This is my weekly interval run session.

My virtual run club!

These sessions are for any level of runner as you can make the high intensity interval session as fast as you need it to be to make the session work for you.

I suggest using these sessions once a week to help improve cardiac fitness and speed.

The sessions are also designed to help you feel strong in your mind, body and breath.

Do not run an interval session if you are injured and stop and seek help if you develop chest pain or shortness of breath that is more than you would expect.

This session is written as a 5 minute warm up jog followed by 5 ( 3 minutes hard / 2 minutes rest interval ),  3 minutes cool down jog.

The whole work out is 30 minutes long and the theme for our mind is Positive Visualisation. 

Enjoy!

I am so pleased to welcome my good friend Louise on to Time to Talk. 

In this episode we cover how we diagnose perimenopause and the key medical information you need to know. 

Louise qualified from Bristol University in 2003. She completed 4 years as an Obstetrics and Gynaecology specialist trainee before changing career path to become a GP.  She has maintained her interest and passion for women’s health and became accredited as ‘GP with Special Interest’ in gynaecology in 2013. She went on to set up a successful community gynaecology clinic in west London where she worked for several years.  She is now based in Bath as a GP but also works as a specialty doctor in gynaecology. Her main area of interest is menopause, and she works closely with Dr Sarah Gray and Dr Jane Davis as a board member for the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum.  

I invited Louise on to have a medical chat about menopause but I know she also is passionate about hormone related mood disorders so I am hoping we can also touch on this.   

Medical treatments are only one way we can help manage the menopause. Listen out for our other episodes on how we can use our body and our mindset alongside good medical care. 

Please message if you have any questions. 

Enjoy the episode please subscribe and like. 

This is the second of my weekly run sessions. 

The CST virtual run club. 

These sessions are for any level of runner as you can make the high intensity interval session as fast as you need it to be to make the session work for you.

I suggest using these sessions once a week to help improve cardiac fitness and speed.

The sessions are also designed to help you feel strong in your mind, body and breath.

Do not run an interval session if you are injured and stop and seek help if you develop chest pain or shortness of breath that is more than you would expect.

This session is written as a 5 minute warm up jog followed by 6 ( 2.5 minutes hard / 2 minutes rest interval ),  3 minutes cool down jog.

The whole work out is just over 30 minutes long and the theme for our mind this week is "Gratitude".

Enjoy!

This is the first of my weekly interval run sessions. 

My virtual run club! 

These sessions are for any level of runner as you can make the high intensity interval session as fast as you need it to be to make the session work for you. 

I suggest using these sessions once a week to help improve cardiac fitness and speed. 

The sessions are also designed to help you feel strong in your mind, body and breath. 

Do not run an interval session if you are injured and stop and seek help if you develop chest pain or shortness of breath that is more than you would expect. 

This session is written as a 5 minute warm up jog followed by 6 ( 2 minutes hard / 2 minutes rest interval ),  3 minutes cool down jog.

The whole work out is 30 minutes long and the theme for our mind is "Being connected and alive".

Enjoy! 

TRIGGER WARNING - SUICIDE   

This was a special episode recorded for #suicidepreventionday

It is a hard topic and triggering for some people. 

James had severe depression and intrusive suicidal thoughts and came forward to talk about his experience.  

This is a very open, honest conversation about the first hand experience of men's mental ill health.  It may be hard to hear but it will hopefully help us all to understand what is happening when someone feels suicidal and will maybe help someone who is struggling to reach out for help.  

I really hope it makes a small step towards reducing the stigma around men talking about their mental health.  

If this is triggering for you or it makes you want to get help for yourself or someone else please get in touch.  

Other resources  @samaritanscharity Your GP/ A and E @mindcharity @856foundation @nhs_prachealth @wellvetweekend @studentmindsorg @docs_in_distress

This year saw the first 8 stage Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, an event that excited female cyclists everywhere. If we see female cycle racing then it gives young women something to aspire to and work towards. Cycling is a great sport and it is wonderful to see it turning up on our screens and on social media more and more.

Becky is a NHS and private physio in Cambridge but she is also a massive advocate for women cyclists.  She is a brand ambassador for Specialised and Lululemon and races for team Magspeed.  She regularly runs sessions on bike maintenance and strength and mobility sessions for cyclists and runners and recently she led a group cycle from London to Paris.  

Womens cycling doesn't get the same coverage as men's cycling but there is a movement to try and change that.  Becky and I talk about the benefits of cycling as a woman and work to dispel any fears you may have at getting out there on 2 wheels.  

 Are you a female cyclist?  What stops you from cycling more?  https://www.becky-hair.co.uk/

Eating Disorders are often missed in certain people. The non white, overweight or athlete to mention a few groups. Often they can be linked with exercise, either the exercise is secondary to the eating disorder being used to drive weight down, or it is the primary factor leading to issues around eating. When we know exercise is so good for our mental health it is difficult to know how to manage it when working with eating disorders. 

I met Renee virtually at an event run by the RCPsych on theis topic of Eating Disorders and Sport and have been really keen to get her on here to share her experience and knowledge.   We talk about Eating Disorders that are less visible and also explore the difference between movement for our mental health and exercise dependency and addiction.

Renee is a leading Sports dietitian, specialising in Eating Disorders, REDs, The Female Athlete, Athlete health and performance. She heads up the Renee McGregor Team and is the author of several books including my current favourite in this area - "Orthorexia, When Healthy Eating Goes Bad".   Her practice and knowledge is supported by extensive experience of working in both clinical and performance nutrition, including,  Olympic (London, 2012), Paralympic (Rio, 2016) and Commonwealth (Queensland, 2018) teams.  She is presently working with a number of national governing bodies, including Scottish Gymnastics, The GB 24 hour Running squad, Scottish Ballet, Women’s Reading Football and England National Ballet. She has also provided CPD to The Welsh Institute of Sport and Sports Institute, Northern Ireland. 

Hoping this helps anyone who is struggling with their eating. This is a difficult topic and this may be hard to listen to. Please do contact me if this triggers anything for you. 

This month is Menopause awareness month and I am so excited to bring on Lesley @wildcountrywomanhealthcoach  

Lesley and I connected around 10 years ago when we were living in Bristol and I have watched her health coaching business develop and her knowledge in the field of perimenopause expand.   She is so passionate about helping women be "wildly well" during this transition. She sees it as an opportunity for us to focus or refocus on our health, wellbeing and personal passions and joy.   The key to this is understanding ourselves and the impact of hormone change both in the perimenopause but also beyond the menopause.  I love her positivity and approachability and I hope that this episode helps women listening to be inspired to look for ways to turn this phase into a positive experience.