A Drunken Bet and Jud’s First Ultra Race

Hello and welcome to our latest Guest Blog post from Jud, bringing you the story of his first ultra race, the 100km Ultra Tour of the Peak District.   “Drunken bets usually end disastrously, but this one was life changing.” I was at a friend’s Wedding, beers were had, and continued to flow. Then the Groom announced he’d entered the Ultra Tour of the Peak District a 100km run with a total of 3000m of ascent. From never really running before, I was at the time training for a 15km trail race. With some cajoling from other guests, before I knew it, I … Continue reading

Never Underestimate The Influence Of Exercise on Depression

A long while ago I had some time off work – signed off with depression. The ‘D’ word is less dirty these days. Back then, I literally hid away at home in case I bumped into someone I knew and didn’t have a limb hanging off, for the unseen illness surely didn’t exist! That attitude didn’t help me at all, and staying in a self-imposed locked up four walls meant I did little exercise. I had no appetite for it anyway. The self-perpetuating circle of gloom fueled itself merrily. Yet, had the doctor prescribed a 60 minute brisk walk daily (even better … Continue reading

Chief Medical Officers Report: Women in Health

11 December 2015 saw the publication of the Chief Medical Officer’s annual report on Women’s Health. The report “contains analysis of, and recommendations on, a range of women’s health issues, including obesity, cancer and reproductive health.” We were very pleased when we learnt that the CMO had focused her report on women’s health, and tackled head on some of the topics which are often shied away from in public, such as menopause and incontinence. This report is of great interest to us. The main themes she looked at are: obesity and its impact on women’s health, including reproductive health women’s health … Continue reading

5 tips when preparing for your first marathon or ultra race

In 2015 Lynne completed her first marathon (Howgills 26 Trail Marathon) in May and later in the year she successfully finished her first ultra race (the 55km off-road Long Tour of Bradwell (LTOB)). In the weeks and months following each she spent a fair amount of time considering how each had gone, what went well and where she could improve. With only two races over 25 miles under her belt she’s no expert, but she does have a few secret strategies to share with you. We hope they help you with race preparations! These are Lynne’s 5 top tips when preparing for your first marathon or ultra race: … Continue reading

#SelfCare2016 has arrived!

We are making 2016 the year to really GO ALL OUT and look after ourselves. ‪#‎SelfCare2016‬ is all about looking after the most important person in your life – YOU! We all know that we lead hectic lives, spend lots of time looking after and caring for others, often neglecting to care for ourselves. We need to take time out for ourselves so we are going to be sharing information, ideas and challenges about health, being present, mindfulness, and allowing yourself space to just BE without feeling guilty. Lynne has witnessed changes in people through her work as a personal trainer and it’s a delight … Continue reading

Why do I have a Personal Trainer?

Yes, that’s right. I may be a qualified personal trainer myself but I do have someone help me with my own training.  When I tell people this I get one of two responses – either a puzzled look followed by “Really? Why?” or a nod of understanding and questions about what they get me to do. The most common response is the first one, so realising I have been baffling some people I thought I’d explain my reasons… Accountability Because we have regular check-ins my training is kept on track. Adjustments to the plan can happen instantly taking into account … Continue reading