Gen O'Malley

Gen O'Malley Yoga Teacher | Personal Trainer | Midlife Movement Coach
Helping you move well, feel strong & thrive through midlife.

Sleep! My favourite thing...We talk a lot about how many hours of sleep we're supposed to get. But sometimes life has ot...
17/09/2026

Sleep! My favourite thing...

We talk a lot about how many hours of sleep we're supposed to get. But sometimes life has other ideas.

And if you're already struggling with sleep, particularly in midlife, lying there worrying because you're not going to hit your “recommended” number probably isn't helping.

Good sleep isn't a competition. Some people naturally need more. Some need less. And one bad night doesn't mean you're doomed to feel dreadful all week.

What this weekend reminded me is how different broken, poor-quality sleep feels compared with genuinely restorative sleep.

After a night of grabbing an hour here and there on a hospital couch, everything felt harder. I was exhausted, overwhelmed and my anxiety was through the roof.

Then I had a good night's sleep in my own bed. Not a perfect night's sleep. I didn't analyse it and I didn't chase a number.

I just went back to the things I know help me sleep well. Fresh air, limited screens etc and I woke up feeling like myself again.

That's the bit I think matters.

Rather than obsessing over achieving the perfect number of hours every night, build habits that give your body the best opportunity to get good-quality, restorative sleep when you can.

Because life will occasionally give you a terrible night's sleep. Your sleep routine is what you come home to afterwards.
🌙😴🥰

I've been thinking about something… 🌱Now that I've qualified as a Personal Trainer, I've found myself wondering what hap...
11/09/2026

I've been thinking about something… 🌱

Now that I've qualified as a Personal Trainer, I've found myself wondering what happens when I bring together everything I've learned, not just recently, but over 24 years of teaching movement.

Yoga taught me so much about mobility, awareness and connection to our bodies. Strength training showed me just how capable those bodies can be. And everything I've learned about the brain, nervous system and movement has changed the way I think about both.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, Midlife Movement is beginning to take shape.

I'm thinking about the person who wants to get stronger but feels intimidated by the gym. The person who has never lifted a weight and doesn't know where to begin. Or the person who simply wants to move well, feel strong and stay capable for as long as possible. Not training to punish your body, but training so your body can keep doing the things you love.

Strength. Mobility. Confidence. Movement.

I don't quite know what Midlife Movement Sessions will look like yet... maybe small groups, 1:1s, perhaps a little of both.

I'm just letting this little idea bubble away for now… and percolate! But I'd really love to know if it's something you'd be interested in.
🧘🏼‍♀️💪🏼🔥



If I created Midlife Movement Sessions, what would interest you most?

Dear Gen,I wish I could sit down with you for five minutes and tell you a few things.You are so much smarter than you we...
09/09/2026

Dear Gen,

I wish I could sit down with you for five minutes and tell you a few things.

You are so much smarter than you were ever led to believe. And far more capable too. You have a strength in you that you don't even know is there yet... There will be times in your life when you'll have to dig very, very deep to find it. But you will. Every single time.

You're going to get things wrong. You're going to change your mind. You're going to lose yourself occasionally and have to find your way back again. But my goodness, you are going to live.

You have so many gifts that you haven't even discovered yet. You'll do things you never imagined yourself doing. You'll keep learning, changing, starting again and surprising yourself.

And you will be loved. So loved.

Your greatest privilege will be becoming a mum. Not to one, but to four boys. Four boys who will grow into the kindest, most sincere young men, and who will love you in a way you couldn't possibly understand yet.

And here's something I wish you'd known much earlier, you don't have to prove that you're clever, you don't have to make yourself smaller and you don't have to have everything figured out.

There is so much waiting for you. You're still learning, still changing, still becoming. And perhaps, finally, beginning to understand just how capable you always were.

You did alright, kid. 🎈



05/09/2026

Normally, nothing annoys me more than someone not unracking their weights… 🙄😂

But to whoever left those sneaky 10kg plates on the upper pegs today... thank you.

I planned on starting at 55kg, accidentally pressed 75kg and spent the entire set wondering why 55 was feeling so damn easy. 😂💪

Turns out I'm stronger than I thought.

Still unrack your weights though. 😂

04/09/2026

The face says it all. 😂

Training close to failure isn't always pretty. Those last few reps should feel challenging...slower, harder and requiring a little more determination than the first few.

Apparently mine also require breathing techniques and a quick check to make sure nobody witnessed the birth. 😂

Eight years apart... but that's not the whole story.My mum put me on my first "diet" at about 14 because I was supposedl...
02/09/2026

Eight years apart... but that's not the whole story.

My mum put me on my first "diet" at about 14 because I was supposedly chubby, and honestly, I've probably tried every diet known to man since.

The grape diet (yes, that was actually a thing 😂), cabbage soup, Weight Watchers, Slimming World, keto... you name it.

And exercise? Same story. Running, walking, swimming, aerobics, step, dance, Pilates, yoga... I've spent a lifetime moving my body and a lifetime yo-yoing between body shapes.

Then Covid happened and, unbeknownst to me, I was also beginning my journey through perimenopause. My body was changing, the things I'd always done weren't working anymore, and it was incredibly frustrating.

During lockdown I started playing with handstands, arm balances and bodyweight work. One day one of my boys noticed the muscle developing in my back and said, "Mom, you should go to the gym."
My response? Absolutely not. I'll get big and bulky. 😂🙈

Thankfully, my boys knew better. They dismantled that particular myth and convinced me to join a gym.

I went. And I've never looked back. Strength training changed something for me, but food was still the missing piece.

So I got help from an outstanding coach, learned about macros and finally realised I didn't need to cut out carbs, label foods good or bad or deprive myself.

I could fuel my body properly and still change my body composition. And when fat loss was the goal? A calorie deficit. No magic pills, spells or voodoo. Just science, consistency, patience and time.

Six years later, I know that not now, only because I've lived it, but also because I've gone on to study it too.

So yes, my body has changed but so has my mindset.

It's not the bodies at either end that matter to me, it's everything I learned in between. ❤️

31/08/2026

Out of order? Not today. 😂

There is almost always another way to train the same movement, sometimes you just need to get a little creative.

A box, a foam roller and a kettlebell later… and the quads are very much still working. 🔥

Because apparently a broken leg extension machine is not a valid excuse to skip them. 😂

Save this one for the next time this favourite machine lets you down!

23/08/2026

The best weekend in Courtmacsherry with two of my closest friends, celebrating so many wonderful things ❤️

Sunrise walks, leg day, sea swims, sauna, sunsets, far too much food and wine, lots of laughing and two days spent with women I absolutely adore.

Feeling incredibly lucky, ridiculously proud of myself and perhaps just a little worse for wear today. 😂

What an incredible summer this has been. And we're not finished yet. 🥂❤️

Address

Ballincollig Near Ovens
Cork
P31TD81

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Gen O'Malley posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Gen O'Malley:

Shortcuts

Share

Category