Personal Fitness Facilitated

Perfectionism is the worst possible system for getting results, but yet so many of us (especially women) default to it 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

❌️And if (when) we 'fail' at perfection, we give up🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️
❌️Mentally beat ourselves up
❌️Stay stuck
❌️Stay in the cycle of 'starting'
❌️Never achieve the consistent 'enough' ex*****on of positive behaviours over an extended period that's required for habit change, for success, for raised confidence

💡One of the most common things I have to help clients with is stopping them going off the rails if they think they've been less than perfect

😔They think they've 'messed up' on something & so the perfectionism self sabotage mindset sets in & their brain wants to default to 'slashing the tires' like theyve done every time before
😳They think they're a little 'off track' so their default behaviour is to swerve completely off track!
"I messed up so I may as well give up/eat all the cakes/not do the workout/sit on the sofa bingeing Netflixs & ice cream"

✅️Instead, they text me & I talk them down off the mental ledge
✅️They get back on track
Back to doing what they want & need to be doing to improve their health, fitness, body & mind

➡️This is the value of coaching
It breaks the cycle that's kept you stuck

You're supported to consistently execute when otherwise you'd either be on the wrong path spinning your wheels, or give up when you're inevitably less than 'perfect'

The sayings 'done is better than perfect' & 'perfection is the enemy of progress' exist for a reason

Yes, you need the right plan of action

But a plan is worthless without consistent ex*****on

Note I say 'consistent' not 'perfect'...
❤

❓Need help?
➡️➡️➡️Drop me a message to get started!💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻

Ice cream in late October?! Who'd have thought!!!

😊One of the great things about being more active & having general consistency with nutrition is having the ‘freedom’ to be able to enjoy the odd ‘treat’ or ‘pleasure food’ without it having any real impact

😊One of the great things about understanding nutrition is easily making educated decisions and empowered choices about what ‘pleasure food’ is worth it and what isn’t - which food hits the sweet spot of pleasure without self-sabotage, vs one which choice would lead to you spinning your wheels with fatloss/gaining fat/having terrible energy

😊One of the great things about being consistent with day-to-day ‘fuel meals’ is that it leaves room for a little planned & occasional unplanned ‘pleasure food’

😊One of the great things about mastering your mindset around food is being able to have a little pleasure food without beating yourself up or going off the rails

🔑These are the sorts of characteristics that someone who appears to ‘eat what they want and get away with it’ actually has

Really they’re in control

✅️But it’s a completely different sort of ‘control’ than the negative, deprivation-based ‘control’ of ‘diets’ and ‘dieting’

✅It’s a simple, relaxed ‘control; that doesn’t even feel like control; it feels effortless

🎯 Because the day-to-day, consistent, moderate actions are all supporting a healthy body, mind, & weight

⬆️This is my aim for clients

💡 If you have a lot of fat to lose, are currently inactive, have a long history of dieting or have a messed up relationship with food, then getting you to this point will take some support, some work, some coaching – but it IS possible

❓Interested in this? ➡️➡️➡️Drop me a message to get started!💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻

Sharing this survey which is part of the Habari Project for black and ethnic minority women who have experienced perimenopause or menopause that seeks to better understand the taboos, practices and support in place for those experiencing the menopause.
The project seeks to understand their menopause experiences better and the cultural, systemic and personal factors that may influence these.
Please take part if you can or share with others - scan the QR code in the image or click: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F7WR5W9

How would your life change if you had a proper plan of how to get you from where you are NOW to where you want to BE?

Backed up by accountability to make sure you actually DID what you WANT TO DO?

✅ Nailing your nutrition rather than messing up your diet again
✅ Knowing how to enjoy social situations while staying on track with your goals
✅ Getting your workouts done even when you weren’t feeling super-motivated
✅ Achieving progress in your workouts rather than spinning your wheels for months on end
✅Having an effortlessly consistent high level of daily movement
✅ Overcoming your self-defeating habits
✅ Being able to experience uncomfortable emotions such as stress, boredom, upset without reaching for food or alcohol
✅ Recognising & celebrating progress rather than focusing on things that leave you feeling inadequate

Doesn’t that sound like the sort of experience that builds confidence, self-esteem & gets results?

If you think so, drop me a message to move forwards with flexible supportive coaching that works in real life❤

How would your life change if you had a proper plan of how to get you from where you are NOW to where you want to BE?

Backed up by accountability to make sure you actually DID what you WANT TO DO?

✅ Nailing your nutrition rather than messing up your diet again
✅ Knowing how to enjoy social situations while staying on track with your goals
✅ Getting your workouts done even when you weren’t feeling super-motivated
✅ Achieving progress in your workouts rather than spinning your wheels for months on end
✅Having an effortlessly consistent high level of daily movement
✅ Overcoming your self-defeating habits
✅ Being able to experience uncomfortable emotions such as stress, boredom, upset without reaching for food or alcohol
✅ Recognising & celebrating progress rather than focusing on things that leave you feeling inadequate

Doesn’t that sound like the sort of experience that builds confidence, self-esteem & gets results?

If tou think so, srop me a message to move forwards ❤

This popped up on my personal FB memories today from 7 years ago and I thought I'd share with you what it's about, as it's actually more relevant to us once we're in peri/meno than ever before as our carb sensitivity changes once we're in peri...

If you cook starchy carbs such as rice/potato/pasta, then allow them to cool, it changes their chemical structure & increases the amount of resistant starch in them, meaning they now have 'fewer calories' in than before.

And this also applies to if you freeze something like bread and then defrost it, which is why re-heated bread from the freezer is less bingeable than a fresh loaf!

How? Well the resistant starch isn't absorbable, so the stomach doesn't digest it, so the food now has a slightly lower calorific value than if you'd just cooked and eaten it
And subsequent reheating doesn't reverse this

Now it's not so much difference in cals that you could literally just do that and suddenly drop several dress sizes, but it does make some difference so if youo're someone who wants to lose or more easily manage their weight why wouldn't you do so as part of your food practices?

And there are more benefits too...

The resistant starch is then beneficially used further along the digestive system, for example to create Short Chain Fatty Acids which:
✔Are an important energy source & immune modulator
✔Modulate fat production & storage
✔Improve cholesterol levels
✔Increase absorption of important minerals
✔Decrease absorption of toxic & carcinogenic compounds
✔Improve digestive microflora & increase bifidobacterium
✔Help with insulin sensitivity
✔Lower overall blood glucose levels
✔Increase feelings of satiety

Any Qs, let me know 😊

I wrote this 4 years ago, but I've got one to add that I realise I missed off the original list

The original 'common traits' were:

✅FOLLOW THE PLAN
😅obvs
If you don’t follow the plan you won’t be as successful
If the plan says X training/steps/cardio/calories/macros/sleep…there’s a reason!
Don’t under or over-do it!

✅KNOW SOME DISCOMFORT'S NECESSARY TO PROGRESS
You’re not meant to be miserable but if you want to change you DO need to step out of your comfort zone work hard & adhere

✅COMMIT WITHOUT EXCUSES
Successful clients consistently show up, & reschedule rather than cancel if they've a diary clash
They stick to nutrition, use buffers & rarely ‘cheat’

✅GIVE FEEDBACK
Giving me honest feedback means I can discuss amending something if it isn’t suiting them

✅ACTIVELY WORK ON CHANGING UNHELPFUL HABITS
You can’t change yourself if you don’t change your habits & mindset
Successful people understand what helps/hinders them & work to change unhelpful habits

✅GIVE IT TIME & THINK LONG TERM
Unrealistic expectations help no-one
A coach who says you can go from fat & unfit to shredded in mere weeks is lying
You can make HUGE progress if you stick to a plan for 8-12 weeks but it takes TIME to change your body & habits
After 8-12 weeks you should have more goals & want to achieve more (or at least understand how to maintain your positive change)
We break the journey down into achievable goals & celebrate shortterm milestones along the way to longterm sustainable change

✅DON’T WAIT FOR THE ‘RIGHT TIME’
There’s never a perfect time & no time is ‘wrong’ to seek to improve your health, fitness, body, confidence
Successful clients take action, commit, & take ownership of making change happen

✅KNOW THEY CAN’T DO IT ALONE
Successful people know they need support, accountability, guidance & that investing in themselves via coaching saves time, effort & brings better results

What I'd NOW add is to expand on the 'give feedback' point...
I've had some clients who've been with me for years and the 'ongoing conversation' of them communicating what's going on with them & their lives, what they're finding easy/want to push a bit, anything they're struggling with... is CRUCIAL to me being able to support and coach them, and this is what leads to consistency, to progress, and to lasting change

Often people think they've got to be perfect & when they're not they 'hide' & stop communicating. The risk of this is especially high in people who've got a history of diet programmes like Slimming World where you get 'told off' if you haven't lost weight

The clients who do best are people who let me know as soon as they're struggling with anything, so I can help, offer coaching, or tweak the approach/target

That doesn't mean they're not committed, what it means is we recognise that LIFE can throw us curveballs!

NEED HELP?
My coaching's specifically designed to help women FEEL GREAT in midlife & beyond
We cover training, nutrition & mindset for results that LAST
➡️DM me now to find out more💃🏻

October isn't just , it's also

This graphic clearly shows the risk increase/reduction associated with particular behaviours / life situations - I think it powerfully & clearly shows 2 things

1️⃣ That women who worry about the risk of HRT while not worrying about regularly drinking alcohol are worrying about the wrong thing!
2️⃣ Losing excess bodyfat can help reduce your risk of getting breast cancer (including for men)

More stats:
😔In pre-menopausal women, breast cancer is 20-40% more likely if obese or overweight, & 20% more likely for every 5-unit increase in BMI

😔Postmenopausal women with have 30% higher risk of breast cancer compared to women who are not obese, with current data suggesting the risk is generally larger in women not on

💔In numbers, being obese causes 2 or 3 extra women out of every 100 to develop breast cancer at age 50 or above (11-12 in 100 vs 9)

😔In men, being obese is associated with an increased risk of about 30%

💔That's a LOT of extra risk

Also,

❌️People who have a higher BMI at the time their cancer is diagnosed or who have survived cancer have higher risks of developing a second, unrelated cancer (a second primary cancer)

❌️A 2019 global study found that in 2012, excess accounted for approximately 3.9% of all cancers, with the burden of these cancer cases higher for women than for men. The proportion of cancers due to excess body weight varied from less than 1% in low-income countries to 7% or 8% in some high-income Western countries & in Middle Eastern & Northern African countries. A separate study found the rate to be over 9% in the US.

✅️In a large study of postmenopausal women, intentional loss of more than 5% of bodyweight was associated with lower risk of obesity-related cancers

❌️Obesity is associated with increased risks of treatment-related lymphedema in breast cancer survivors

✅️Several randomised clinical trials in breast cancer survivors have reported weight loss interventions that resulted in both weight loss & beneficial changes in biomarkers that have been linked to the association between obesity & prognosis, & a current study is examining whether weightloss after breast cancer diagnosis affects invasive disease-free survival & recurrence in overweight & obese women (watch this space...)
Being overweight/obese makes life harder

I'm not going to pretend losing excess fat is easy (although the right approach can make it easier), & of course some won't like the approach I've taken with this message just like some didn't like the Cancer Research obesity ad a few years ago, but my hope is others will use these stats as motivation to eat a little healthier, move a little more, & incrementally reduce their risk down as one of the many benefits of losing excess fat ❤

And of course, if you need help to do that, speak to me about my transformation programme which is specifically designed to help midlife women lose excess fat & gain fitness, energy, strength to feel great in midlife and beyond💃🏻

This coming Tuesday, 22 Oct, at 5pm I'm running a FREE perimenopause and menopause info-session at Santander Work Cafe on Park Row in Leeds

I'll be covering signs/symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, how to communicate effectively with your GP, and information around how you can optimise lifestyle to minimise symptoms as well as to look & feel better

And there'll be time to ask questions too 😊

I'm a member of the British Menopause Society, the International Menopause Society, a qualified nutritionist, qualified PT, a woman's coach and workplace trainer, and am the author of the book The Man's Guide To Menopause (available on Amazon)

Reserve your free place at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mastering-your-menopause-feel-great-in-midlife-tickets-1033595510997?aff=oddtdtcreator

I wrote the book The Man's Guide To Menopause: Everything You Were Afraid To Ask to empower men to better understand what's happening in menopause to help them and us, so we can have better relationships. The man in this pic tells me he's finding it really helpful

The book covers EVERYTHING from causes, signs/symptoms, diagnosis, treatments (not just hrt), how lifestyle can help, communication, work, & intimacy issues - and actually it's a very informative read for not just men but for women too - and can give men information that maybe you don't feel comfortable telling them yourself (for example there's a whole chapter on s*x, intimacy & libido and another on how to talk about menopause)

It's available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CZW5ZDZP in paperback & kindle ebook

And I also host a men-only private FB group The Man's Guide to Menopause - info & support where men can learn, ask Qs, & share peer support in a safe space, so please invite your partners to join that as there's lots of info & some great guys in there

Because I truly believe that we're all stronger if we understand each other better ❤

I had a great meeting with my local MP yesterday about his support for menopause and women's health and healthy ageing

It was timed perfectly as it was

Watch this space for more specific funded local support 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

Happy 😅

If you need info/support then hit me up with Qs &/or join:
Your Best Midlife - Helping Women Thrive Through Menopause & Beyond (for women)
The Man's Guide to Menopause - info & support (for men)

Follow Best Midlife CIC for information on free/funded support and courses

Also, come along to my free info-session next week Tue 22 Oct at Santander Work Cafe Leeds https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mastering-your-menopause-feel-great-in-midlife-tickets-1033595510997?aff=oddtdtcreator

And of course there's my book, which is actually a really valuable read for women as well as men https://amzn.eu/d/bYE08CD (and if you've already read it please leave a review as it really helps push it into more people's algorithms thank you)

Leeds-based friends, Next Tuesday 22 Oct at 5pm I'm running a FREE perimenopause and menopause info-session at Santander Work Cafe on Park Row in Leeds

I'll be covering signs/symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, how to communicate effectively with your GP, and information around how you can optimise lifestyle to minimise symptoms as well as to look & feel better

And there'll be time to ask questions too 😊

Reserve your free place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mastering-your-menopause-feel-great-in-midlife-tickets-1033595510997?aff=oddtdtcreator

MOTIVATION IS BS: WHY YOU CAN'T WAIT TIL YOU 'FEEL LIKE IT'

I didn't want to go to the gym today, even though I know feel better when I do

Why? Because it was cold & wet outside, because I have tons of work to do, because I'm tired

So what did I do? I went to the gym

And surprise surprise I'm glad I went & feel better for it

And more importantly, I took another step towards consistency, kept my self esteem high, know I can rely on myself to do what I need to do rather than let myself down

WHAT IF I'd not gone cos I didn't 'feel like it'?

I'd probably feel regret, feel disappointed at myself for not keeping my promises to myself, have lower confidence in myself, have not taken a step forwards

THIS IS WHY YOU CAN'T WAIT TIL YOU 'FEEL LIKE IT' - you need to just DO things!!

Every time you stick to the PLAN isn't just a step towards what you need to do, it ALSO builds self confidence & self respect

So do what you said you'd do, keep your promises to yourself, even if you DON'T 'feel like it' AND WATCH YOUR LIFE CHANGE !

If you're struggling to do this alone, maybe it's time to recognise you need a coach - DM me NOW to move forwards ❤

On let's talk about mental health & your relationship with your scales...

Many people struggle to separate their worth as an individual & their ; their entire day can be ruined by what the scale says

While your PHYSICAL health requires you to keep your weight & bodyfat below particular levels, your MENTAL health & your view of your WORTH as a person should NOT be attached to that level

So here's a few things worth remembering about the 'number':

1. Scales measure the weight of everything: bone, muscle, digesting food, water (which fluctuates daily & monthly) not just fat. Even scales that say they tell fat % aren't going to be accurate as their measurements are affected by hydration levels

2. Each kg of muscle is far more valuable, but takes up much less space, than each kg of fat. You can weigh the same but look vastly different, with vastly different health dependent on your fat or muscle %

3. Scales don’t measure confidence, happiness, lovability, etc. They don't measure your worth, or your innate qualities as a human being

4. Scales don’t measure physical health improvements. In fact, if you take up exercise your physical health may well improve before your weight changes

5. Scales don’t measure fitness/strength/athleticism/balance/flexibility/endurance

6. The scale shouldn't be your sole way to track progress. Other important variables include: pics, measurements, %, fitness tests, strength gains

A WEIGHT doesn't define you. It's hard to break free of this conscious & subconscious value system, but it's REALLY important to do so as the more you associate your self-worth with the scale the more likely you are to self-sabotage fatloss, & if you need to lose fat for good health then self-sabotage's a disaster

Fatloss / maintaining a healthy is massively important for physical health, but you're no less of a valuable person if you have fat to lose ❤

➡️If you need help with a practical personalised plan to help achieve your body goals while working on your mindset & self-image get in touch

Thanks for having me to speak today

It was (as always) a great event, spending time with loads of fab women & a select few great male allies 🙏🏼💕

I spoke about how to optimise your 'midlife jigsaw' of nutrition, exercise, lifestyle & to feel & look your best in midlife & beyond

spoke about how to support yourself and colleagues around , &

spoke about her own personal journey to being a nutritionist, and her recommendations for improving your health through nutrition

And I met loads more lovely people too 😊

I just checked my Amazon & a few new reviews of my book have been added so thought I'd share one to remind you that it's a great resource for men as we get further into Menopause Awareness Month & approach World Menopause Day

'The Man's Guide To Menopause' is a easy-to-read book which covers EVERYTHING about peri/menopause from causes, signs/symptoms, diagnosis, treatments (not just hrt), how lifestyle can help, communication, work, & intimacy issues in simple chatty format - and actually it's a very informative read for not just men but for women too

You can buy the book in paperback & kindle from Amazon, & join my free FB groups Your Best Midlife - Helping Women Thrive Through Menopause & Beyond for women, and The Man's Guide to Menopause - info & support for men ❤️

And if you've already read the book and havent yet left a review, please do so - it really does make a difference! Thanks in advance 🙏🏼🤗❤

I chatted about & midlife wellness live on air with Gayle Lofthouse at BBC Radio Leeds today

You can listen back on BBC Sounds at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0jpnxhg , it starts 2h17m in

Gonna be on BBC Radio Leeds at lunchtime today, live interview from the studio!

So much more stressful than doing them by phone - have to think about what I wear too😅

Before & after working with me
Sometimes you don't even need to see a full-length photo to be able to see quite how much someone's body, health and happiness has improved

And this client also felt the benefits in energy and focus, which as a self-employed person means business benefits too!

❓Want to transform like this too❓️
I help professional women look & feel GREAT in midlife & beyond, with results that LAST
➡Get in touch for more info

As we prepare to enter , it's probable that a LOT of the articles will be focusing on the downright awful experiences of so many of us women, but it's important that we ensure not all coverage is negative, so women feel positive, hopeful and empowered in midlife rather than assuming it's all bad

This is the current issue of Woman's Own (not a magazine I ever expected to appear in!) where I talk about a few of the more positive aspects of menopause & midlife (as well as the struggles)

What about you? Share your positives and let's give hope and positivity to anyone who's feeling anxious about what their midlife/menopause experience will be 💕