Fitness - Fat Girl Fit

Six-Week Summer Bootcamp

I have been training with Emma for a while now and wrote a blog post about picking a personal trainer that you can read here.

Training I have done with Emma has been varied from in the gym, outdoor workouts, obstacle training and running. Recently, however, Emma has started doing outdoor training more and this has worked well especially within the constrictions of government guidelines around COVID. When she advertised for a 6-week summer bootcamp I was immediately interested. My main focus is cycling right now but with all events cancelled for 2020 it has given me the opportunity to change my focus slightly and incorporating more strength work, I know from experience, would provide benefits in itself.

So what was included? Well there were 3 packages on offer as follows:

Yellow – £50 – 3 x group PT sessions per week, access to online workout videos, 1 x face to face nutrition talk per week
Purple – £70 – unlimited group PT sessions per week, access to online workout videos, 1 x face to face nutrition talk per week
Black – £90 – unlimited group PT sessions per week, access to online workout videos, 1 x face to face nutrition talk per week, 2 x solo PT sessions to be used over the 6 week period

I opted for the yellow package as that fit in with my schedule the best and still allowed days for cycling. I am currently working from home so have the benefit of being a little more flexible with time compared to if I was commuting into the city and with 17 bootcamp sessions on offer over each week it is easy to make this work with other commitments – no excuses!

All sessions are held outside, no matter the weather, on private fenced tennis courts so the space being used is purely for Emma and the participants of the sessions she is taking.

In advance of the start I was added to a private facebook group, which was good as everyone on the course is in the group and you can all interact with each other and ask questions. Emma emailed over a booklet, which included everything about the course, link for the booking system with timetable, exercise and food tracker, nutritional detail and more. There would also be videos shared within the facebook group from Emma with nutritional information that we could benefit from.

Emma, by her own admission, is not a personal trainer who will opt to use lots of fancy equipment and so whilst there is pretty much all the equipment you would need for a bootcamp/circuit class for these sessions, some will use purely one tyre per person for the entire session – don’t be fooled by thinking the simpler the easier as these are often the harder sessions. And I will admit those sessions are my favourite – how much can you do with one tyre? The answer is a lot and you will definitely feel it by the end of the session! She won’t scream and shout at you so you will get out what you put in and you just need yourself, a mat and a bottle of water.

The hardest session? There was one where we completed 1,000 reps within the session. There were 10 stations, 1 exercise per station, 1,000 reps in total (it was savage) but at the end I was all check me out I just did 1,000 reps!!

I like the bootcamp type of workout as it is great for strength and conditioning and as many of the sessions are high intensity aerobic intervals you tend to burn more calories. I also find with group training I tend to push myself harder especially if I am paired up with someone else.

I knew a number of the people signed up for the bootcamp course but even those I didn’t were all very friendly. As my work returns to potentially going back into the city I won’t be able to keep these sessions up and will miss it, the structure is fab although I won’t miss the midges! There is, however, the option for pay as you go so I am sure I will still be back for some of the sessions on offer.

If you are wondering what sort of thing is done during these sessions head over to the Trained By Vinny facebook page to see some of the videos and pictures that are shared to give you an idea.

And with regards to COVID Emma has put in a number of measures including completion of a questionnaire in advance of attending sessions, providing a register on arrival, gloves for those that want them, antibacterial gel for us, wipes for people to use and all equipment is wiped down and sanitised before and after every session – my equipment at home will seem alien not smelling of anti bac ha ha!

There are also benefits from training outdoors including getting more fresh air, some people claim that being outside raises serotonin levels that regulate anxiety, happiness and moods, it is better for your well being, boosts your immune system, more time in the sun increases vitamin D levels and when it rains it hides the sweat!

And the results speak for themselves! During the 6 week period I got the following results:

I improved in all areas on my fitness test at the end of the course compared to when I started. This test included how many sit ups, press ups and squats I could do within a minute and how long I could hold a plank.
I found as the weeks progressed certain exercises like chest press, shoulder press were noticeably easier.
I lost 9.5lbs in weight.
I lost a total of 16 inches across chest, waist, hips, thighs, arms, neck and wrists.

Just look at all the smiles!

Category: Fitness

A Personal One From Me

This year marks ten years since I had a hysterectomy – getting a little personal with this one.

I won’t go into details but after having our son quite young and then years of pretty horrific gynae experiences it was decided this was the best course of action. And yes all other options had been exhausted (you’d be amazed at the amount of comments I get around this as if it was a throw away decision)!

It took me a long time to really get to grips with this – for my husband and I to go from years of trying to get pregnant including fertility treatment to need this was a massive blow. However, it was the sensible option.

Once I turned 30 I was booked in and one month later it was a done deed. I had what is called a total hysterectomy, which is removal of the uterus, including the cervix. It’s a major operation and whilst I still have my tubes and ovaries recovery was nonetheless a long and depressing road. There was lots of tears, I can only describe it to feeling grief. Having very little mobility as I recovered meant I piled on a lot of weight. I felt sluggish, tired and out of breath all the time but as I was still coming to terms with the op I’d had done I just wallowed in a lot of self pity, which ultimately made it worse, simply compounding the issue.

Earlier this year, in March, I went to a talk at Look Mum No Hands with Jasmijn Muller called Train Like A Woman, which was focused around how to train and work with your hormones in mind. May seem a little odd for someone who has had a hysterectomy to attend but as I still have my tubes and ovaries they continue to make hormones, so whilst I do not have periods I still feel the symptoms and on top of that over the past year I sometimes get hot flashes, and was told by my GP that this is because the surgery may have blocked blood flow to the ovaries, which can also prevent the ovaries from releasing estrogen. The joy of being a woman!

There is a high chance I will experience menopause earlier than the usual average age of early 50s and recently I was talking to a couple of ladies I know who are experiencing perimenopausal or linked symptoms. Perimenopause usually starts in the 40s but can begin earlier for some. It is when the ovaries stop making eggs and a transitional period before menopause but it can last for up to 10 years. One friend made a great point that people have an instinctive reaction to compare themselves to others but that we are all at different stages in our lives and going through different experiences and challenges. Energy levels can reduce but you could be working just as hard, if not harder, to maintain the minimum output.

Lets also not forget hormonal anxiety, which can be debilitating for ladies who were otherwise confident. It can be a huge problem for some people (although not all), as what you used to do instinctively ie group rides with people, can then mean you second guess yourself and your ability to do things, which then affects your cycling and your morale. This was a great point from a friend of mine that I can totally relate to.

Another friend of mine noted that she had been on the pill with artificial hormones for so long that when she came off it at the age of 40 it was a massive shock for her to deal with the peaks and troughs of hormones through the month and heavier periods. Ironically she feels like she knows and understands her body better as a result and wished she had known how to do that 25 years ago!

Another friend I know who has also had a hysterectomy has experienced hot sweats that just came on like a wave and went just as quickly. She also notices lack of energy some days and feels she is definitely more angry on occasion. Weight is another area she has noticed is easy to put on and increasingly harder to keep off.

The symptoms of menopause, and perimenopause, can be reduced through regular exercise and many find exercise to improve quality of life (though of course exercise will not stop these symptoms).

I have personally found over the last year I can cycle one day and feel amazing and super strong and then an easy recovery ride another day can seem like the hardest thing in the world. Something I am sure many people can relate to.

There was an article on BBC News featuring a lady called Emily Barclay called ‘Perimenopause: I went from triathlon training to needing naps’ that can be read from here.

I realise a subject like this is not often talked about but why not? A lot of us don’t identify these symptoms with certain stages of female development and talking about it more will raise awareness, share experiences and advice.

Any questions please feel free to ask as I am more than happy to break down the barriers and talk around this.

Category: Fitness

Training Update

Six weeks ago I wrote a post about how I was changing up my training and was intentionally trying to lose weight whilst doing so. This was not because I believed losing weight would solve my problems or make me happier as I am more than aware that is not a healthy way to make life changes but because I was uncomfortable, had put on weight and wanted to make positive changes.

I have said before but I am lucky that my husband is a qualified cycle coach so he writes my bike training plan and my best friend is a qualified personal trainer and nutritionist and she writes my strength and conditioning plan.

The new plan was for a six week period and on day 1 I received a message from Emma, which included the following:

‘This is a kickstart not a diet!! I’m looking to change your way of thinking when it comes to exercise and good decisions.’

Before we began we had a consultation and completed starting measurements, weight and dress size and Emma also completed a fitness challenge that saw how many reps of squats, press ups and sit ups I could complete in one minute and how long I could hold the plank position for.

The six week period is not just about weight but about fitness, mental health and healthy eating. Each week included 2 personal training sessions and 3 home workouts/classes.

For the 3 home workouts Emma would send me the complete workout so I knew exactly what to do, for what time, with what rest in between and no two workouts were the same so always something new to keep it interesting.

Emma gave me a booklet to complete which included a lot of information, pages to complete and also a food diary, mood checker, taking note of things during your week and noting them down, a wellness checking with the focus on being more mindful, self love and gratitude.

Fight Klub was a new addition to the schedule on a Tuesday night and so much fun! Great music, cardio for an hour working with others. I have terrible coordination when it comes to classes like this but I got it in the end and it was a great release too!

Emma and I used to train together all the time and I had missed that so was great to get back to training with her.

Every week I would complete a food diary and send to Emma for feedback so I could amend as needed. It was interesting writing a food diary as I soon noticed my meals were often quite repetitive and often not enough especially on training days.

Week 1 and 2 – went great!
Week 3 – was my first week of working from home due to COVID-19 and that was when I was extremely busy with getting things organised as my company prepared to work from home for the foreseeable. Whilst training sessions continued from home (I am lucky to have a home gym), I reviewed my food diary at the end of the week and found I had skipped meals all over the place and I’d had way less water than I should!
Week 4 – I was making a conscious effort to pre plan and have a huge bottle of water with me at all times and that worked so much better.
Week 5 – I was in the swing of things and even not having the face to face sessions and different structure meant things were kept on track and kept interesting. Emma continued with clients via video for PT and spent a lot of time recording workouts that clients had access to – this meant I started some different workouts than I had done before including Power Wave and Boxercise.
Week 6 – in all honesty I hadn’t even noticed I was six weeks in. On some plans I have reviewed before I have been on count down until the finish but with every workout until the end being different this was definitely not the case here.

Working in a gym meant Emma had her workplace shut down due to COVID-19 but was on the end of the phone at all times to assist and send me over workouts to complete, review the food diary and check up on how I was doing.

In addition to the above I also continued with cycling and saw myself complete a 30 day streak on Zwift since working from home.

At the end of the six weeks I completed the following again to see if I had made any improvements:

my fitness test – improvements in reps for all exercises and time to hold a plank
measurements – overall loss of 11 inches
weight – overall loss of 8lbs

It was just the kickstart I needed and definitely kept me on track and helped with focus during the lockdown and now I move on to start my new cycling plan and will ensure strength and conditioning continues to go alongside this.

Category: Fitness

Talking Weight Loss

On my journey I am the first to admit that I became obsessed with losing weight and lost the fun out of being active. When I shifted my focus to concentrating on being healthier and happier I became just that.

However, why is it so taboo now to want to lose weight? I won’t go back to being obsessive about it, but if it is done in a healthy way why is that wrong? I debated writing this for a while as I knew I would probably get some push back but this is my journey and as per my strapline ‘be fearlessly unapologetically you’ I am doing just that.

I will use myself as an example. I want to lose weight. I am not currently comfortable in my own skin, in fact far from it. There I said it and I will not apologise for it either.

I want to be stronger on the bike and make sure when I complete my endurance events I feel confident in my training and myself too.

I know from previous experience what works to get the results I want to see on the bike and one area to use an example is to be better on the hills. Less weight helps with this and the biggest weight on the bike? Me!

Now don’t get me wrong I have a blog called Fat Girl Fit and I do not fit into the norm for what sporty people look like and honestly I don’t care! I embrace what my body has achieved and will continue to achieve. I love people I have met through social media on my journey and those I love engaging with the most are those who are real, honest, true and relatable. Perfect hair, make up, tiny waist, fuelling on low calorie foods for sporting events, never breaking a sweat or embracing that sweaty selfie? Influencers that have a huge following but clearly don’t know anything about the sport or kit their promoting but fit the mould so brands use them to promote their products and it sticks out like a sore thumb? Yeah I am not following you, you are not for me and I am probably not for you either and that is fine with me!

I’ve seen the benefits of strength and conditioning training in my cycling and will be ensuring I regularly incorporate this into my training schedule again, initially with weight loss in mind also. I am lucky that one of my best friends is also a fab personal trainer and is helping me with this, as she previously did. I can’t recommend this enough and know many people who have worked with her and seen the benefits.

In short my opinion is that if you want to lose weight and are doing it in a healthy balanced way that is fine. An important point in that sentence is in a healthy way, how you choose to do this really tells if it is the right thing to do and coming from the right place and don’t forget appearance doesn’t equal health. I do not want to lose weight to look a certain way or because I loathe myself. I know why I want to lose weight and it doesn’t change any feelings I have about my own self worth. I have a healthy relationship with fitness. And I am good with all that.

I started a new six week training plan as of today so will update in due course!

Category: Fitness

Thanks 2019 – A Little Round Up

I said 2019 was going to be all about the bike and it most certainly was! I am sure on Instagram I have used the quote before ‘find what you love and do that’ and I feel like that is precisely what I did this year so really no complaints from me!

Cycling shots — Cycling pics from activities in 2019

I have suffered again with my knee, I think I said last year I didn’t realise how long it would linger and I certainly was hoping I wouldn’t see a recurrence this year but sadly that was not the case. It didn’t stop me just made me change course slightly and try some of that old practice what you preach mentality.

I spent a lot of time in Sweden and I truly love that country, with more planned for 2020.

My favourite events must be those from the Vatternrundan series and this year I completed:

Tjejvattern – 62 mile bike ride, with my friend Sandra
Halvvattern – 93 mile bike ride, with my friends Steve and Jonas
Vatternrundan – 186.4 mile bike ride, with my husband

And I can’t not include:

Ironman Jonkoping 70.3 – bike leg of the relay (56 miles), with my friend Gemma doing the swim and run, and our team ‘Don’t Be Shit’ came third in the relay!

Ironman 70.3 Jonkoping Relay Award — Medal and award from the Ironman 70.3 Jonkoping relay

There were many other events and I set myself a goal of completing 5,000 miles this year and I am not quite there yet with about 100 miles to go and I will get it – so close!

I also made it to the shortlist for finalists for both the Sundried and UK Blog Awards for Sport and Fitness, and whilst I did not win it was amazing to make the shortlist.

I have enjoyed supporting friends as they achieve big goals and also my husband who completed Half Marathon de Sables this year despite having primary lymphedema in his left leg.

We have finished 2019 with a new camper van and with that comes so much opportunity for travels and adventure so definitely watch this space!

2020 will almost certainly have more bike involved and I am pleased to start another year as a Foher ambassador.

Whatever you have done and achieved in 2019 well done and best of luck for the coming year also.

Category: Fitness

What’s on your Christmas wish list?

It is now coming to the end of November and the shops are already stocking full aisles with their Christmas goodies.

Now is a good time to start thinking about gifts with Black Friday round the corner and bargains to be had. So what is on your list? Here is some of what is on mine:

Big Bobble Hat – I’m a huge fan of these hats and come winter I am always wearing one and no you can never have enough of them. Use code FATGIRLFIT10 for 10% off your purchases.

Stance Socks – everyone gets socks for Christmas right? I have a growing selection of socks from Stance including socks for cycling, running, hiking and everyday wear.

Nudge Jewellery – I have some of these bands and have also bought them as gifts for others. For Black Friday you can use code BLACK30 for 30% discount. You can customise with whatever you want on them too – what would you put on yours?

Foher – oh where to start? Love it all, want it all! My ambassador singlet, cycling kits and tanks are my staple items worn through my training and I have my eye on many more! foherpinkbikeposse

Stomp The Pedal – just got myself the new signature hoodie, perfect for winter months, £45, which I have been living in lately but loads of other great items including the flowy tanks and trucker caps.

Strong Girls Club – I am in love with some of the items in this range and literally want all the tees and jumpers but particularly like this jumper, £45.

stronggirlsclub

Yoga Wheel – I am making a conscious effort to include stretching in my training and especially focus on back strength in relation to my cycling.

reehutyogawheel

CJ Skinhealth – I have gone from the girl who uses whatever is in the shower to using these two products daily, £35.90.

Cycling Wallet – the cycling wallets at Rapha have become one of my cycling essentials with enough room for my phone, bank card, money, and keys. Mine is a little well worn so its probably time for an upgrade, £25.

Buff – I saw one on instagram and really want it but the postage costs just don’t make sense for what the item is though I am still looking into it! It is from Michelle Vesterby’s Keep Smiling range.

keepsmilingbuff

Spoke and Solace – I really like some of the clothing from this website, all 100% organic, and in particular like the #goneriding and #bloodycyclist (slightly tongue in cheek) tshirts, both £24.

bloodycyclist-t-shirt

Proviz – not one for me but instead for my April dog – a little coat for her in the winter for our walks, £35.99.

What is on your list? Anything else I should add to mine?

Category: Fitness

A little sport resort comparison

I have just returned from a trip to Fuerteventura to the second sports resort, within the Canary Islands, I have been to, Playitas Resort. The other is Club La Santa in Lanzarote.

Naturally I was posting on social media during the trip – my husband was running the Half Marathon Des Sables so was away for four days and this left me with time on my hands!

Following my posts I received a lot of questions as to which resort I thought was better. I added a story to my instagram asking which people thought I preferred and the result was quite heavily weighted to Playitas Resort. I then added a post to my story with the voting result and a note to say my favourite was Club La Santa. Here I will explain why.

I have been to Club La Santa three times now with my tri club, Havering Tri. I have been to Playitas just this once and it was booked as part of the HMDS package when my husband signed up.

Accommodation:

On every trip to Club La Santa I have stayed in the villas so I cannot comment on the apartments. However, the villas are great – always clean, toiletries in the bathrooms, clean towels and bedding with spare pillows and blankets, loads of storage in all rooms. As a group the majority travel with bikes and we tend to leave the bike boxes on the outside patio and this has never been an issue. I have never been in the same villa but they have always been easy to find when we arrive.

Cub La Santa — View from villa at Club La Santa Lanzarote

For our trip to Playitas Resort we stayed in the hotel and it took us over 30 minutes to find it. This was our first encounter with the cable car/funicular. We were advised to go to the 3rd floor in the funicular and our block was right there, only after waiting for over 15 minutes for the thing we got out and there were no signs just a corridor to another lift for block 7 (we were block 6) and another set of stairs. We ended up going round in circles until we finally found it. The room was dated but clean, toiletries in the bathroom with clean towels.

Staff:

At Club La Santa they have a ‘green team’ who are the staff that take the classes and who you will see around the resort. These guys are super helpful and always encouraging, asking if you are ok and helpful when needed.

I can’t say the same for some of the staff at Playitas Resort and after talking with some of the other guests they had experienced the same rudeness. The reception staff were very blunt, the staff in the buffet restaurant were always lovely but in the restaurants were often rude with one waiter telling a guest that he just needs to wait and then repeating for him to wait and on another occasion after the event telling some participants they couldn’t eat in the restaurant with the post event food even though their family was eating in there and the restaurant were providing the other food anyway!

Bike Hire:

I have never hired a bike at Club La Santa though I have been down to ask for help when I had a mechanical and they could not have been more helpful. Some of my tri club have hired bikes and always been happy with them.

I hired a bike at Playitas Resort and was emailing in advance corresponding with some of the staff there who were really helpful. On arrival we went to see them and again they were more than happy to run through all options including loading a route to my bike computer. Again on the day of the hire although it was different staff they couldn’t have done more for me. I had taken my own helmet, shoes and bike computer though forgot my computer mount and they found one that fit and set it all up for me. The bike was really comfortable too. I had a BMC SLR 2 Di2 and it was 45 Euros for a day hire with an additional (optional) 3 Euros for insurance for the day. The prices differ depending on the duration of the hire. There are also sessions for guided bike rides though these are not free and range from 25 to 35 Euros.

Cycling from Las Playitas resort — Cycling out from Las Playitas resort Fuerteventura

Restaurants:

When we go to La Santa we are self catering and have the option of cooking in the villa, using the restaurants or the buffet. The buffet is generally our last option and our preference is the restaurant. You only need to be there a few days for the waiters to remember your drink and they are always cheerful.

At Playitas Resort we were half board so had our breakfast and dinner in the buffet and the food was always great. Fish and meats cooked in front of you with loads of choice including protein and carb corner, loads of fresh breads and deserts although they all tended to taste the same. Staff here were very friendly also as well as in the main bar near the buffet restaurant.

Classes and the gym:

Classes are included when staying at Club La Santa – you are allocated a certain amount of points to use to book classes. I have used both the classes and gym and like the outdoor area for large classes and never had an issue getting on any equipment in the gym.

Pilates class Club La Santa — Outdoor pilates class at Club La Santa

I was disappointed that the majority of classes were charged at Playitas Resort and although most are only 4 Euros this soon adds up and some sessions like stand up paddle board yoga in the pool was 25 Euros. I also found the classes of a lesser quality – they were less professional and more fun is the best way I can describe them.

Both resorts offer runs that are free of charge and something as a tri club we make use of is the mini tri at Club La Santa that is again free of charge and always popular with guests. Both also have apps though the main difference is that you can book on for classes on the Club La Santa app but on the Playitas Resort app it is more for viewing and you need to go to Sports Booking to actually book on.

Swimming facilities:

There are three 50 metre pools at Club La Santa and lanes can be booked in advance though I have never had an issue getting a free lane. There is a timetable by the poolside which shows who has what lanes for the week you are there. The resort also has a lagoon that can be used for open water swimming. There is also a leisure pool on the resort.

Unfortunately we arrived at Playitas Resort on a Saturday and they have one 50 metre pool though it was closed for cleaning until the Wednesday. In addition to this as the resort is on the sea front you have the option to sea swim. There are also two leisure pools on the resort.

Other facilities:

Something else our triathlon club make use of at Club La Santa is the 400 metre running track and the run around the resort and lagoon is a nice loop with the option of a trail path off the lagoon also. I have also used the spa on every trip.

There is no 400 metre runing track at Playitas Resort but the resort is right next to a mountain for hiking or running trails (this is actually the final descent on the HMDS). There is also an golf course, climbing wall and obstacle course on site though I only saw a handful of obstacles myself. There is also a spa on site though I didn’t use this so cannot comment.

My overall conclusion was that although Playitas Resort claims to be ‘europes best sports resort’ which is quite a bold statement, Club La Santa for me has better facilities, accommodation and staff. I would return to Club La Santa but I wouldn’t to Playitas Resort. I should note I have paid for all trips mentioned in this post and any opinions are my own.

Cycling from Club La Santa — Cycling out from Club La Santa Lanzarote

There will be a guest blog post from my husband with his race report of the HMDS.

Category: Fitness

How I picked a personal trainer

Do you use a personal trainer? Interested in getting one?

When I first started trying to get fitter and healthier I would go to the gym but if I am honest I didn’t really know what I was doing. I tended to opt for classes because it took the thinking out of it for me and I followed the instructions. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this I wanted to be in a position where I could go to the gym and do a workout on my own.

Now I was the girl who didn’t want to go to the weights section as that was generally filled with men, which wouldn’t ordinarily bother me at all but they did all appear to know what they were doing and quite frankly I didn’t.

I am lucky that my best friend, Emma, is a personal trainer. I actually met Emma at the gym as she taught the spin classes I would attend. I was picky with my spin classes and I wanted one that had variation and good music and Emma’s class had that. Soon after we started training together. Soon after that I got her into OCR and running – she is always up for another crazy challenge!

What was important for me was having someone who understood my goals and what I was trying to achieve. I knew some other people in the gym who were being trained by Emma and they all spoke highly of her. I knew the qualifications she had and she took the time to find out what I struggled with, what my strengths were and talk over any and all injuries. She is also very funny and I have said before I need to have fun with all my training so this made a huge difference and the sessions were always full of giggles, something not to downplay as you are there for training but there does, for me, need to be a connection in terms of personality.

Emma takes her job seriously and has a huge passion for what she does and a genuine care for those she trains. I can’t recommend Emma enough and would struggle to find someone who would not only train me but also work out with me and laugh at me at the same time.

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They say reputation precedes you and it is true as I now know a number of friends that train with Emma and here is what they say:

Lucy: I started having sessions with Emma last July. I’d seen how well Lisa had done at the Outlaw half relay triathlon- she put her improvement on the bike down to adding strength training into her programme. I had let my strength training slip, so seeing Lisa’s improvement gave me the incentive I needed to start working with a personal trainer again.

I really enjoyed working with Emma right from my first session. She tailors the workout to the individual’s goals and each session is completely different. I like the variety of different exercises that Emma comes up with and the different equipment she incorporates (including the home made Wheel of Doom)! She makes the workouts challenging but fun, we have a laugh during our sessions and the hour flies by.

I’ve really noticed an improvement in my strength, fitness and endurance after a year of PT sessions, which has translated into better results in my triathlon races.

Nikki: I have been training with Emma for over a year now! Had a go in 2015 but only did one session before life got in the way etc. Love Emma’s way of making the most painful exercise fun!!! She’s crazy and funny and keeps your mind off of the hurty bits and engaged in conversation or crazy random bits of equipment! The smelly horseshoe weighted sack is my fav to be honest lol!!

The time passes so fast and to top it all my body is looking bloody amazing!!! Couldn’t have found this shape or strength without her for sure!

Brett: Once I started training with Emma she explained the importance of strength training for me to complete my Ironman event and by far this was the biggest contributor to my result.

Having trained with Emma for over two years I don’t think I’ve ever had the same session and she caters for different disciplines, and although it is in the gym it is always fun, structured, tough going and extremely beneficial.

Over the time I’ve known Emma she has become my friend first and trainer second and is the PT to have. When we train together she is not my friend, she is Satan.

Dave: Emma is a fantastic personal trainer who not only pushes you hard but makes every training session enjoyable. She will help you in any way she can and has a heart of gold!

So in short like any relationship it is a two way thing and you need to work with someone who understands you and you can trust – good luck finding your Emma!

Category: Fitness

How I am dealing with a knee injury

Are you a good patient? I am not normally ill and (touch wood) don’t generally suffer from injuries but since an injury a couple of years ago in my left knee, every time I feel a niggle I panic.

I was taking part in the Birmingham Velo 100 mile bike ride in 2017 and very shortly into the ride, with a lot of pain, I was on the floor and out of the event. You can read more about that here. But the long and short of it was I had displaced my kneecap, torn my medial collateral ligament and had crepitus – not the most fun news to hear after my scans but could have been worse.

This year for me has all been about the bike and heading toward the middle of the year the niggles got worse to the point that on a ride about a month or so ago I had to get off and after having a little moment carried on but a lot steadier.

So whats the deal? Well I am seeing an amazing sports therapist and he thinks I have bursitis and chrondomalacia. Bursitis is a painful condition that affects the joints – bursae are fluid-filled sacs that act as a cushion between bones, tendons, joints, and muscles – when these sacs become inflamed it is called bursitis. Chrondomalacia patellae, also known as “runner’s knee,” is a condition where the cartilage on the under surface of the patella (kneecap) deteriorates and softens. I am yet to have a scan on it but will do if only to confirm what he thinks and find out how bad and if there is anything else I should know.

I have been having regular ultrasounds on the knee, acupuncture and getting it strapped and it is helping but it is still not right.

When swimming I do breast stroke and the nature of the movement would not be good for my knee so I am avoiding that and I had intended to start a run/walk programme but was advised against that.

So I’ve rested and been icing it every day too.

My training was quite full on so to go from training 6 days out of 7 to nothing was frustrating. I started on the bike when I had the go ahead to do so with an easy flat ride whilst taped up and again that did not feel right so I went back to resting again.

I didn’t like it and was super grumpy about it.

But there was work I could do and so I added to my home gym a new gym ball and a step. I started with exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee and my glutes, which control the movement of the knee. These include:

Clamshell exercise: lay on your uninjured side with your hips and knees bent and feet together. Slowly raise your top leg toward the ceiling while keeping your heels touching each other. Hold for 2 seconds and lower slowly.
Straight leg raise: lay on your back, bend one knee and place your foot flat on the floor. With the other leg remaining straight, raise it to the height of the opposite knee.
Side leg raise: lay on your side. Bend your bottom leg for support, straighten the top leg and raise it to 45 degrees. Hold for 5 seconds, lower and relax.
Step ups: place one foot on a step bench, keeping your pelvis level, bend your knee and slowly lower the opposite foot to the floor. Lightly touch your toe to the floor, then rise back up.
Glute bridge: lay on your back with your feet on the floor and the knees forming a 90 degree angle. Now press yourself up into the bridge position by contracting your glute hard. There should be a straight line from your upper body to your knees.
Banded walks: loop a resistance band around the bottom of your feet, squat down slightly and walk sideways.
Bear squat: start in downward facing dog keeping your heels on the floor, sit back on your heels keeping your hands on the ground. Move back into the starting position by completely extending your legs and putting your heels back on the floor.
Squat hip rotations: stand with feet slightly wider than hip width, squat down with feet flat on the ground and bum not quite touching the floor. Rotate one leg outward, going up on the outer ridge of that foot. Pause for a moment and go back to the starting position. Rotate the same leg inwards until the knee touches the ground next to the other foot. Pause, go back to neutral and repeat with the other leg.

In addition to the above regular stretching and yoga. I will also look at some easy leg spinner sessions on the turbo trainer and have been on some steady rides outside.

Rocktape — Using rocktape on my knee when cycling

I fully planned on being on the start line of the RideLondon 46 miler the weekend before last, even though I needed to be sensible and adapted my ride to take it easier. (I have done the 100 mile several times so it was nice after my main events to do the shorter route for the first time). It didn’t go totally to plan as I reapplied my tape on my knee myself the day before and clearly I am useless at it as it peeled off about 4 miles in! I also stood up as I went over a speed bump and the impact on my knee was rather painful. However, I finished the ride and all good.

I am now doing HIIT and strength training, which may sound crazy but again I am being sensible and I am doing all the modifications necessary and aside from being tough its all good.

Injuries take time and aside from the exercises to get stronger I also need to find some patience from somewhere!

And what is that smell you ask? Jointace! I constantly smell of jointace now ha ha