gem.fit

Yep, you heard it right – this tropical soul decided to trade in the sun for snow, and let me tell you, it was a decision well made.

So, grab a cup of hot chocolate/chocomel, cozy up, and let me share the tale of my first cross-country skiing escapade in the breathtaking Norwegian landscapes.

I get asked this question frequently.
A little bit of something is better than a whole heap of nothing

It can feel icky to go against the gain! Fitness is not linear and never stops yet it does change and can adapt to your circumstances if you allow it to.

I get it, I too used to frequently skip warm ups (whilst actually learning and educating myself on movement through a sports science degree!) Now, I never skip a warmup.
Let’s break this blog down into three short snippets…
a) Warm Up Skippers :: Do any of these narratives resonate with you?
b) An alternative way to look at warmups
c) Benefits of warmups for your body and mind!

2021 had some amazing moments for me.
However, 2021 will also serve a very real memory for me as a year where my physical and mental health struggled.

When many of us think of fitness it’s six packs, weight loss journeys and aspiring bodies. And hey, that could be a nice little bonus outcome to our fitness regime potentially!
But how about we physically move with joy rather than move to get to a certain temporary extrinsic outcome?
How about we move because we want to, rather than we feel we have to?! What about looking forward to our exercise rather than rolling our eyes and starting to battle with excuses in our head?

Find ‘your’ movement and start to build around it!

I grew up in Ireland, it’s called the Emerald Isle for a reason, that grass is happily hydrated all the time! I went to University and worked in the UK where the weather was a bit better. We then moved to Sydney where the weather was utterly fabulous for 90% of the time. Currently we live in Amsterdam, a place known for its high levels of wind, rain and grey skies.

One common question I get asked is ‘should I exercise/train whilst I have a cold?’ As a fitness instructor, I see my keen bean participants attending my class no matter what bugs come their way. Sometimes this can been seen as fantastic dedication, other times I think it is a bit foolish.

Make mobility what flossing was for me! One healthy little habit to add into your day.

Doing textbook stretches but the body rejects your efforts? Trying to hold a position but the body is shaking or bouncing you out of it? Not seeing any benefits from your stretching routine? Then read on, this one is for you…

Pain! It can be felt in a variety of ways and evokes different sensations in the body.
So how do we know if we are smashing our goals or smashing our bodies?

Mobility – What is it? Why have I dedicated the Move Better Mobility program to it? And why does it matter so much? This article will answer these questions and start to build up your understanding of what mobility is and how we use it at gem.fit!