Blog Archive

MY UNHEALTHY OBSESSION BROKE ME

In my experience, there is one movement pattern which when mastered will solve your aches and pains for good – THE HIP HINGE.

THE ONE TRAINING SESSION YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO MISS!!

Endurance training - triathlon, cycling and now indoor rowing - has always been my passion. Until about 5 years ago I was ultra-competitive, results were all that mattered, I was self-critical, and my mentality was more is better. I wanted to progress at all costs...and I got away with it until 5 years ago when I broke (physically). My body couldn’t cope with the demands I placed on it.

HOW AN ONLINE MENTOR CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE!

The body repairs, grows and adapts in the time between training sessions when we rest, and continuous training will end up slowing you down, it will make you more susceptible to injuries, it will leave you feeling drained, low in mood, and it is unhealthy. .

My training was so inconsistent - I was flying and felt great one day, and the next I felt awful and totally empty. I knew I needed help. I realised I wasn’t eating enough to fuel my training and more importantly my recovery.

STOP MOVING THROUGH PAIN

Injuries don’t just hurt physically.

6 years ago I was so driven towards a training goal that I didn’t rest when I started to feel discomfort in my hip. My addiction to training got in the way of common sense. I ignored the warning signs, carried on training, and before I knew it a short term injury became a chronic long term one. I had also started to move differently to protect the injured joint - and was shifting the trauma to another part of my body - causing further damage. I was unable to ride properly for years. I compromised my long term health and performance by not taking a couple of months out to fix the problem.

The 10 commandments of truly healthy lifestyle

They can rock us emotionally, taking away the activities we love, isolating us from our training buddies, and doing some serious damage to our self image. This is especially true as we get older and injuries seem to pop up with increasing frequency.

Don’t make these 5 mistakes that I have made in the past...

The 10 commandments of truly healthy lifestyle

A big shout out to client Dawn who has made tremendous progress over the last few months in overcoming chronic pain.

Don’t make these 5 mistakes that I have made in the past...

Yesterday I wrote about how the way you load your joints and move is critical to being able to activate the glutes.

Dawn was sceptical as she had been in pain for so long but showed courage and took a risk. She has had to work hard physically and mentally but is no longer being hindered by her body. It has taken time, patience and persistence - she has trusted the process - becoming aware of how she moves, correcting imbalances and weaknesses - and the results have been amazing!

So proud of client Helen’s consistency and progress over the last year.

There is no point being able to do lots of hip thrusts to strengthen them, if the way you are walking means you aren’t loading them. At the same time we need to make sure that there is nothing else preventing these muscles activating.

A big shout out to my client Jane.

Helen has big running goals but having experienced recurring injuries in the past, knew that if she tried to train through the pain, she wouldn’t be able to achieve her goals.

LADIES GET OFF THE SCALE!!!

Jane has been working with me remotely and has made so much progress over the last 6 months overcoming a long term achilles issue which forced her to stop running.

A big shoutout to my client Tracey Compton.

The scale fluctuates yet we place so much of our self worth, motivation and happiness into this number.

YOU HAVE TO SLOW DOWN IF YOU WANT TO GET FASTER!

Her hard work, patience and willingness to learn have enabled her to manage her arthritis without medication, and lose 5lbs in 2 months - by breaking a cycle of under eating and eating more!

YOU HAVE TO FEEL PAIN IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

This is something I really struggled to get my head around. I used to always approach every training session with the more is better mentality. I used to think that if it wasn’t hard, it wasn’t productive.

BOOST YOUR HEALTH IN JUST 90 SECONDS A DAY!

I used to avoid looking in the mirror as I was so ashamed of what I saw. I hated the way I looked. The fact I had to wear baggy clothing to hide what others saw, and my insecurities.

HOW UNDERSTANDING HOW MY BODY IS CHANGING HELPED STOP ME FIGHTING MY BODY

With age comes wisdom! As I have gotten older, I have become more and more aware that to be healthy and perform well we need the ying with the yang.

Comparison is the thief of joy.” — Theodore Roosevelt

I compete as a lightweight rower - so body weight is important to me at the moment. I never used to have to worry about making the weight, but this year I have noticed a big change in my body.

It's not training, eating 'clean', consistency or lack of motivation stopping you achieving your dreams.

I have a confession! I have struggled with my mindset over the last couple of weeks and let old ways of thinking creep back in and drag me down.

SOMETIMES A COACH’S JOB IS TO HOLD YOU BACK!

It's your mindset. Believe you can, and you will.

To change habits you don’t need to “push yourself more” or have “more motivation”.

There are some days when you do need to show up if you’re feeling tired, but there are some days when you need to take a step back. But knowing when to push through, and when to take a step back is hard.

A massive shout out to strength and conditioning client Carol Woodward

What you do need is simple and easy steps and a big WHY/reason to change.

Guess what doesn’t happen fast?

The key to Carol’s success is simple - hard work, consistency and a desire to learn. Priority this year has been to make Carol’s body more durable so her body can cope with the demands of training on the erg and enable her to train consistently - for life.

I am driven to be the best coach I can be.

LITERALLY EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO HAPPEN FAST…* Fat Loss * Muscle Growth* Improved Performance * Coming Back From Injury* Confidence* Self-Awareness* Establishing New Habits* Success

HOW INJURY TAUGHT ME A VERY IMPORTANT LESSON

Nothing makes me more happy than sharing my passion and knowledge to help people become wise athletes, so they too can be the best version of themselves.

DON’T WASTE TIME FOAM ROLLING YOUR ITB!

I learned a very valuable lesson 6 years ago when I was competing as a cyclist, and I want to make sure you don’t make the very same mistake.

LACK OF SLEEP HAS KILLED ME!

I used to regularly roll my ITB and my god, it was so painful! Naturally I thought it must be doing some good - but pain does not equal effectiveness and in this case too much pain will do more harm than good and inflame the tissue.

We need to stop negotiating for junk food aka. sweets, soft drinks, desserts, biscuits, beer, etc. with exercise.

Over the last week I have experienced first hand how important sleep is! I am an 8 hour a night girl and a few consecutive nights of below 6, has wiped me out!

'Emotional health is so strongly associated with physical pain that in many cases it correlates much higher than biomechanical ‘dysfunction’.

You don't have to do anything to eat and drink whatever you want.Never punish yourself with physical activity after eating something, whatever it is.Enjoy the foods and drinks you eat and feel good about them in the moment. Enjoy going for coffee or a few beers with friends.

Although pain can definitely stem from tissue damage, many studies have shown a high correlation with issues like back pain, depression and anxiety.

"I think I can."

Do you feel power and energy leaking out of your core when you cycle or row?

"I think I can." "I think I can." "I think I can." Anyone here remember "The Little Engine That Could"?

Ripped Abs Does Not Equal a Strong Core!

Cyclists! Do you struggle to minimise upper body movement?Rowers! Do you struggle to sit up tall and maintain your posture? As you fatigue do you start rounding the shoulders and bending the lower back?

Breathing and The Diaphragm - The Solution To Your Lower Back Pain!

Why you need to learn to breath efficiently to improve your core stability - part 2

Are you wasting time training your core ineffectively?

Do you ever train the diaphragm in your core workouts? Core stabilization starts with proper function of the diaphragm and this is why you should start training it now!

Is your nutrition holding you back from hitting your goals?

My top tips on how to improve your core stability to help you move better, perform better and feel better

Are you a female desperate to lose weight, and feel more confident in yourself?

Are you confused about all the conflicting dietary advice out there today – low-fat, low-carb, no dairy, no grains, paleo, etc. Is fasting the answer? What should you actually eat? How much of it should you eat?

Do you constantly feel stressed, anxious, and exhausted, and find it hard to switch off and relax?

I know how it feels to be overweight, lacking in self-confidence with low self-esteem Is food restriction and hours of boring cardio taking its toll on you physically and mentally and you are still not getting the results your hard work deserves?

Are you confused and overloaded with information when it comes to training zones?

Do you find stretching just doesn’t seem to make any difference to your flexibility? If you answered yes to both of these questions then listen up as this article might help solve your problems!

The Mind-Muscle Connection

Here I have tried to summarize and simplify the basic principles of using zones to help make things a bit clearer for you.

Why we need to slow down to speed up

I incorporate the principles of Pilates into all my strength and conditioning coaching. In the same way that an aerobic base provides the foundation for improving your top end, the Pilates principles lay the foundation for building strength. Centering, concentration, control, precision all enhance the mind-muscle connection.

Announcing an exciting new addition to my gym which I can’t wait to use with my clients – the Wattbike!

Unfortunately a lot of endurance athletes train with a ‘no pain no gain’ mentality – and I was definitely guilty of training with that mentality until I started working with my coach Eddie Fletcher, the Lead Sports Scientist with Wattbike.

The importance of posture for cyclists

Wattbike is the only indoor bike that accurately illustrates and measures pedalling technique to help the rider gain power and speed, and conserve energy.

Why is strength training so important?

At the end of a long ride does your chest drop putting strain on your neck to lift your head up? Does all your weight fall into the front of your arms and shoulders? Does your lower back start to ache?

My opinion on different types of workout gear

Strength training is not just beneficial to athletes looking to improve their performance. It is vital for health, and everyone should incorporate resistance training into their weekly routine.

Sarah Fischer

Upcoming training programs we are implementing

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