crying child beside me that I had to ask for them to pass me. I needed help getting her latched on…

So it’s July and we’re half way through the year. In my business training it’s all about looking at where I am - seeing what’s worked, what’s not and what I need to do going forward.

In my personal life I’m doing the same.

At the beginning of the year I was in New Zealand having the time of my life. I was the happiest I’ve been in a long time. Because of this I brought home a lot of the habits I started there. As a family we were happier too.  So I decided I should put more effort into time out …