You may have seen from my social channels that I’ve recently launched four e-books on my website, and I couldn’t be happier at how they’ve turned out.
The e-books are the product of months of hard work, collating all the education I’ve amassed since I started Mission, including nutritional guidance, the impact of hormones on our lifestyle choices and energy levels, and habits we can include in our everyday routine to ensure optimum mindset.
Read MoreFollowing on from my last blog, I thought I’d put together this handy guide with some delicious smoothie and snack recipes.
Smoothies are a great way to cram a shed load of vitamins and nutrients into one meal and are the perfect breakfast substitute for those busy mornings. They're also ridiculously easy to make: it's usually just a case of whizzing everything together in a blender, and they typically take less than two minutes.
Read MoreWith the summer holidays almost in full swing, I’m pleased to announce that Mission 6 is now open for registration!
Starting on Monday 26th July, Mission 6 is a six-week online programme that will run until the week commencing Monday 6th September and will combine education, workouts, nutritional guidance, and weekly progress/webinar updates that will not only help you achieve your physical goals but assist in rewiring your mindset to put you in the best place for creating lifelong fitness and wellbeing habits.
Read MoreBack in May, I ran a blog that looked at some healthy lunch ideas that were super simple to make.
It's something I get asked most by clients. Where I provide hands-on guidance for their fitness and workout goals, it's a little different for the nutritional side of things. Yes, I can give them the knowledge they need to succeed, but when they're at home on their own in their kitchen, I'm not physically there to oversee and champion their decisions.
Read MoreAh, time. There never seems to be enough of it, does there?
More often than not, a lack of time is the most common rationale as to why we’ve neglected our fitness, healthy eating, and general wellbeing goals. But alongside the commitments we have with friends and family, it’s work responsibilities that most commonly get in the way of everything else.
We typically spend eight to nine hours of the waking day at work. Couple this with an average of eight hours of sleep, this leaves a measly seven to eight hours to enjoy our free time, so it isn’t difficult to see why other activities take precedence over working out.
Read MoreWhen it comes to weight loss, there’s no topic so hotly debated than the old ‘calories in vs calories out’ (CICO) adage. At one end of the argument, nutritional and weight loss advocates typically promote the 'eat less, move more' angle. In contrast, endocrinologists at the other end of the conversation suggest that hormonal issues may be the pesky cause of weight gain.
Understanding CICO is simple: when we consume more energy than we burn, we gain weight, and when we consume less energy than we burn, we lose weight.
It's a fundamental concept in regulating body weight and as close to scientific facts as we can get, so why is the discourse around CICO so volatile?
Here, I attempt to unpack different arguments in the CICO saga, which should hopefully paint a picture that CICO isn't just black and white but a multifaceted, many-layered proposition.
Read MoreTo lose weight (and, more importantly, keep it off), it's widely acknowledged that we should be following the 80:20 rule, with 80% being nutrition and 20% exercise. By creating a caloric deficit, we speed up our metabolism through exercise, which can help us to reach our weight loss goals.
Preparing food yourself is ideal, as we can monitor what we're putting in our meals. But sticking to a regimented dietary plan can be difficult, especially during the working week. There are so many temptations in the workplace, be that cupcakes that Karen from accounts has left in the staff room or the ease of nipping out on our lunch break and grabbing something ready-made: the office can be a minefield of decisions that make our relationship with food more stressful.
Read MoreThe conversation around the benefits of fitness and physical activity on our physical health is loud, but the discussion around its positive impact on our mental wellbeing is a much quieter one.
Hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, #MentalHealthAwarnessWeek is an annual event that provides the whole of the UK with the opportunity to focus on achieving good mental health, and this year’s theme is #ConnectWithNature.
In the Isle of Man, we’re spoiled for nature. How many people on the UK mainland can say they live a stone’s throw from a beach or plantation?
Read More‘How’s working going’ is a question we get asked a lot. Like those who casually approach doctor friends for some ad hoc medical advice, friends and family usually come to me with their health and fitness woes.
What’s struck me the most about these conversations over the past year is how people’s attitudes to exercise have changed during lockdown.
Read MoreBreath awareness (observing the flow of breathing) has been a prominent feature in many cultures, and it’s a practice that dates back centuries.
It's long been acknowledged that we can reduce stress levels by simply observing our breathing and initiating a healthier and more mindful lifestyle.
Read MorePress the reset button on your fitness goals this spring with the 5-Day Mission Challenge!
Ah, spring. A time for rejuvenation, rebirth, renewal, and growth. As the weather and the environment around us enters a state of change and transition, so does our body and mind. Flowers come into bloom, the weather (hopefully) gets warmer, and with it – whether subconsciously or not – we begin to make changes.
We spring clean our homes, change the oil in our cars, and revitalise our wardrobe. So why not revitalise our bodies with the same attention we give other tasks?
Read MoreLockdown 3.0 has got me feeling all kinds of confused. It could quite easily be a looped variation of that week between Christmas and New Year's Eve where I feel simultaneously busy and useless and don’t know what day it is.
While I can’t complete any face-to-face sessions, I still get to see my lovely clients during Zoom and Facebook Live sessions, and they always amaze me: three weeks of uncertainty could quite easily prompt them to put their fitness goals on hold while they ride out the storm, but no, here they are, pushing themselves harder than they have done before.
We can all take an educated guess on how our day will pan out simply from how we wake up in the morning. If we got to bed too late or had a restless night's sleep, we can almost guarantee that this will put us on the back foot when facing the day ahead.
Take a look at some of the most successful people in the world: Bill and Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Barack Obama all swear by morning routines, and one thing I've learned is that a great morning routine starts the night before.
Read MoreOne of my New Year’s resolutions was to join the growing movement of people who want to be more productive with their time: more time for self-care; more time to exercise; more time to spend with loved ones.
There’s a productivity meme that did the rounds a while back that suggested "everyone has the same 24 hours as Beyoncé", which was supposed to inspire regular folks to achieve what Queen Bey achieves in the same 24-hour period.
Read MoreHands up if you’ve ever complained of aches and pains after sitting at your desk for prolonged periods.
If so, you’re not alone. The majority of the world’s workforce spends an average of 7-9 hours per day sitting in front of a computer, only to go home to relax in front of the television. This day-long inactivity has adverse effects on our bodies, causing our muscles and joints to become stiff and place additional stress on our bodies.
Couple this with the recent popularity of working from home (where we’ve swapped our ergonomically-designed office chairs for those of the dining room variety) and it’s no wonder we creak and strain like old floorboards when heaving ourselves off the sofa.
Read MoreHere we go again. 2021 has gotten off to a start that’s eerily familiar to all of us. After a significant stretch of (semi) freedom, the Isle of Man has found itself in Lockdown 2.0, and while the UK may sneer at our woes that pale in comparison to what’s happening on the mainland, this second lockdown has undoubtedly had a negative effect on the island’s collective mental health.
Trying to maintain some semblance of ‘normal life’ during periods of crisis is crucial, as more often than not, it’s the uncertainty of the situation that has detrimental effects, more so than the situation itself.
The below tips are designed to offer practical advice and to foster some sense of social cohesion: remember, there’s good to be had during these strange and isolating times.
Read MoreWhile this time of year is usually when people dissect and reflect on the past 12 months, it’s safe to say that most of us are looking forward to waving goodbye to the car crash that was 2020.
According to a survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics, twice as many adults in Britain reported symptoms of depression due to the pandemic compared with the same time last year, and in an oversaturated world of information, it’s more important now to declutter and organise the mind.
Read MoreBe honest. How many times have you tried to change your eating or exercise habits, only for you to fall back into your old routines in a matter of weeks?
With the New Year fast approaching, fitness and health remain the priority for those committing to resolutions, with the results of a 2015 ComRes poll for Bupa showing that 35% of respondents wanted to lose weight, 33% wished to get fitter, and 31% wanted to eat more healthily.
But how long do these commitments last?
Read MoreLet's face it, Christmas can be a nightmare.
From the festive decorations everywhere to Mariah Carey blasting from every shopfront, we all get caught up in Christmas mania. Our spirits brighten, and we find ourselves ever more social than we usually are, with a Christmas party or a quick mulled wine the go-to rotational activities throughout December.
Yet for those trying to maintain some semblance of physical activity and healthy living, Christmas can be a minefield to be avoided at all costs.
Read MoreAnd breathe: yoga for emotional and mental balance.
No one is immune to anxiety and depression. Everybody suffers from some degree throughout their lifetime, but when these start to impact our ability to lead a healthy life, that’s when they become an issue.
For some, mental health doesn’t hold the same gravitas as our physical health, with many of us untroubled by seeking the advice of a health professional for physically manifesting symptoms, but not for matters affecting the mind. But treating mental illness is essential, and – left untreated – it can lead to other long-lasting problems.
