Blossom Personal Training

First time doing barbell hip thrusts in 2 years…what with covid, pregnancy and navigating the first year of having a child, my training has been sporadic and unstructured to say the least! It’s ok though, I’ve been doing what I can when I can and exercise has been so much more about keeping my mental health in check and getting my strength back then anything else 👌🏼However I finally feel like I’m getting to a point where I can start to bring some proper programming back in to my training and set myself some performance goals and targets again, which if you’d have told me this even three months ago I wouldn’t have believed you! Becoming a mum has been the best thing I’ve ever done, but god it’s also been the toughest transition 🤯 - training and the gym used to be such a huge part of my identity, which has obviously had a massive shift in the past couple of years. I think I’ve finally accepted that I’m never going to be the ‘old me’ again, I don’t believe any mum ever is - how can you be when you’ve been through such an enormous life change? I believe we become newer, stronger and more resilient versions of ourselves, however that doesn’t mean to say we can’t still do what we used to love, it may just take some time to adjust to your new life and how to fit in everything that is important to you. But you will get there!

So I just want to reassurance any new mums out there who may be feeling a little lost in their new identity and wondering if they will ever feel like themselves again - you really will, just give yourself time, expect setbacks and trust yourself ❤️ and if you need any further help on how to build your strength & fitness back up, please do drop me a message, I’d love to help you 💪🏼💪🏼

Happy new year everyone! 😍

I’ve seen this doing the rounds today and thought I’d share 💖 wouldn’t it be amazing if we could all start the year learning to love ourselves rather than wanting to change everything about ourselves?! That said, it’s totally fine if you want to make some changes, just question whether they are coming from a place of love for yourself…if they’re not, maybe have a think and reassess why you want to change (and will these changes actually make you any happier?)

Whilst it’s brilliant to have goals for the year ahead (I have several myself this year), it’s also ok if you don’t! Just focus on what makes YOU happy, and think of how you can incorporate a little more of whatever that is in to your life 💫💫💫

#2022

We need to get over the idea that exercise needs to be ‘perfect’ - that we need to attend a class, a gym, it needs to be an hour to be worth it…I’m saying bullsh*t!! I just did 20 minutes on the bike (that’s been gathering dust in our conservatory admittedly 😳) and feel AMAZING! It’s a crazy time of year, there’s so much to do, organise, people to see, socialising…it’s exhausting! But I promise you that you don’t have to leave yourself at the bottom of the to-do list, especially when it comes to your health and well-being 🙌🏼 exercise can be anything, from a 20 minute cycle, to a 10 minute walk to a 5 minute stretch at the end of the day if that’s literally all you have time for…I’ve not been prioritising my own movement for weeks now and I felt the effects so much, mentally more than anything else! Exercise is also a fantastic stress reliever if everything is all feeling too much at the moment (we’re all aware of the news 😑) - a walk outside in nature is one of the most amazing things you can do, it’s free and if you have children you can bring them along! 💖

Basically I’m just trying to say, don’t neglect yourself trying to please everybody else - you matter too ❤️

9 MONTHS IN, 9 MONTHS OUT

It still blows my mind when I think of what my body has achieved this past 18 months…from creating, growing and birthing a baby to then healing and repairing itself, all while functioning on minimal sleep - women are incredible!! 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

I literally spent years hating my body - ironically it’s taken pregnancy and having a baby to make me realise that it’s actually pretty amazing and has done (and still does) SO much for me! Yes it’s not the same as it was but I’ve worked really hard (and been lucky) to look and feel more like myself again (and it’s ok if that’s important to you - we’re all human!) It’s taken months not weeks as society still seems to expect 🤦🏼‍♀️ (that’s a whole other rant I could go on!) it’s been tough, and very up & down but I’m so happy to be feeling fit and strong again and determined to set a positive example to my daughter 💗

Just a simple reminder this to pick exercise you enjoy and do it as often as you can! The human body is designed to move and the more you enjoy doing something, the more likely you are to want to do it consistently and therefore reap the most benefits physically AND mentally 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

Most importantly, remember that fitness is SO MUCH MORE than just ‘burning calories’ - it’s challenge, it’s community, it’s pushing out of your comfort zone, it’s you time, it’s FUN (or atleast it should be in my opinion!) - so pick something you enjoy today, even if it’s just a walk in the sunshine, and know that your body and your mind will be thanking you for it ⭐️🙏🏼💗

So happy and excited to be back working with clients again! 🤩 my not-so-baby girl is starting nursery (how?! 🤯) a couple of mornings a week so I can get back to doing what I love 💪🏼 - I adore being Naomie’s mummy and I’m SO lucky I’ll still get to spend so much time with her, however I’m also looking forward to being a Personal Trainer again aswell as a Mum 💗 - let the juggle commence!

Just had to repost this incredible transformation of my client 😍🔥(couldn’t figure out the repost apps so screenshot it is! 🙈)

This lady has worked so unbelievably hard this past few years 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 - she trained with me for two years through 2019 and 2020, and has kept everything up this year while I’ve been on maternity leave 👏🏼👏🏼 she has been determined, dedicated and consistent, and I couldn’t be prouder or happier for her with what she’s achieved! Not just with the amazing weight loss, but also her shift in mindset, which is often the biggest barrier to overcome. There have been no quick fixes, no fads, just hard work, consistency, and a laser focus on her goals - not even a global pandemic has got in the way! Becky is a wonderful person and a pleasure to work with - I’ve been so inspired by her success, she totally deserves it all! 💞💞💞

So excited to back working with some clients again this month! 🤩🤗 a little sad that my mat leave is over, however I’m also looking forward to getting back to working a bit, and the joy of self employment means that I still get to spend lots of time with my little lady 🥰 sure it will take some time to get used to the juggle, however like everything else in motherhood, I’ll just figure it out as I go and hope for the best! 🙌🏼

Me in the gym car park after a 25 minute session…yes that’s right, not 60 minutes, not 45, 25! Who made up the unspoken rule that workouts have to be x amount of time? I used to believe that there was no point in working out unless it was atleast 45 minutes long - then I realised how ridiculous that is! All movement is valid and as long as you’re putting the effort in when you’re doing it, you can still get great results from working out for less time (this is where NEAT activity comes in, more on that another time…)

Stop waiting until you have an hour free
Stop telling yourself you don’t have time
Stop believing it’s not worth the effort

Even if it’s 20 minutes, or 15, or 10 - whatever you can spare! Whether it’s a stretch, a HIIT workout or dancing to some songs in your kitchen…anything is better than nothing 💪🏼💪🏼