Katie Spong - Wellbeing Coach

How to stop dieting

-Identify the food rules you live by - What is restrictive? Stop them for the next month.
- Stop the labelling of good v bad foods for the next month.
- Listen to your hunger cues and fullness cues.
- Learn how to NOURISH your body.
- Eat slowly
- Get pen & paper and document journey.

Try those ideas for the next week or up to a month then come back to me for more bespoke help.

Time to journal - use these prompts to help your relationship with food reveal something to you.

What is my current relationship with food?
How has this changed over the years?
What do I enjoy about my relationship with food?
What is bringing me pain in my relationship with food?
How do your emotions impact your food choices?
What foods do you enjoy?
Are you confident in social settings with food?
What food rules are you living by? What's the impact?

DM me what you learnt about yourself!

What does a positive relationship with food even mean?

-You are confident in your food choices
-You are confident in social settings with food
-You focus on nourishment first
-Your focus is long term health
-You are present at mealtimes more often than not
-Food brings pleasure
-Food is also your fuel
-Food hasn’t taken over your life
-You understand hunger cues, satiety, cravings, emotions
-You are at peace with your eating habits.

Does all that seem an impossible mountain to climb?DM 2 chat

There is nothing sexy in here...Just an approach that works

There's no crystal balls or magic. In fact it's pretty boring but you need it.

The 8 week reset group coaching experience is back kicking off mid Jan. Want to join?

Ready to join a transformative programme?
Ready to learn how to create balanced eating habits without restriction?
Ready to free yourself from food and diet obsession?
Ready to start again and forge a positive relationship with food, movement and yourself?

Perhaps it's time to try something different...
Soon you and everyone you know will be jumping on the latest plan, going ALL into something. They may succeed for a week/month. But you've tried that before? It felt good for a while,So you think it works. But wait - did it? What about if you approached this completely differently? Yes that's scary, yes you won't be following the crowd, but wouldn't it feel good to be part of something that works? JOIN THE NEXT RESET LAUNCHING SOON.

You can’t charge into Monday …

…Without recharging your batteries.

Popular Monday posts are filled with motivational quotes, suggestion that not doing something inspiring or energetic On a Monday will dampen your spirits all week, and don’t possibly miss a Monday workout, all sorts of bad things will happen to you apparently…

But whether you are someone who willingly charges into each Monday, or if you’re reluctantly dragging your carcus into the week; perhaps think about how much time you spend recharging your own batteries and then see if whether spending more time in that zone will have a positive knock on effect with enthusiasm for Monday.

I myself have very much been in need of quiet, alone time, peace, something that rejuvenates, Feeds the soul, reminds me how lucky I am to be living in this part of the world. I was craving connection; connection to community, friends, this city.

Then on Thursday just gone, a small group of women, who didn’t really know each other but were connected through a mutual friend got together for the most enriching evening. Sauna, plunge, sauna, sea swim, sauna, plunge, sauna again. Beautiful sunset, camp fire lit, a glass of wine afterwards (you Only need one after a sauna!!) And some much needed supportive, energising, creative, soul uplifting conversation; and now yes I’m ready to take on a new week. And yes so looking forward to our next evening together.

So before you think you always need to go all out; push harder, trainer harder, work more; take a moment to think about whether you in fact need to re charge first.

Were your Goals smashed in January (or half heartedly attempted like my pose here whilst trying to film myself post Pilates class, forgotten wha I’m doing, still wearing jumper and got lost in the m😂)

And yet now it’s the 1st feb already.

I think February is a grand time to review…post nonsense of January.

The way I’m viewing each month and encourage clients is what is the gift I can give myself each month. Rather than taking away or feeling guilty I didn’t quite do something I’m reframing it as what gift can I give each month. How you interpret gift is up to you and can change from month to month. A gift you buy of course, a gift of time, the gift of movement or space, you decide.

January was the gift of movement for me. Which might seem obvious for a PT and Pilates teacher but with two small children and Christmas period I felt it had been neglected.

Not stressing about plans and what to achieve I simply wanted to ease into January with regular bite size movement. It needed coordination of course, and support from husband. We created a space in garage and agreed when we both can get our 20min of movement in, and it’s felt great. Some days it has felt brilliant other days it felt not enough, but I always allowed January to just be the gift of movement, without judgment.

On to February! Im keen to up my movement, to reach my goals it needs a bit more structure, and I’m keen to re tweak my own nutrition and my gift this month will certainly be the gift of nourish and experimentation with food. Not ‘don’t eat this’ but how to cook differently, how to try new things, how to have more structure to fuel me properly. So February…. The gift of nourishment … Let’s see how that goes!

And maybe just maybe I’ll actually take some decent pictures of my movement practise 😉

Want to chat about your health fitness and nutrition goals? Find out how I can help you? Dm me and maybe you’ll gift yourself a coach 😛

Clarity and Confidence

Aiming to take both into the new year and hope they stay with me all year in all that I plan to do.

Cold Sea swimming for me is a pretty good example of the partnership between the two; so pleased I finally got back in the sea after baby #2. Having felt disconnected for a while; there’s nothing a cold water swim can’t solve.

To all those swimmers this morning whether you’re first timers or all year rounders like me, hope the cold (although wasn’t actually that cold today) brings you clarity on all that you want to achieve.

Happy New Year to all; even the non swimmers 😉

Stay tuned for how to get your clarity & confidence in health, fitness and nutrition. 1:1 online coaching available before the relaunch of the group courses!

Don’t be afraid to progress your exercise post baby

Whilst it’s not advisable to jump from no exercise to a boot camp, it’s also important to notice if you’re stuck in early rehab work forever or fearful of progression. Theres no set timeframe but there’s a Balance to be met as ever.

I’m a big fan of getting people to focus on the early work, focusing on core activation, pelvic floor control and breath but there comes a time when you’ll be able to incorporate that whilst progressing the movements and progressing your workouts. Ie it might be time to move away from leg slides

Like with any fitness programme, progressive overload is key.

Always ask yourself if what you’re doing is best serving you? If too easy time to adapt.

Key things to think about:

▶️Be honest about whether you can feel control with core & pelvic floor or whether you’re simply forcing a movement. Going too advanced too soon won’t serve you either.
▶️For your body and core to work in most effective way we want to move you in multiple planes; so have you got stuck moving in one position? ▶️Consider side lying, standing, sitting, prone, all 4s.
▶️have you spent so long avoiding flexion or rotation you’re scared to start?
▶️Just because one exercise might feel too much doesn’t mean you can’t move in other ways (Pilates toe tap right now isn’t perfect but doesn’t mean I should stay working on that and not move)
▶️Remember your core is made up of a number of muscles that are strengthened in different planes of movement.
▶️You may be ready to add in full body movements, slowly & with breath. If you’re use to lifting weights it could well be fine to start adding load and in fact can be very beneficial to help you activate the core

There’s lots to think about i realise and it’s a very individual journey but you can take ownership of your movement practise.

Even though I’m a PT I still like to get invaluable insight from other experts in their field and recently saw to help me with my journey back to full sporting mode 😉

Free free to message if you’re stuck in your recovery - and Seek the advice of an expert near you.

But don’t be afraid to progress

Finding peace & strength…

With an 8 week old & a very-nearly-but not-quite 2 year old…? You must be joking…

Today we mark Zephyr’s 2 month milestone.

He’s doing great- although of course it’s been 2months of each day (or more realistically each hour) swinging between chaos & joy as I juggle both of them.

Physically getting to 8 weeks felt good. I was very aware that second baby was going to take longer to recover & around 4-6 weeks I started to worry about the recovery and I will always be my hardest client. But things I rely on are breaking worries down, making action plan, taking each day as it comes, trusting the process, and seeing the bigger picture and of course seeking help.

So 2 month check in:

▶️ daily prioritising my exercises. Upto 30 min a day In evening.
▶️ these exercises are foundation movements focusing on breath, core and pelvic floor engagement but progressing things where needed and testing myself with what feels good.
▶️ movements are done lying, standing, 4 point kneeling and side lying, but if doesn’t feel good ill modify and will often use a Pilates ball & resistant band.
▶️ I took myself off to see who has great knowledge on pre & post and does wonders on abdominals: she wonderfully reassured me, so came out after a brilliant 90 min session more confident, reassured and relaxed. She agreed that Yes whilst I have work to do on that area, I’m more than capable.
▶️ need to focus my breath and attention down midline to avoid over gripping my obliques. She taped up that area to help me more aware of the midline in my desire to knit my abs back together.
▶️ Gentle stretches are also thrown in as I feel tight and achey.
▶️ I’ve pushed back my return to teaching Pilates until January as didn't feel ready to start next week. I don’t want to cause myself a long term problem, want to be able to demonstrate more, & want to feel confident being back in studio.

Whether you’re on your 1st or 5th child know there’s no rush to do anything. Seek the help you’re after, be consistent, & trust the process.

Take the slow road….

It’s two weeks today since Zephyr was born. This picture of Xander and I was taken day before the new baby would arrive after a lovely afternoon swimming in the sea.

What two weeks it has been already.

I have big goals this next year but taking the slow road and not skipping corners. That said it’s only 2 weeks since I had baby #2 and it’s a reminder that no matter how small the steps are you are in control of the path you take.

All the baby steps in my recovery I know will be building to amazing things. I just need to remind myself of that daily when everything feels a bit wobbly!

So my recovery at week 2 looks like this:



1️⃣ continuing to connect to the breath (3x a day still as in previous post)
2️⃣ focus on relaxation and subtle attempts to re engage core. (I’m spending more time lying down than with first baby)
3️⃣ looking at posture throughout the day. (I’ve altered the way I position cushions to breastfeed since child no 1)
4️⃣In addition I’ve added gentle stretches of chest and hamstrings and mobility through wrist and ankles as everything was getting quite tight
5️⃣ I’ve slowly upped my walking each day but even though I ‘could’ go further Im being mindful to not push it.

Whilst my belly feels like a jelly as I said in previous post that’s how my rehab is looking.

When the time is right I’ll be adding in:

6️⃣ Core stability &
7️⃣ More strength work

Doing things quickly can appear more fun, taking the slow road will ultimately get you there quicker.

Know what every breath you take, is one breath closer to your recovery.

Know that in those first few weeks the best way to recover is

To breathe
Rest
Eat
Sleep
Breathe some more

▶️Know that with every mindful breath you are proactively making a step forward in your recovery.

▶️Be confident in knowing that’s ‘all’ you need to be doing. (Except keep baby alive of course)

▶️When trying to come up with your own post natal recovery programme be empowered by the fact these key things, starting with the breath will be laying strong foundations for whatever steps you take next.

I’m 1 week post partum with baby #2 & started a more mindful breath practise 24 hours afterbirth

This is what I did on the breath front & will continue for another week (or two)before I contemplate stronger recovery exercises . (Note there’s no rush to ‘do’ anything. And this is just what I am doing)

1️⃣ 3 x a day I found 5 min to lie down close eyes and breathe. Taking time to enjoy rest
2️⃣ I chose to elevate legs to un weight the pelvic floor and take pressure off abdominal wall.
3️⃣ I’m layering up from just starting with mindful breathing to adding awakening of the pelvic floor, learning to connect mind and body, and starting early core engagement with that breath.
4️⃣ my breath is 360degree breath breathing into chest, ribcage, diaphragm belly, and back,. (Without pressure or forcing belly to rise)

▶️ It can be tricky to get this layering effect, and in first week it certainly will be difficult to connect to core and PF when your belly feels like a sack. But intention & habit building is there.

▶️Take time to get on and off floor. There’s no rush. Your centre may well feel ‘heavy’ as well as ‘empty’ and I’m taking a good few minutes to slowly get into position.

▶️Morning & evening I opt to do it on the bed with feet on wall since I’m in bed anyway.

▶️Take the opportunity to relax & unwind and certainly try to avoid getting stressed if you’re thinking you can’t connect just yet that’s normal.

Think of it as an opportunity to both rest and start to be setting up an achievable habit that you can be consistent with, to aid your recovery

Letting go… or the art of not giving a F #%^

Something integral to my well-being coaching for women, is sharing and encouraging women to be confident in ‘letting go’. Letting go of whatever is holding them back. Letting go of body concerns, guilt over food, anxiety, the confusion over all the ‘shoulda’

That idea of letting go allows you to progress, as well as to be happy in the now. To minimise the guilt, shame and angst.

That idea of letting go is at the core of my well-being coaching, and is very much relevant in this current time from pregnancy and beyond.

One minute you may have been excited to have a baby, or fit as a fiddle, or still processing the every changing pregnant body; and then boom, you’re facing sleep deprivation, a saggy belly, and an emotional rollercoaster.

The post partum time is a difficult time to navigate. It’s natural to be struggling with confidence, tiredness, and self esteem.

The key is to;
Stay present
Be gentle on yourself
Be patient with your body and your mind
Be compassionate

How to achieve that?

How that looks in your world will be up to you, but simple practical tools would be to rest, don’t have any sort of agenda, get help, seek conversations and friendship if you wish, but also say no to visitors if you want too! Eat food! Lie down. Be present with your baby.

Picture of me day before I gave birth swimming in sea … cut to me now what you can’t see is lying on sofa watching will and grace! Both happy days.

Surreal moment of calm today…after a whirlwind of a storm yesterday morning.

We have another boy! Introducing Zephyr. Born on his due date yesterday 26th August at 7.16am, in dramatic fashion, at home in the shower in what was a chaotic early morning.

Although I planned a home birth, his arrival was quick and dramatic and we were told there were staff shortages so no midwives available to come out, not that there would have been time anyway. An ambulance couldn’t get to us in time either. Luckily my husband is a paramedic although nearly missed the event as trying to get our toddler out of the house to a neighbour.

Although I planned a home birth this was a far cry from the home birth I had with xander, which although was a way longer labour had actual midwives, birthing pool, candles, and essential oils! Ha! What luxury!

I will return now to new born snuggles and get some rest.

How my movement has changed during pregnancy…

today, two weeks today and mum of a toddler means movement is at best sporadic and usually involves attempting to keep up with Xander.

With 2 weeks to go until the new arrival hopefully makes an appearance just reflecting on how te movement has changed, and how different it was to first time round.

Trimester 1
Training in T1 was a mixture of both feeling tried and sticking to Pilates and throwing in my normal training when I wasn’t tired. A real mixed bag!

Trimester 2.
Felt back to normal and was able to train again properly with weights. There still wasn’t the schedule I had with first pregnancy or the routine. The last 18 months for most people has brought exercise into the home, and that’s the same for me. The combination of pandemic and toddler means my movement is 90%of the time 20 min in sitting room, and occasionally in gym where I train clients in between sessions. But felt strong, lifting weights again and felt good.

Trimester 3
Well at 38 weeks pregnant today, I’m certainly not doing that much to be honest. Walking still feels good, a weekly swim at the lido, is my favourite, added in gentle stretches and trigger ball in my butt, and some gentle resistant band work, all very tame and gentle, more Pilates and barre focused when I get to do something. More upper body actually when giving my butt a rest.

The last month I’ve had a bit of sore butt and pelvis, which I don’t recognise from 1st pregnancy so feel as if I’ve been going slower for a lot longer, but loving my swims!

I know I’ve kept active but often don’t feel as active as my first pregnancy. Even as a coach, I have to coach myself and remind myself it’s ok to slow down. I think pregnancy has been the ‘best thing’ for me in terms of working on acceptance if I’m honest.

The countdown is very much on now with only 2 weeks to go!

*none of these pictures are of me this week incase people are wondering where my enormous bump is*

Working out when pregnant.

So many conflicting articles out there and can be confusing whether you’re new to exercise or experienced.

Are you supposed to start something new, change everything, or simply lay down and rest! Depending on what you read possibly all of that!

Experts will all agree though that movement in pregnancy is beneficial for you and baby with benefits ranging from reducing pregnancy aches and pains, to supporting you through labour, to healing more effectively after you’ve given birth, and all the while supporting your mental health too.

So my top ten tips.

1️⃣know your starting point. Be honest about your capabilities &history with movement.
2️⃣If you have any pain, or have any complications do speak to a professional first. Unless you’ve been medically advised to do nothing, most will be able to do some form of movement.
3️⃣This doesn’t mean launch into a new intense sport or fitness programme, or attempt to lift weights you hadn’t even dreamed of before. But most people can start movement when pregnant. Your starting point might just be walking.
4️⃣Think strength work. Slow and controlled movements. With/without weights & incorporating Full body movements.
5️⃣Include gentle stretch &relaxation where needed. Pregnancy yoga and meditation is great here to add in.
6️⃣Pay attention to posture and alignment, breathing & core control in the movements you’re doing.
7️⃣Stay in tune with your growing and changing body. What felt good in trimester 1 probably doesn’t feel so good in T3.
8️⃣Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you have to do it. This is my tip for those who are confident, competent and competitive. Yes you may physically be able to do something but especially when you’re in later stages of pregnancy but equally before, doesn’t mean it’s the best option. Ask yourself ‘what am I trying to achieve by doing this?’
9️⃣Opt for feeling good &energised and building movement into you life if you can. Opt for nourishing you & the baby over panicking over changing body & thinking your workouts have to be hard all the time.
1️⃣0️⃣Know when it is time to rest.

For every person that has a new appreciation of nature over the last crazy years, from long waks in the country, eating outside and seeing friends in gardens rather than pubs and busy cafes, there is another who has never felt more cooped up, claustrophphic from their 4 walls.

Either due to a lack of good quality natural space or that combined with the ever changing status of the last year leaving them afraid to venture out. Or many other reasons. For many have felt more enclosed than ever.

I hope the good work of this Mental Health awareness week reaches those and encourages all to find some space, no matter how small in their world to connect to the outside.

Living by the sea which i know I am lucky to be able to do, I have an appreciation for changing seasons; the wind and rain and high seas are all part of it for me, and being outside is vital for my sanity.

You don’t have to be sporty or an ‘outdoorsy’ person to connect and be in nature though.

Where is your happy place in nature?

Connect with nature

‘Get out and move body & breathe fresh air’ everyone says. Yet Connecting with the world around us is deeper than the flippant statement of ‘just go out and get a walk’.

For those of us that think feel and see movement and nature as ‘easy’, many have to overcome huge hurdles and barriers to leave the assumed comfort of indoors.

Many of my clients struggle to leave the house.

I aim to keep helping others to realise (at a pace that works for them)
That being in Natural spaces makes us feel good.
Alive even.
And Being connected to nature improves our overall sense of wellbeing.....Unlocking key mental health benefits.

So not only are many struggling day to day with life, on top of that good quality natural spaces are not equally available to everyone in the UK.

There’s a huge challenge ahead. To help those struggling each day to connect with nature, and for those who feel they’re missing out on nature, the challenge is how can we bring nature to your everyday.

Does connecting to nature only have to mean the instagrammable moments, living the highlife showing hikes and mountains, forests and long walks. Can connecting to nature be found in urban areas, your courtyard, balcony and within your home.

I talk to clients about mindfulness in the everyday. week this year has the theme of connecting to nature. If we can connect to nature even in urban areas, built up areas, we can use that physical space to help us find space in our mind too.

It’s a challenge.

How do you connect with nature?

Remove the rules...

To find freedom,
To have the confidence to experiment,
To feel peace in your choices

When we are striving for goals it’s tempting to launch into a new set of rules that possibly don’t add up, possibly are beyond your current capabilities and possibly aren’t serving you in the best way.

Im all for experimenting, creating structure, playing around with new ways of doing things...but When it comes to food I encourage my clients to take the path to (slowly and safely) remove the rules around food FIRST so that you can do all those things. That step to removing rules is often scary for many, as they’ve lived by so many rules for so many years.

But what comes with removing the rules is freedom. A sense of confidence in your own choices. And almost a neutrality when it comes to experimenting with what works for you. As opposed to living by an arbitrary set of rules, that you’re fighting against, not able to live up to, and which ensures that you stay fearful, because you’re bound by these rules controlling you.

We’ve probably all created rules at some point around food. And if you’re able to do it with confidence, a positive experimentation then great, go forth, but if you’re feeling stuck, deprived or confused, know that there is another way.

What food rules are you bound by currently?

Can you mindfully eat a whole cake?

Someone laughed when I said this recently, they were thinking who could possibly do that.

A reaction because it’s not seen as the ‘done thing’. Out in public we are meant to be controlled; whereas it’s seen as overeating or stress eating ‘should’ be done in secret. (Albeit that then encourages a less than positive relationship with food)

💕Im here to help you recognise the power of mindful eating,
💕Acknowledge your current eating habits & relationship with food,
💕and encourage you to challenge your belief own systems

But yes I said. One could if they wanted to.

This isn’t a challenge, I’m not challenging anyone to now eat more than they want, in fact quite the opposite.

We’ve binned the Rules
We’ve Removed restriction
We’re learning to remove guilt, shame, secrecy around what we eat.

Go forth & eat whatever you want today, but just try & see if you can eat it slowly. Emphasis on try. No rules remember...

Try it where you’re not walking down the street hiding the evidence in a bag...Or quickly shoving it in when partner isn’t looking, crumbs scooped under table and packaging buried deep in the bin.

💕I’m encouraging you to look at your current behaviours
💕What is serving you.
💕There’s no judgement.
💕You’re also not controlling your food intake by trying this, you’re instead saying yes to food, permission to eat and try things, permission to find pleasure in what you eat.

Notice how you feel, what happened when you did this experiment?

Was it scary or enjoyable?
Did it question what you ate? Or your beliefs?

When we have trigger foods sometimes the pleasure is in the secrecy, in the buying of the food in the first place, in the hidden persona we’re hiding from the rest of the world.

So depending on where you’re at, eating your trigger food slowly at first may be challenging, but we are challenging those beliefs...

💕In time you’ll be cultivating your awareness skills
💕Tuning into taste, flavours and textures more
💕Providing your body with the right space for satiety hormones to kick in, easing digestion as so much more.

BUT ultimately this is putting YOU as the boss of your food,mind&body.

MINDFUL eating?

Does the word mindful or mindfulness make you roll your eyes in despair or cynicism or have you sat upright and said tell me more?

Mindful eating isn’t about restricting foods or eating everything in sight all the time
It isn’t forcing you to change everything or anything in your diet
It’s not telling you to only eat certain foods
Nor is it only relevant to ‘healthy’ foods
Mindful eating isn’t a diet
Nor is it asking you to change anything other than encouraging you to open up to the idea about changing your thoughts and thinking process around food.

It’s an approach.
A framework
A tool to simple explore one day

It’s about bringing our attention to the entire experience of eating...
Reacquainting ourselves with food as pleasure, eating as pleasure...
In time it will guide you to be less caught up with the complex web of emotions around food

Most who try it with have lots of questions, confusions, ideas, but over on the everyone openly tries it at their pace.

Will you bring mindfulness to the table? Want to know more? Share your questions with me.