Head First Fitness

01/01/2024

Fitting exercise in around work and kids is not easy so I've created pre-recorded classes that you can do anytime, anywhere!

Up to 8 classes are delivered to your inbox at the start of each month to do as many times as you want.

To sign-up, just head to https://www.headfirstfitness.com/online-classes

There are two very different classes to choose from
🔹 Class 1: Mixed intensity, interval training. A 30-minute mix of cardio, strength and core exercises to work your entire body, with both high and low-impact options.

🔹 Class 2: "Strength, Core and Stretch". A 30-minute focus on all-body strength, taking yoga and Pilates style moves through a full range of motion, to increase core stability, strength and flexibility, using an interval training approach.

Please get in touch if you need any more info about the classes.

You can watch trailers for both classes before you subscribe at
https://www.headfirstfitness.com/online-classes

#2024

29/12/2023

My Christmas has been more about "dinners and dishwashers" than "rest and relaxation" so I'm prioritising my health and wellbeing in January.

If you would also like to look after yourself a bit more in January too, I've created pre-recorded classes that you can do anytime, anywhere!

Up to 8 classes are delivered to your inbox at the start of each month to do as many times as you want.

To sign-up, just head to https://www.headfirstfitness.com/online-classes

There are two very different classes to choose from
🔹 Class 1: Mixed intensity, interval training. A 30-minute mix of cardio, strength and core exercises to work your entire body, with both high and low-impact options.
🔹 Class 2: "Strength, Core and Stretch". A 30-minute focus on all-body strength, taking yoga and Pilates style moves through a full range of motion, to increase core stability, strength and flexibility, using an interval training approach.

You can also watch trailers of both classes or trial a full class on my YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrSS5vYhwo2MFCOImy1n6Ww

#2024

18/10/2023

Despite an increase in awareness of perimenopause and menopause, many women seek treatment for individual symptoms like muscle aches or anxiety, without realising that those symptoms may be part of a bigger picture.

When estrogen levels drop during perimenopause it affects all parts of the body and presents multiple different symptoms. Viewed holistically, the symptoms may be better treated by HRT (hormone replacement therapy) instead of individually as separate problems.

HRT is not right for everyone but a good GP or menopause specialist should be able to assess if all the symptoms combined are likely to be caused by perimenopause, and the best method of treatment.

Image copyright:

01/07/2023

I may be small enough to fit in your suitcase but you don't need any extra space to take me on holiday with you. Subscribe to my online fitness classes and you can keep active wherever you are and whatever time zone you are in!

Book now at:
https://www.headfirstfitness.com/online-classes

Choose a class that suits your needs:
🔹 Class 1: Mixed intensity, interval training. A 30-minute mix of cardio, strength and core exercises to work your entire body, with both high and low-impact options.

🔹 Class 2: "Strength, Core and Stretch". A 30-minute focus on all-body strength, taking yoga and Pilates style moves through a full range of motion, to increase core stability, strength and flexibility, using an interval training approach.

⭐ As usual, the Superstar package gives you access to both classes at a discounted price ⭐

Get access to classes at:
https://www.headfirstfitness.com/online-classes

Please get in touch if you need any more info about the classes or personal training. 😁

04/06/2023

19/05/2023

While anxiety can be a chronic condition, it is a state which most people are familiar with.

It is easy to get into a state of overwhelm, due to anxiety, where everyday tasks become a challenge. In such circumstances, having a list of "mental health first-aid" techniques can really help.

🔹 Be physically active: this helps use up some of the adrenaline that is produced when anxious, and releases endorphins which make us feel calmer. After exercise, it is often easier to solve problems or see them differently. 🏋️‍♀️🧘‍♀️

In addition, exercises that focus on breathing, counting repetitions, or learning a routine are brilliant for diverting the mind from worrying thoughts.

For an extra calming effect, be physically active outside, surrounded by nature 🌳🌹

🔹Write down a list of worries and divide them into "problems that can be fixed" and "problems that can't be fixed or changed". Try to let go of the problems that can't be fixed.

🔹Open up to friends and family about mental health and anxiety. Seek help from the Citizens’ Advice Bureau regarding money worries. Just speaking our worries out loud can reduce the power they have over us.

🔹Lack of sleep makes us more paranoid and reduces our ability to solve problems. However, anxiety can have a big impact on sleep. Writing down worries an hour before bed, then dimming the lights and reading, or having a bath, can help with falling asleep.

🔹Both sugar and caffeine can increase anxiety levels and produce subsequent energy crashes once they have worn off. This leads to a rollercoaster effect on our mood, so keeping blood sugar levels stable is an important part of reducing anxiety.

Anxiety can be a symptom of clinical depression or perimenopause so it is important to seek appropriate help from a GP or therapist if basic self-help techniques do not improve anxiety symptoms.

11/04/2023

Subscribe at: https://www.headfirstfitness.com/online-classes

Both high and low-impact exercise options are available as well as a choice of high or low-intensity. Choose the class that suits your needs best and then access the classes whenever and wherever you want, as many times as you want.

Doing shorter daily bouts of exercise is more beneficial than a longer session once a week so feel free to split up the 30 minute classes and do 15 minutes per day, as your time allows,

To sign-up, just head to https://www.headfirstfitness.com/online-classes

Please get in touch if you need any more info about the classes or personal training. 😁

07/04/2023

Here's a short 2 minute trailer for my "Strength, Core and Stretch" class.

If you like the look of it then you can subscribe to monthly classes via my website: https://www.headfirstfitness.com/online-classes

Or, if you want to try out an entire class for free, then head over to my YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/eXFmUJ6rbe4

29/03/2023

I was aware of the concept of FOMO (the fear of missing out) but I've only recently discovered the acronym JOMO which stands for The Joy of Missing Out.

JOMO is something I experience more as I get older and the words "No thank you" become easier and easier to say in response to social situations that I'd rather not attend.

If you're an extrovert then this might be an alien concept but if you are an introvert you may have experienced the guilty pleasure of getting into your pyjamas and curling up with a good book in the full knowledge that other people are out "enjoying" themselves.

Go on, have a go at saying "No", it's very liberating 😁

26/03/2023

When we feel grateful for something, or someone, we appreciate its value in our lives and are less likely to take it for granted. While feeling grateful is an emotion we might feel randomly throughout the day, it can also be cultivated as a practice to help us engage more fully with those things that bring us pleasure in life.

It's very easy to get used to all the good things we have around us but taking the time to purposely notice goodness in our lives can increase our appreciation of them.

Ways to practice gratitude:
🔹Keep a gratitude journal each day with 3 things you are grateful for in your life
🔹Take time for a gratitude check-in each day when something feels comforting/enrishing/valuable
🔹Say "thank you" to a new person each week
🔹Tell someone each week why you are grateful for them

As always, I would direct anyone who hasn't read it to go and check out and her fabulous book Atlas of the Heart which talks discusses over 80 emotions, and behavious around emotions, including gratitude.

24/03/2023

I regularly have women say to me, "I'd like to look more toned and be stronger but I don't want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger". 🏋

In response, I reassure them that it takes a lot of effort to build muscle, especially if you are assigned female at birth and not on testosterone supplements. Then I explain the many benefits of having more muscle mass which go way beyond the aesthetic! 💪

When we eat something sweet the body converts it to glycogen and stores it in the liver or muscles for future energy use. Therefore, the more muscle mass we have, the greater space we have to store blood sugar, meaning less is converted and stored as visceral fat. An increased level of visceral fat or circulating blood sugars leads to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes, so anything we can do to combat that is a bonus.

Further, as we age, there is a greater risk of falling and breaking bones. However, weight bearing exercises encourage the body to build stronger muscles and, exercises that challenge balance, reduce the risk of falls.

In addition, strength training increases the level of a protein called BDNF (Brain derived neurotrophic factor) which helps protect brain neurons and is essential for learning and long-term memory storage!

If you have read this far and you're still not convinced of the need for strength training then message me and we'll have a chat 😂