Month: June 2022

Coping with Parkinson’s can be a trying and testing time, you will hopefully have seen a physiotherapist and be under their care. As personal trainers for Parkinson’s patients, we understand how important this is. 

Parkinson’s disease is a condition that affects the brain. It causes problems like shaking and stiffness that get worse over time. The main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are shaking (tremors), slow movements and stiffness. Treatments for Parkinson’s disease include therapies to help with movement problems, medicines and sometimes brain surgery. Parkinson’s disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in a part of the brain. It’s not clear exactly why this happens. We are going to show you just how important exercise can be for coping with Parkinsons’. 

How does Parkinson’s disease affect movement?

Parkinson’s disease is a type of central nervous system disorder that affects your movement, causing symptoms such as tremors, slowness, stiffness, and more. These involuntary movements begin, in part, in the brain, where the production of dopamine (the neurotransmitter that controls movement) is impaired.

Movement and mobility issues following PD

One of the biggest, most noticeable side effects of Parkinson’s disease is movement issues. PD can result in problems with coordination and balance. Another side effect of having PD can be extreme tiredness (fatigue) and difficulty sleeping, making sufferers even more tired.

PD may bring with it a variety of symptoms that are uncommon in the early stages, such as problems with walking (gait abnormalities) and poor balance (postural instability).

If you are working with both a physio and a personal trainer then you are hitting your rehabilitation from every angle.

Physiotherapy will be a regular occurrence for any Parkinsons’ patient and will often involve several sessions a week, focusing on areas such as exercises to improve your muscle strength and overcome any walking difficulties. A personal trainer will ensure that any exercises you do are recommended by your physio and always work within the recommended guidelines to ensure your safety. 

As your condition improves, your physiotherapist and personal trainers for Parkinson’s will look at adding in more demanding long-term goals to keep you progressing.

The psychological impacts of PD

Having PD can be a devastating and life-changing event. You can feel a whole host of emotions such as anger, frustration and bewilderment to name but a few. The good news is that exercise can also help you to manage these difficult feelings and emotions. Two of the most common psychological problems that can affect people after a PD diagnosis are:

Depression

It can be very common for people to experience intense bouts of crying, feel hopeless and withdraw from social activities. This can be understandable due to the fact that PD affects the brain and you might not have as much mobility and independence as you used to. It is a life-changing event. A personal trainer for Parkinson’s patients can help with safe and effective exercise plans which will help to build confidence and self-esteem and also release those all-important endorphins to make you feel better. 

Personal Trainers For Parkinson’s

Anxiety – When you have PD, it’s very likely you will experience some anxiety about it, something has happened to you that you have had no control over, and it’s likely you will experience general feelings of fear and anxiety, sometimes with moments of intense, uncontrolled feelings of anxiety (anxiety attacks). Exercise can help to manage these feelings as well as help you feel in control as you work towards a goal. 

The benefits of exercise after PD diagnosis

There are numerous benefits to enjoy through adhering to an exercise programme after a PD diagnosis. 

Balancing both sides of the body

A personal trainer for Parkinson’s can help to enhance balance and coordination with specific exercises. This is very beneficial in helping to decrease the chances of falls and further complications.

Improving overall strength

Strength training is recommended to reverse muscle atrophy, which typically occurs during the hospital stay and days thereafter. Strength training is also beneficial as strong muscles mean better balance and mobility. As a guideline, resistance exercises should be done 3-5 times a week. 2-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions (of each exercise) should be completed to achieve noticeable results.

Cardiovascular activity

Keeping your heart healthy is also essential with PD, regular cv and aerobic activity can help to manage conditions making it very important for health. coordination resulting in greater total body recovery. 

Goal setting

Your personal trainer for PD will work with you to create a set of tailored goals to keep you working towards something. This is one of the best things about personal training, you will always have something to work towards. You can build strength back and focus on those weaker muscles and feel confident while you are doing so.

Brain rewiring

Luckily, the brain is an incredible thing and is capable of rewiring and repairing itself even if its cells are damaged. Brain training is essential and this can also be achieved through exercise and repetition. Think about it like this, the undamaged parts of the brain step in to perform the tasks that the damaged parts were performing. This phenomenon (called neuroplasticity) allows people to regain lost movement and function. The key to neuroplasticity is the consistent performance of repetitive tasks so that the brain can relearn how to perform these tasks through different neural pathways. If your personal trainer is asking you to constantly repeat tasks and gives you homework too, it’s not because they are trying to bore you, it’s because they are essentially trying to rewire your brain. 

Improvement in daily activities

You can expect to regain some of your independence as your brain adapts and rewires some of its functions. Repetition and perseverance is the key here.

Personal trainers for Parkinson’s can help sufferers to improve their quality of life through healthy lifestyle changes and engagement in restorative activities that a personal trainer and physiotherapist can provide. Whether implementing big changes or small ones, the key to meaningful functional management is engaging in your routine changes consistently, don’t give up and building your self-confidence back up. 

So what exactly is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia also called fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body. If you are looking to reduce your symptoms, become fitter and stronger and not let this condition inhibit your life then working with a personal trainer for fibromyalgia could be an excellent choice. 

Let’s have a look at what this condition is, whether it is yourself or someone else we will go through the symptoms of this condition, how it’s treated and why exercise can be very beneficial. 

Symptoms of fibromyalgia

FMS can display a whole host of unpleasant symptoms to the person. It doesn’t often have the same symptoms for all but it usually has multiple symptoms. Below is a list of the most common issues people suffer from when they have been diagnosed with FMS.

• Increased sensitivity to pain
• Extreme tiredness (fatigue)
• Muscle stiffness
• Difficulty sleeping
• Problems with mental processes (known as “fibro-fog”), such as problems with memory and concentration
• Headaches
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), is a digestive condition that causes stomach pain and bloating
• Treatment 

A Personal Trainer For Fibromyalgia Can Help

Risk factors and causes of fibromyalgia?

Symptoms of fibromyalgia can present very differently from person to person. The main symptom is usually unexplained pain all over your body. Unfortunately, there’s no cure for fibromyalgia and research and trials are still currently underway to understand this condition more. Treatments like painkillers, talking therapies and exercise programmes may help ease some of your symptoms. It’s not clear what causes fibromyalgia. It can start after a stressful event like an injury, illness or the death of a loved one.

Pilates – Another good form of exercise to try that focuses on breathing and strengthening the torso muscles. With Pilates, an instructor will help you work on postural muscles that are essential to supporting the spine.

The other benefits of having a personal trainer for Fibromyalgia?

Working with a personal trainer and partaking in regular exercise can hugely benefit people with fibromyalgia by doing the following:

Burning calories and making weight control easier – Keeping your weight and BMI at a healthy level is imperative for reducing inflammation in the body and moving easier.

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Giving a range of motion to painful muscles and joints – If you move with ease then you will be able to exercise more effectively.

Improving a person’s outlook on life – Exercise releases endorphins, the feel-good hormones making you more positive about everything. 

Better quality of sleep – If you are moving your body then you will naturally be a bit more tired so you will find it easier to get to sleep.

Enhanced sense of well-being – Exercising builds your confidence making you feel better about yourself.

Increasing aerobic capacity – As you exercise you will get fitter and your aerobic capacity will improve. 

Improving cardiovascular health – Your heart is a muscle too, so exercising makes it stronger.

Reducing anxiety levels and depression – The release of the feel-good hormones, and endorphins will help to reduce anxiety and depression and can also help to relieve the stress associated with a chronic disease.

Stronger body – Exercise can help to strengthen bones, and muscles and act as a natural pain killer. 

When can I start with my personal trainer for fibromyalgia?

If you have fibromyalgia and want to get going with some exercise under the guidance of your personal trainer it is important to start slowly. Your trainer will create a tailored plan and regime for you usually beginning with stretching exercises and gentle, low-impact activities, such as walking and bodyweight moves… Muscle soreness is typical when you are just starting an exercise regimen. Your personal trainer will know how far to push you safely, 

If you want to get started with your personal trainer for fibromyalgia then you will be taking the first steps to living a better quality of life. You will build a stronger, fitter body and be able to manage your pain levels better. Not to mention your mental health and well-being will improve. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today! 

PCOS is the most common hormonal disorder in women of childbearing age and can lead to issues with fertility. It can come with a series of unwanted issues which can affect a woman’s mental and physical health.

The good news is, that you can get a personal trainer for PCOS who can help you manage this condition and its effects with exercise.

Do you suffer from PCOS?

Our team of in-home trainers can help you with a workout regime that can help you manage this condition and optimize your health as best as possible.

Do you want to understand what PCOS is, how you can better manage it and the benefits of exercise? Working with a personal trainer for PCOS might be the best thing you can do. Let’s get to it…

So what exactly is PCOS?

You may have heard of it, might have it or you just want to know more about the condition. PCOS or in other words, Polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition that affects how the ovaries work.Symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome can be very troublesome including irregular periods, facial hair and difficulty getting pregnant.

The main treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome is medicines for things like hair growth and irregular periods. Keeping a healthy weight also helps which is where a personal trainer for PCOS comes in. It’s not clear what causes polycystic ovary syndrome, but it’s thought to be linked to hormonal problems and is even linked to obesity. 

Why does it make weight gain more likely and weight loss harder?

A Specialized Personal Trainer For PCOS Can Help

Maybe you feel as though you have been stabbing in the dark with your weight loss goals and because of PCOS you feel like just giving up.

Hope is not lost because your personal trainer for PCOS can help. It works both ways when it comes to PCOS and obesity because PCOS can contribute towards obesity and obesity can make PCOS symptoms worse. However, PCOS does not discriminate and can affect women of all shapes and sizes.

These are questions which as personal trainers, we get asked an awful lot. Having PCOS doesn’t mean you are doomed to never lose weight, it just means you have to go about things in a slightly different way. PCOS makes it more difficult for the body to use the hormone insulin, which normally helps convert sugars and starches from foods into energy. This condition — called insulin resistance can cause insulin and sugar to build up in the bloodstream.

High insulin levels increase the production of male hormones called androgens. High androgen levels lead to symptoms such as body hair growth, acne, irregular periods and weight gain. Because the weight gain is triggered by male hormones, it is typically in the abdomen. That is where men tend to carry weight. So, instead of having a pear shape, women with PCOS have more of an apple shape. Abdominal fat is the most dangerous kind of fat. That’s because it is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and other health conditions.

This is where your personal trainer for PCOS steps in. Diverging a tailored and specific plan for someone with PCOS is imperative. You want to be able to maximize your time exercising and be able to supplement it with a nutrition regime that will compliment your efforts. 

Are there any risks with PCOS-related weight gain?

Maintaining a healthy weight with PCOS is important, and if you feel like you are struggling then hiring a personal trainer for PCOS is one of the best things you can do to keep your weight in check. Weight gain alone comes with a number of different issues.

Women with PCOS are more likely to struggle with weight gain due to the reasons mentioned above and many of the problems associated with weight gain and insulin resistance, including:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Sleep apnea
• Infertility
• Endometrial cancer

What’s more, many of these conditions can lead to heart disease. 

Healthy habits to help:

In addition to any doctor-prescribed medication, there are a number of healthy habits you can adopt in your daily life when managing your PCOS. Some of these include:

Eat a high-fibre, low-sugar diet – Eat the lower sugar fruits such as citrus ones, get in your green and leafy vegetables, and whole grains. Try to avoid processed and fat-laden foods to keep your blood sugar levels down and healthy. If you’re having trouble eating healthy on your own, talk to your doctor or a dietitian.

Eat smaller, more frequent meals

Eating smaller meals throughout the day instead of larger meals will help control your blood sugar levels and your appetite. 

Regular exercise

Something your personal trainer can help you with, but ideally, you need to be exercising for at least 30 minutes a day on most, if not all, days of the week. Be it walking, going to the gym or working with your personal trainer. 

See your doctor regularly

Ensure you see your doctor to track your cholesterol and blood pressure levels so you always know where you’re at. 

Quit smoking and drinking

If you can’t quit then try to keep these to an absolute minimum. There are absolutely no benefits to smoking or drinking If you smoke, get involved in a program that can help you quit.

We have discussed what PCOS is, how it affects you and some of the daily habits you can adopt to manage this condition better, now we are going to look at how exercise can help you even more.

Cardiovascular exercise

Cardio exercise is very effective at reducing insulin resistance, helping to boost fertility and stabilizing the mood due to the release of those feel-good hormones.

Moderate exercises like brisk walking, jogging, cycling or swimming are all great activities that can assist with your PCOS weight loss. CV exercise increases your body’s sensitivity to insulin, which in turn reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Your personal trainer for PCOS will create you a tailored plan, but ideally, 30 minutes or more a day can also help with weight management, symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as improving the frequency of menstrual cycles and ovulation.

And if you’re about to start IVF that’s an even better reason to work with a personal trainer so they can schedule specific, regular light exercises chosen to boost your reproductive success.

HIIT training 

HIIT is amazing for increasing cardiovascular fitness and decreasing your waist circumference. It maximizes calorie burn in a short space of time. It involves swapping between short bouts of high-intensity work and lower intensity recovery in an ‘interval’ format. It’s a time-efficient way of boosting your cardiovascular fitness and boasts extra benefits for those with PCOS.

Giving it you’re all on the spin bike burns a shed load of calories, and helps to obliterate that abdominal fat more effectively than say, a brisk walk.

This can help you achieve a 5 – 10% weight loss, which studies show can decrease PCOS symptoms by reducing excess testosterone and improving insulin resistance.

Strength training

Strength training or resistance training is excellent for a number of things such as reducing insulin resistance, increasing metabolic rate, and improving body composition (more muscle and less fat tissue) to name but a few. So what exactly is strength training? Bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, or tricep dips are strength exercises that may enhance insulin function.

Furthermore, weighted moves like bench pressing, leg pressing and bicep curls can also boost your metabolism by building more muscle mass.

Let’s just bust the myth that this type of training will make you huge; you won’t bulk up unless you’re taking steroids! More muscle simply means burning more calories while exercising, but also throughout the day even at rest.

Combining a mixture of strength training and cardio based is the best way to ensure you’re building a lean body, achieving a healthy BMI, and reducing your risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes.

Simply put, exercise is a real game-changer for those women who suffer from PCOS. It can be a way to get a hold of the condition and minimize the effects it can have on your body.

Consistency is key and you really have to tick every box and leave no stone unturned. Remember though, you are not alone because working with a personal trainer for PCOS can take all the stress out of planning exercises.

You can enjoy tailored and structured workouts, especially for your condition.