Probably the Hardest Exercise in the World
When you start to exercise again in your fifties, you may discover many changes. One of the hardest exercise is connected to the flexibility in your feet. The humble Mexican Toe Wave is probably the hardest exercise in the world. It is often done in standing or...
3 Reasons to add Vibration Training with a Power Plate
Vibration Training on a Power Plate has been around for a few decades in gyms. At the height of popularity there were dedicated Power Plate studios. Here are 3 reasons why adding vibration training to your exercise routine in your fifties Vibration Training is a...
Body Mass Index (BMI) Plus
The Body Mass Index (BMI) used to be the gold standard health assessment tool. Few use it these days as it says nothing about your body composition. Which means it doesn’t take into account your muscle/fat ratio. We have much easier access to accurate information...
Fifties Exercise Guidelines
It may surprise you to read that exercise guidelines are for 18-69 adults. We do not have any specific advice for exercising through the menopause or immediately after. The guidelines are fairly generic from county to country, in the UK it’s generally: Cardiovascular...
What changes can Summer time bring to your workouts?
What changes can Summertime bring to your workouts? Summertime brings in a natural opportunity to create changes in your workouts. There is always a dance between repetition and novelty in when you are working out. Both are required in the right amounts for progress....
3 Ways Battle Ropes can Improve Your Fifties Fitness
You may have seen Battle Ropes in your gym and wondered how they would fit into your workout. Battle Ropes are for your cardiovascular (cardio) fitness and can be deceptively hard work. Starting to exercise again in your fifties may be very different to before the...
3 Ways to Improve Your Balance
Balance work becomes important as you get older in the context of falls prevention i.e. the better you are at balance work will reduce the likelihood of falling and breaking a bone. Bone health is one of the aspects of fitness that is potentially impacted by the...
3 Ways YouTube can help you Exercise
YouTube has a phenomenal amount of free fitness and exercise videos that can help you on your fitness journey after the menopause. Here are 3 ways YouTube can help you improve your fitness: PlaylistsCreating playlists helps you easily organise and therefore find...
Why I Don’t set New Year Resolutions Anymore
Why I don’t set new year resolutions anymore January is a time of possibilities.January is a big month in the fitness industry. Social Media and your mailbox is probably full of offers and possibilities. Online programmes on topics and areas that you had no idea were...
Is your self-care to-do list stressing you out?
When I set myself a deadline for complete the paperwork for my Yoga Teacher Training. It was more work than I thought. Instead of extending the deadline, I worked harder, to the point where I stopped my regular self-care habits to fit it in. I’m sure you have done...
3 Things About Starting an In-Person Exercise Class Again
If you are thinking about attending an in-person exercise class again, here are 3 things for you to consider. Practicalities Most gyms still have plenty equipment such as mats and blocks to use and sprays available to clean them. But it is definitely a personal...
How the Elements can help how you Exercise
The idea of using the elements to fuel my workouts came from being post menopause and the loss of an internal rhythm of when to push and when to rest. I’m exploring how to exercise with a different kind of rhythm that comes from nature. How can the elements help how...
Exercise Guilt Post Menopause
The menopause may have affected how you exercise. It is not linear process and may be a ‘normal’ rite of passage for a woman but that doesn’t mean it’s not been massively disruptive. If you are struggling to start exercising again after the menopause you may have been...
3 Ways to Improve Your Quad Stretch
Your quads are the big group of muscles at the front of your legs and they can often get tight from sitting a lot. If your quads are tight, you may notice it around your knee joint which is one end of the muscle group. The other end is your hips so they are a good all...
Organising Your Online Workout Videos Journal
Spend your time working out, not searching the web for the one video you want but can’t remember its name! Organising your online videos is a new thing that has come out of the vast amount of fitness videos that are available to us online. When you are working...
Fitbit – Not Just For Counting Steps
You may think a Fitbit is just for counting your steps. It does a great job of that. The ‘reminders to move’ can make a big difference to help regularly nudge you off your desk. Conversely, I know that it’s also the reason that puts women off using it, as it feels...
3,650,000 Steps A Year
You are probably quite familiar with the guideline to walk 10,000 steps a day. What isn’t quite as well known is that this adds up to 3,650,000 steps a year Last year I walked 3,135,749 steps. Which sounds a lot and it is, but it was also down on the last few years...
Why Set Exercising Deadlines Post Menopause
Deadlines are a great way of helping you figure out what your priorities are and how much time you have. Being curious about whether you take action or not will help you to work out out how to workout v5.0 Samantha Valand is a Pilates teacher, Yoga Instructor and...
Some Things Never Change and Some Things Do
I think we have all been through some changes in the last few years. Some things have changed for me and some things have stayed the same 💊 I saw the matrix 4 over the festive break and oh how I’ve missed big screen movies 🍿 🧘♀️I came across yin yoga on YouTube when...
Ubiquitous Push ups
Ubiquitous Push ups. Doesn’t seem to matter what type of exercise you do; push ups are there in some shape or form! Mastering you push ups will ripple into all sorts of areas in your fitness life. This video has 9 ways that push ups may appear and why they are one of...
Falling in Love With Exercise Again After The Menopause
Your relationship with exercising has changed throughout your menopause. Things you loved and found easy to do slowly became hard work and a chore. Now you are looking at exercise again with fresh eyes and a new start. You are ready to fall in love with exercise again...
Are You Planning To Get Older?
We plan our retirement decades in advance by paying into a pension. Do you think about your physical health in the same way?Most of us do not which means it is not until we ‘need’ to; we start to think about exercise as a way of improving our wellbeing and to help us...
3 Multi-tasking Exercises That May Slow Your Progress
Familiarity with an exercise or a stretch may often result in you tuning out the cues your exercise instructor is giving you. Because “I know that already”When really, they are great exercises to help you practice noticing what feels different today. It can be...
Push up Fitness Test Over Fifty Fitness
One reason to work on improving your push-ups is that part of fitness testing. You can use industry guidelines for your age to measure the number of full push ups you can do in a minute This is a simple way to track your strength and fitness over fifty 40 -49 50...
My Favourite Books 2021
This year I read 77 books. Not as many as last year, but who’s counting! The vast majority I loved and have listed some of my favourite books below. I love reading about other peoples favourites, so I hope you enjoy mine! The Land Beyond the Sea by Sharon...
When you have a spare 5 minutes
What do you do when you have a spare 5 minutes? These days most of us will just straight onto our phones and scroll thru social media to see what’s new! How does it make you feel? Harrased or calm? If you are time poor is that best use of your time? What else could...
3 Ways to Stretch Like a Pro
Staying supple is an important aspect of exercising. Here are 3 ways to help you stretch like a pro, and get the most out of your time at the gym Timer One of the most common things I see in the gym, is that people don’t stretch for long enough. It’s usually 1,2, miss...
How To Be Merry In December And Not Be Snowman Shaped In January
December is a time to eat, drink and be merry. How do you enjoy the spirit of the occasion and not end up feeling snowman shaped at the end of it? The answer is of course planning. Click here for your December’s planner to fill in. (Note: you don’t need a...
