Health, Performance, and Rehabilitation - Mary Hunter

I'm back....limited availability for massage ..pm to book.

Well done to National Irish Champion Isabella Conor and team mates from Friends' School Lisburn. Another medal to add to the collection.

What’s been happening lately; Lucy has just returned from the Youth Tour of Scotland and has a busy season ahead. Well done Lucy. 🙌

Next up in our Women in Sport week focus is Lucy Brown.

Lucy is the current U16 National Crit champion, a title she considers to be her best achievement to date. She also holds the national title for the U16 500m TT on the track.

Lucy’s 2022 racing season kicks of this weekend where she will compete with the Cycling Ulster team at Rás Mhaigh-Eo, a 2-day stage race. In April she travels with the Cycling Ireland Youth team for the Youth Tour of Scotland, a 3-day stage race.

Lucy was chosen as one of the 2022 Women in Sport Advocate’s, and is part of a new campaign called ITS NOT A RACE*. Her aim will be to encourage more women and girls to take up cycling. You can read more here > https://www.cyclingireland.ie/news-item/lucy-brown-womens-cycling-advocate/

Phoenix CC is very proud of your achievements, and we wish you every success with the racing season ahead, and the ITS NOT A RACE* campaign.

Do you know about the silent killer heart condition that can increase your risk of having a stroke by up to FIVE times? ❣️

It’s .

Atrial fibrillation, or AF, is the most common type of irregular heart rhythm. It causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate.

🔴 AF sometimes causes symptoms, but the only way to know you have it for sure is to get checked during one of our NICHS Well Checks or with your GP.

🔴 If you have any symptoms of AF, make an appointment with your GP ASAP!

Find out more about AF and how you can book a Well Check here:
https://nichs.org.uk/information/risk-factors/atrial-fibrillation

Viking Press- A relatively under used exercise and great for overhead athletes especially Racquets sports and swimmers.
Here's why it's one of my favourites:

*Hands are in neutral position making it more mechanically advantageous- especially for swimmers!

*Arms are closer to the midline of body therefore the shoulder girdle is in a more stable position.

*Allows work on overhead mobility by leaning into the press at the top of the movement.

*A great exercise for loading the shoulders safely without compensation at the lumbar spine.

Do you cycle your training but not your nutrition?
If our training stays the same we plateau, and the same goes for our nutrition.

Cycle your nutrition to match your training and the desired adaptations will come. With these adaptations come decreased risk of injury/illness, optimal performance through increased strength and power.

Align the macronutrient's you need to complete your training or for rest day, be flexible with your choices and consistent with your approach and the results will come.

What the foot???

I'm going to save you alot of money now...

Pain can not be solved on footware alone. That's right, and from my collection I should know.

Ok, yes some footware choices suit some people better than other's but that's where it ends, especially after spending @£140 which is the going rate for 'Sports' trainers.

To get out of the vicious circle of pain I use some logical thought processes:

Watch the body in movement/ gait

What is not happening vs What should be happening

Poor/ reduced movement in one area will manifest in others

What movement/ imbalance is causing inhibition

Restore lost movement patterns by rewiring and enhancing an optimal environment

I know what works for me and everyone that knows me will know I love a good conversation about trainers but spend time assessing your gait in the natural environment not for 5 minutes on a treadmill.

"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please." Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Exercise used as therapy is more important now than ever.

With chronic conditions on the rise such as Obesity, Hypertension, Diabetes, Stroke, COPD, Arthritis, Cancer and Dementia there is a need for a support network alongside GP care.

Social, emotional and physical health requirements are on the rise. Get in touch if you suffer from a chronic condition and don't know where to get started. I'm here to help .

Get in touch. There is help available and a route to deal with these conditions.

This still holds true to this day and not specifically to Strength and Conditioning but also to exercise prescription for fitness.

Ask why you are doing a particular exercise and what muscle groups are you working? Basic stuff that a lot of people don’t know.

Why do we need to know? Why can someone not just tell us what to do when we are paying them?

Basically it’s because we are adults and need to make our way in the world and that goes for diet and nutrition as well. Educate yourself so that you know when you come across a charlatan, you can debate and challenge them instead of being talked down to and accepting that some people have no rationale or process to training. Don’t be scared of the challenge, it’s your body and your life.

Quality training should take precedence over fitness influencers.

I’ve been working away behind the scenes and will be collaborating with a fantastic coach to deliver something very special but until then you will all have to wait a little longer!

Please contact me through my mobile with any enquires or bookings. Facebook will currently not let me access messages through this page. Many thanks.