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healthy living

Getting back my balance

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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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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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Upper body mobility sequence

A few upper body moves you can easily fit into your day - even while sat at your desk!

Tightness in the upper body can affect your posture, ability to reach, create pain in the jaw, neck, shoulders and low back, contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction and can even affect your heart!

So getting more movement in is key - how many ways can you move your ribs?

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Can squats help your heart?

Exercise is great for heart health, but is it only cardio-type workouts that make a difference?

Or can strength training help too?

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Healthy Hearts - and how to get them

February is Heart Month, so I've been focusing a little bit on cardiovascular exercise recently

Cardio exercise - exercise that makes your heart rate go up - is one of a few ways to improve your heart health.  Other factors you can look at:

  • regular exercise - not just cardio
  • healthy diet
  • healthy weight
  • quit smoking
  • limit alcohol intake
  • manage stress
  • prioritise sleep
  • move more often - not just exercise but throughout your day
  • stay hydrated

The thing I love about exercise is that it…

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Keeping going when the pain is no longer there

Our health is one of those weird things that we don't really think about until something isn't working properly or we are in pain

I think why I didn't enjoy pregnancy the first time round was because I expected things to work/feel as they always did, and that definitely wasn't true anymore!  It's also why peri-menopause is a challenge...

I certainly never considered my pelvic floor until after having my first baby/prolapse

And when I injured my back, the constant pain impacted everything I di…

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Preventing injury vs recovering from injury

After the tale of my thumb injury in last week's email it turns out I am, as my family would say, in the wars

We went for a little wander last week before school started again

I went to cross the road and stepped off the kerb - not realising it was a double kerb

So my foot landed too heavy too soon, my ankle gave way and I fell onto both knees into the road

Luckily it was a Sunday and there was no traffic!

But I hurt my ankles, knees and feet - and my pride!

I was worried that it would ham…

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