Sugar and Booze free year

What is online/at home programming?

I’m thrilled that a few people are already really excited about my new venture into online/at home programming.

This means I’ve only 4 places left, as due to my PhD etc I’m careful to not over commit (something it took me decades to learn!)

If you are wondering what it’s all about it’s pretty simple you would tell me your aims and any injuries/health conditions you are working through. We would then establish what your short term and long term goals are and each week I would send you exercises for that week. We would use a blend of yoga, Pilates, strength and cardio depending on your aims. Usually it’s 3 to 4 sessions for the week. How long the sessions are depends on the time you have available. There would be links to videos of any new exercises along with relevant explanations.

You would then feed back to me how that week went, what works if anything doesn’t and I would tweak accordingly.

It’s a bespoke at home program to help you work towards your health goals using whatever equipment and time you have.

I am particularly looking to work with anyone recovering from illness/injury or living with chronic health conditions. Or anyone who has been away from movement for a long time and is wanting to build back up. Essentially anyone who wants to use movement to help regain their health.

I’m very open with the fact I have chronic health issues that I in the main control through lifestyle and exercise. This is why I am quite so passionate about this area of fitness. The aspect of it that gives you your life back. For me finding the right combination of movement has been life changing.

Programming will be available from the 22nd of August and costs £40 a month.

If you would like to join me please drop me a message

For more information visit http://www.northumberland.yoga

Personal Training and Online Programming

Back at the beginning of lockdown when teaching classes etc basically ground to a halt I started a personal trainer course. It was something I had fancied doing for a while but time!

Anyway I started it made it through all the paperwork and exams but didn’t have an opportunity to take the practical exams till yesterday. I really pleased to say that I passed. This means I can offer PT sessions within the Alnwick area but it also means I can offer online training to anyone who feels they would benefit from it.

I particularly hope to work with anyone who is recovering from illness, or has hypermobility issues and needs to work on strength and stability or is peri/post menopausal, including surgical menopause.

The reason for wanting to work with people who are struggling with health issues is simple. I’m one of them, I have chronic health conditions and know just how life changing fitness can be. This doesn’t mean I’ve fixed myself and I still have flare ups. BUT I have a near normal quality of life. It was also strength training that helped my chronically ill daughter to get back to school. So I’m pretty passionate about it!

If you think you could benefit from individualised programming using a blend of yoga, Pilates and strength in order to improve your health please get in touch!

Not the best of days/weeks/months

It’s not been the best of times recently and today has just tipped me over the edge.

I struggle as I’ve talked about before with the responsibility of being a carer. I feel the weight of doing right by my daughter, by all my children so very much.

At the moment I’m trying to get her the help and support she needs to not only do well at GCSE but to be able to do A levels. Did you know there is no at home provision from the local authorities for A levels? It only goes up to GCSE. Disabled kids apparently don’t need to have a future or a right to university.

I have a few leads to follow on that and hopefully will get somewhere. But sometimes the fight just exhausts me. I am determined that her disabilities won’t stop her from achieving what she can but by god the world isn’t making it easy. Then there’s her upcoming surgery which makes me sick with worry.

Throw on top of that a few large unexpected bills (there’s the holiday savings gone) a parking mistake that led to a ticket and people being generally mean and I’m just done. I really do try to remain positive and count our blessings but right now I honestly just want to cry, curl up in bed for a week and be left alone.

I wish the universe would occasionally just give us a break.

Christmas, hospital and Charlotte’s new hair.

Christmas was lovely and I took a few days off the sugar free. In fact I took 5 off, not because I was stuffing my face with quality street on an hourly basis but I had a few meals out and social engagements and really don’t want to that killjoy demanding sugar free this and that. I’m happy to pay the penalty in these circumstances and will be popping £100 into the charity pot. Generally I’m struggling with this sugar free challenge, it just adds such an extra element of hassle into daily life which is starting to wear me down. I will stick with it till June though, it’s not that long till the year is out. I’ve said it before but last year’s CrossFit challenge was so much easier.

Charlotte update – she’s doing ok, chronic fatigue is kicking her arse as is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. It’s really difficult for her. She also has an operation coming up in March which she isn’t exactly over the moon about. She has a few tumors which the medical people are certain are benign but they need to come out, just to safe and because them being there could make it more tricky to spot something serious. We were at hospital yesterday arranging this.

She has had a few surgeries across her life and always has a dreadful time with the cannula and with throwing up after. Oh my is she sick afterwards, violently, for hours and they’ve tried everything to prevent/stop it. Nothing as yet has worked. So she’s not a happy bunny and left hospital quite stressed. We did the sensible and mature thing and went home to shave most of her hair off and bleach what is left.

Other than that I don’t think there’s much news, my eldest is moving into a place of his own which is very exciting, we adopted a cat we literally found in our bins, half starved poor thing. Seb moving out and the car moving in aren’t connected though swapping kids for cats could be a plan.

As always if you find anything of interest or use in my blog please consider sponsoring me and help work towards a cure for Cowden Syndrome. Thank you.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sugarfreeyear

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Hysterectomy & oophorectomy part 3

I’m three months post op now and honestly I feel better than I have in years. I’m so glad I had the surgery. It sounded drastic at the time but 12 day cycles were exhausting me. I was either bleeding or pre menstrual pretty much all of the time.

The constant hormone fluctuations meant I spent half my time trying to not snap at someone or burst into tears. Now I wake up with energy and look forward to the day ahead. Honestly I wish I’d had it done far sooner.

I’m running more than I ever have in my life, the extra energy had to go somewhere. I’m certainly not an ultra runner but 21 miles in a week feels like a success to me. More importantly I love it, the freedom of being outside, just me and the dog plus very loud rock music.

CrossFit is taking longer to get back to as my hormone levels with hrt are not quite right which is affecting strength but generally I feel amazing so I don’t care.

Here’s to hopefully feeling better and better as I get further away from the operation.

*edit, the op wasn’t of course just due to short cycles. I was bleeding very heavily and had a dangerous thickening of the endometrial layer. However being free of the short cycles is absolutely fricking awesome