Weekly Wrap up. Week 23. 2024. Protein!

Weekly wrap up. Week 23. 2024

Protein.

This is really the buzz word and more and more research is proving how absolutely essential protein is in our diet. I remember the days of carb loading before marathons. There used to be pre race pasta parties can you, believe whereas more recently the focus is far more on getting plenty of protein onboard.

Talking to a friend at the weekend, she told me that when her husband went to the osteopath with an arthriticky knee, the first thing he was asked was how many kilos he weighed and he was then informed that he should be having a gram of protein a day for every kilo of weight. So if you are a 65 kilo individual then you need to be consuming 65grams of protein a day. While he has seen a huge improvement in his knee, Dr Michael Mosley has just written pretty much the very same thing this last week, stating that while the standard guidelines are 45grams for the average woman, actually 65 grams is much more realistic.

Style and makeup guru Trinny was talking to her personal trainer about her batwing under arm issue last week and established that all the weight lifting in the world would not resolve this without the back up of plenty of protein and that we are not eating enough.

So why do we need protein and what is this all about?

Protein is essential for muscle growth and repair, as well as speeding up recovery from injury. It is essential for bone health and strength. Protein is filling so makes us feel fuller for longer and reduces the desire to snack and overeat so indirectly helps with weight management. It improves brain function, strengthens the immune system and helps keep skin healthy. Protein helps repair body tissues and helps make hormones.

I could add loads of scientific research and explanation here but statistics show that you have already allowed your mind to wander so I will stick with the bullet point facts and leave you to research should you wish.

So how do we find it and do we need to weigh everything now?

Fortunately we all have access to the internet and a quick google will generally give you guidelines on protein content. For example 2 large boiled eggs have around 12 grams of protein so if you start your day with eggs and soldiers or an omlette, you are already off to a fine start. A large cup (8 oz) of plain, low fat yoghurt is around 12 grams of protein so throw in some seeds and nuts (and a handful of berries and a drizzle of honey) and you have a really protein rich desert.

As a vegetarian, I have had to look a little deeper but fortunately I am a fan of beans and pulses. Lentils, quinoa and beans such as chickpea and pinto are really good sources of protein but of course fish and meat are excellent options. Don’t overlook your greens as choices such as spinach are a good source too with some greens being high in amino acids which are the building blocks of protein (learnt this at the Juicy retreats when we lived on plants and vegetables!)

Take a little time to think of what you enjoy, what you can incorporate regularly and what portion sizes you need. Remember that the more active you are, the more protein you will need for muscle repair and bone growth. I have recently introduced protein powders to weight training / long cycling days to make sure I have it covered but you will find your own way for what suits you best.

Whatever your way, remember when you have finished your class or workout to reach for a large glass of water and a source of protein within 45 mins for maximum benefit.

Members Zone.

What we have been up to.

Well, I finished my first official road bike event. A huge thank you to online member and fellow Pilates teacher Fiona who, as soon as she heard I was Sussex bound, immediately offered me bed and breakfast. I had just THE loveliest evening with Fiona and her husband Jan and am lucky to have been offered a return visit complete with bike to join Jan and his cycling club so yes please!

I was very grateful to have had the most incredible hospitality and great company and that really set me up for my day!

A quick selfie with Davina McCall and off I set just after 8am on my 47 miles. There was a shorter ride and two longer ones but I had decided not to be toooo ambitious on my first event. Just as well as, with my usual brilliance, I managed to miss some markers and all too soon found myself riding back downhill to the start. While the organisers kindly whooped and clapped, I was frantically turning round and setting off back up the hill, not nearly as exciting second time around, while they were shouting after me, but I explained I still had 20 miles to do… unfortunately as all riders had left, they had taken down the original arrows so I just trundled around to get the miles in, in order to achieve what I had set out to do and to fully earn my (cheapest, nastiest I have ever seen) medal at the end, but do it I jolly well did, albeit on my own, missing the refuelling stations, running out of water… and noting to self that a) teaching a legs strength class 2 days before was fully moronic and b) I should have paid more attention.

However, Sussex is just beautiful (if rather hilly) and the sun was out. I did smile to myself cycling into one village and seeing a “30”speed sign. I remember many moons ago, watching The Magic Roundabout with my mother and her roaring with laughter at a line from Brian the snail as he slid his way down a road and saw a “30”sign and said “30 miles an hour? THIRTY MILES AN HOUR? I can’t go that fast” and I had to agree at that point!

Several of you are away in motor homes and camper vans and other holiday sources and I have really enjoyed the pictures of you working from the library as well as jumping in to live classes when you can find wifi. I really, really appreciate that and full marks to you for being committed to your practise to keep you strong. Easier to maintain than to start again!

It's been a busy week with weights, lower body workout, power Pilates and lots of recording.

What’s new in the library.

Clare has recorded her lower body class which is now in “Clare’s classes” and I have uploaded this Tuesday and Friday's strength classes (located, funnily enough in the section called Strength) and also Tuesday’s pure mat and Thursday’s power Pilates with small weights and mini loops (both in Mixed ability). SO much new content coming!

Please note the library is moving around a little and the order of display is changing. Any questions, please let me know.

You will see a new section called “Guest teachers” where you can try a class from peers of mine who have taught classes for me. You will also see a new area “The Monthly challenge” - more of that below.

What’s coming up

You will have seen the post about our upcoming Pelvic health and menopause talk on June 18th and if not, please go to Latest News on my website. I really hope you are able to make it as I know it will be of interest to all ages.

You ask, I listen

I have had a suggestion that we have a monthly challenge and I think that is a really good idea and I am going to add this to our library. One thing to do every day for the month and although we are already a few days into June, I am starting with The Hundred. challenge. Please go to the library and find the recording to get more info! 5 mins a day, every day. Who’s in?

Please forward challenge suggestions to see us through Summer and into Autumn and there will always be levels for everyone.

Please note -

If we are recording and you join late, please don't be offended if we don't acknowledge you. Nothing personal but obviously it isn't ideal for the recorded classes. No problem if you are running late and hop in after we have started but just to point out!

Finally

A quote -

“It’s very possible to gain several pounds of weight overnight. It is almost impossible to gain several pounds of body fat overnight.

Remember that, when you step on the scales and see the number has gone up because….

All body fat has weight but not all weight is body fat’

“Only lost a pound?” Have a look at the picture below to see just what that means!!

Fitness - dont put off starting a new fitness journey until when “you have more time” as that means that as soon as you become busy, you will drop it again. Start that new habit right NOW while you are busy so that you learn how to fit it into your busy life and that way, you are far less likely to drop it again!

Have a great weekend! xx we have been up to.

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By juliet • May 19, 2025

What does being healthy mean to you? I don't suppose any of us set out to be deliberately unhealthy. We may continue a behaviour that we know is not good for us, but we don't actively choose poor health. We may grumble that we ought to do more exercise of make some changes to our diet, but I am asking you to stop for a moment and just think - what does "being healthy" or "living a healthy life" mean to you? I know for most of us, our default opinion will be towards diet, exercise, relaxation and sleep and yet is it not so much more vast than that? What about the term "unhealthy relationships" or working "in a toxic environment" to name just two examples of things that affect our health but have nothing to do with what we eat or how much we move. I had an insanely "healthy" weekend this one just gone. I did a couple of really good training sessions, I had an afternoon nap, walked in the forest in the late afternoon sun with the dogs and ate so well that if you cut me I would probably bleed raw vegetables. When I sat down to watch some t.v. I flicked over to a true crime documentary on Netflix. Now, I am the QUEEN of crime dramas, be it reading them, watching them... I would probably be quite an asset to the SOCOS, truth be told with my eagerness to establish who last saw the victim alive and protecting the crime scene, (although the waste of single use and throw rubber gloves is of some concern - can we find something more environmentally friendly?). When I was running one of my retreats in Turkey, one of our guest's husbands was a detective actively working a murder case that week and I was only too willing to offer my extensive knowledge on procedures (not taken up, bizarrely!). Yet here I was watching this hideous documentary and finding my peaceful, happy mode deteriorate towards something quite dark and I just stopped it to wonder what on earth I was doing. I had to flip it around and instead go full immersion into a podcast on The Archers, itself quite dramatic but in a much less gruesome way (although Peggy's will is a worry but so too is her entire family's attitude - poor woman has not yet gone cold in the ground and they are doing their sums). I talk to people a lot about health and wellness. Of course I do. It's my business, a passion and interest of mine and I always feel privileged when someone chooses to discuss concerns with me and I reiterate - what does being healthy mean to you? We need consistency in our lives in order to carry us over the lows as well as the boring bits - the highs can often take care of themselves but they will always have a downhill or at least a flat bit to follow. Sometimes, the boring is good - some familiar, chugging along, recharge and just hum drum normality but the lows are what are going to be the challenge. So maybe for a change, think further away from the immediate - if you are still not sleeping well, or have that growly digestive issue or are more irritable or anxious or emotional, maybe your diet and exercise choices are not to blame but there is something else staring you in the face. I am not suggesting you choose divorce (worked for me but hey! may not be your first option) but maybe that friend is actually draining you more than you realised. Maybe work is taking up too much from you and you just haven't seen it because it has been like this for so long. We adapt to what we do and then it becomes the norm and perhaps we then don't see when it is no longer servicing us, or we forget that we change as we age and want and need different things. I am not big into meditating per se, but I am into mindfulness, gratitude, recognising what I have rather than what I don't . Those are things that have helped me. Well that and stepping away from a few relationships that were not nourishing me and were taking up a lot of battery power. What other things might enhance your life? What might your changes be? Perhaps your book club just isn't right for you anymore or actually you really do not want to continue Tuesday morning walking group- it might seem so trivial but if you are thinking and worrying about it, it clearly is not trivial. What is one thing you could cut loose and what is one thing you could replace it with? If you are fed up, sad, stressed, exhausted, cant sleep, can't stop sleeping, get bloated or gassy, have no energy... then apart from any genuine medical concerns, maybe you need to look at your global health. As the motivational speaker Mel Robbins says - "No-one is coming to rescue you". You have to fix it. Take a good look, have a good think and perhaps it is something that diet and exercise are not a part of. psst... but keep going on the exercise!

Weekly Wrap up. Week 20. 2025.

By juliet • May 15, 2025

The sun is out which can only mean TEACH ON THE BEACH! (The picture above is one of the beauties who joined me this week!! ) We have enjoyed a week of classes down on the local beach and have dodged low flying and quite inquisitive seagulls, ponies coming to see what is going on and a very sweet but very annoying lost dog. I mean, I didn't think he was lost - 2 ladies were walking past and he was with them and as he continued to bounce about over us and our mats with his muddy paws, dropping his stick and waiting for us to throw it, I was glaring at the retreating backs of the aforementioned women, thinking how unbelievably irresponsible ... just you WAIT until they return... until someone in the class mentioned that perhaps he wasn't actually their dog and might be lost... which it turns out, was absolutely the case... and two other walkers passed by and said "Ohhhh he's Lara's dog".... and kindly took him with them... I don't think they actually planned to but as I said "oh MARVELLOUS, you know where is from because he has been a total pain" and they were sort of left with no choice. I hope Lara and he are happily reunited and all is well. Anyway, it continues to be an absolute treat to be able to throw a. mat down on the beach and have our classes in such a setting. I will never take it for granted and I just love seeing you walking down the beach to join me so let's hope this weather lasts (with regular overnight rain please - wouldn't that be the perfect solution). Welcome to some new members this week - I have already seen one of you on the beach and look forward to seeing you online too.

Weekly Wrap up. Week 19. 2025.

By juliet • May 8, 2025

So that was a busy weekend. As Lou and Clare were coming to the end of an epic 100km run around the Isle of Wight I was settling in for an early night before taking my bike over to ride the 100km the following day. I have never seen so many bikes - the ferry we were on had only 2 cars and otherwise it was wall to wall bikes with a lot of lycra in the lounges! Bearing in mind people were arriving on ferries from Portsmouth and Southampton as well as Lymington, that was A LOT of cyclists. The group I was in were faster than I would normally ride so it was quite the challenge. When we first sat down in the ferry and I saw one of our group wearing a "Team GBR Triathlete" I felt slightly doomed and to be fair, we were pretty fast straight from the onset.... I could see my 2 little energy bars were not quite going to cut it. This was going to take a lot of gritted teeth and hoping for the best. Very early on, Lou was driving (trying to avoid the thousands of cyclists) and overtook me, so she kindly pulled in and took a little video of us going past (pic above) and it was lovely to see her. Do you KNOW how hilly the island is? They just keep coming.. and you sort of can't really enjoy the downhill as you know it will only be short-lived before you start the climb again. I knew that I would do it. If I put my mind to something I will stick to it despite how much I may overthink and worry but I knew that I would finish it, no matter what. A small achievement to many but the start of something new for me and being in a group, God forbid I held anyone up. It was actually a year to the day... it was last year that I went over to the Island to watch Lou and Clare run 50km (although I did sort of wander off and find our island member Sarah and spent a very happy afternoon in her bluebell wood eating home made chocolate brownie but I was thinking of them) but I really missed being part of the event. After so many years of running, I realised how much I missed the build up and anticipation of an endurance event: the sense of camaraderie and being in something together . It was off the back of that that saw me come home and buy my first proper bike - I mean proper as in all the others have been acquired along the way and have been older and heavier than me. I have snuck off and done a few bits and bobs here and there and of course, had the shock of how much work I have to do to keep up with the clubs I have joined but here we are - one year later and a 100km ride around the island. The Military Road is forever etched in my memory - it was only 20 miles or so from the end and my legs were tired. Somehow for a short while, I found myself out of my group and riding alone and as I tried to ride up this endless hill, cycling slower than a toddler dawdling along, I was literally shouting out loud "WHY do I do this to myself? WHAT is this teaching me about myself?".....but keep peddling I did. You see we are funny creatures - the whole psychology behind a challenge is massive. Once I knew I was into the last few miles, I allowed myself to feel and acknowledge how tired my legs were - until we realised we could make the 5pm ferry at which point I found a new energy and powered on faster and stronger than ever - I was NOT going to miss that ferry! As I say, not a big deal to lots of people who did it and nothing like the achievement of Lou and Clare (I can't even begin to imagine how deep they had to dig) BUT I am chuffed and it is the first step on the ladder. It is all relative isn't it? What is not much to one person is a massive challenge to the next - whatever it is, be it physical or otherwise, to succeed in something that requires courage, discipline and commitment is worth celebrating. We have to dig deep to push out of our comfort zone but when we do, the feeling of achievement is so self rewarding. Sometimes I think we forget to reward ourselves or give recognition for when we have gone outside our comfort zone and achieved something and we deserve to remember - a pat on the back or a mental high five even if it is not shared with anyone else can really boost our mood and if we have tried, we ought to (even very quietly) give ourselves a "well done me!" For me, meeting and chatting to like minded people who are all there for their own reasons. Some built like professional athletes, some not, all doing their best - all encouraging and supporting each other. Mind you, the ones who whizzed by at the end while my legs were falling off, saying things like "nearly there".... not so keen on them to be honest! What next? I think I need to buy a road bike now to start the collection... this could become the new passion..... will I keep going... yes of course I will... I think....

Weekly Wrap up. Week 18. 2025.

By juliet • May 1, 2025

USE IT OR LOSE IT! I saw a post on instagram that I shared today. It is a video of a large family posing for a group photo, with many of them sat on the floor. Once the photo has been taken, they try to get up and that is where chaos happens (along with a lot of laughter) as they are clinging onto eachother, trying to get to their feet and getting into a total heap. Very funny... but also not... I was involved in a workshop today at Limewood and the phrase "Use it or Lose it" came up in the presentation. We all know the saying and can use it quite flippantly but how about acknowledging that if we no longer perform that particular activity, our body thinks it is no longer required and we find we CAN'T perform that movement. We need to condition our body and therefor when we first try a new exercise for example, we can feel quite unstable or uncoordinated and lacking in proprioception but as we repeat and practise, the move becomes more familiar and we grow in confidence and ability. Think of some of the sequences we do in Pilates or some of the more complex moves in our weights work - not for the faint of heart and performed only once we have built up the skills and have the coordination and understanding of what needs to go where. However as we stop doing those (or any other)moves they quickly become harder to reach. If you haven't seen it, do please watch "Secrets of The Blue Zones" on Netflix - about communities where people not only live beyond 100 but do so with good physical and mental health. It is a superb watch but the factors are the same in each community and one of them is of course, exercise, be it walking up a practically vertical hill to church or getting onto hands and knees to tend the garden daily. Whatever you do or don't do, please don't be the one rolling around because you cant get up from the floor!! Using it beyond all reason this weekend however are Lou and Clare - please join me in wishing them the very best of luck as they set off together at 6.45am on Saturday to run 100km around the Isle of Wight. If you recall, they did 50km last year and that achievement set them up for going the full distance this year. It also did something else as I went over to watch them and had a bad case of missing out, as I can no longer run and realised how much I missed the training and camaraderie of an endurance event and it was off the back of this experience that I came home and bought a new bike. So a year (and lots of cycling and joining a club) later, I am also off to the island on Sunday to cycle 100km on the IOW Randonnee. I respect that my challenge is nowhere near the scale of what Lou and Clare are undertaking but there are some big old hills over there... good job we have a Bank Holiday Monday to recover!!

Weekly Wrap up. Week 17. 2025.

By juliet • April 24, 2025

Blink and you miss it. There went Easter. I hope you all had a lovely time doing whatever you got up to and we now enter the summer term. I mean we don't really have terms but if we did, this is it... exams, summer uniform, netball and cricket and dusting off the bbq's. Personally, none of that really applies to me... well perhaps the summer uniform as I drag my shorts blinking and yawning from the back of the drawer. As for netball - I used to absolutely love it. I was always in the school team, playing Centre or Goal defence and did briefly join Lymington as an adult. When my girls were at prep. school, they reinstated a teachers v parents netball match and we won by a country mile -none of us really knew how but me being me, I went full out to start a mum's netball club one evening a week. Before we knew it, "friends" had mentioned us to the Bournemouth and Southampton leagues. This was very, very scary as we were just running up and down shouting "is that allowed? what are we supposed to do here? did that count?" so clearly in our infancy and anyway, we didn't have any matching kit but we did have a lot of fun - well, until someone went over on her ankle which promptly broke and that was the end of that. I have been spared life as a cricket mum or widow but sitting in a deckchair for hours in the sunshine pretending to watch sounds wonderful to me. As I watch my nephews revving up for the start of GCSE's, I thank my lucky stars those hideous days are behind me. I have a vivid memory of sitting at the kitchen table trying to revise while my mother sat outside in the garden listening to Wimbledon on the radio and the two are forever linked for me. Wimbledon with exams not my mother. Apparantly we have wonderful weather next week so dig out your sunscreen and if you can make it, I will be teaching on the beach for Monday and Tuesday's classes. We went through the 34 Moves recently and the upside down/inversion moves are usually the ones that need the most practise. You can really get a deep dive into these moves on the studio equipment if you ever go to a studio but we have several in our mat work - Roll over, Rolling moves, High bridge, Control balance, High Scissors and Bicycle. Remember that Joseph Pilates' philosophy was to perfect on the studio equipment and practise on the mat, hence we use all sorts of equipment and creativity to recreate as close to the studio work as we can for the vast majority of us who do not have access to a fully equipped studio. Why inversion? Gravity can lead to compression of the spine and their little shock absorbers known as discs that can become dehydrated. When we tip our body upside down, we can reverse the gravitational pull. This can help to create more space between the verterbrae and studies suggest that this allows for the discs' soft tissue to absorb moisture and rehydrate and plump up. Exercises like Roll over or the rolling moves can provide a massage for the spine and fascia as well as improving spinal mobility and of course, abdominal strength. (please note in photo above, my right arm is not perfect - my wrist should be flat and my arms could be stronger and better connected to the floor but it was the best pic I could find for now and I wasn't sharing that space with anyone else so it was a mediocre me or nothing!!!) Want more? Well, it is widely believed that being upside down can stimulate the lymphatic system and help with lymph drainage. Also the action of being upside down can increase blood flow to the stomach and therefor help with digestion and digestive issues. You don't need to be performing an advanced Control Balance move - some of the rolling moves and spinal extension we have been working on do the job in a modified way and anyhow, high blood pressure, glaucoma and spinal issues are some of the reasons why full, advanced inversion is not ideal - there are always ways to adapt, modify and practise safely. What we established in our 8am class yesterday was how many ways we can break down, build up and practise. For example, consider the Roll up, Roll down and Roll over as exactly the same exercise but variations come from the position you start from, how you work against gravity and whether it is your upper or lower body that moves. Thinking about Roll over, and going into the inverted positions (where your hands support you from under your hips), we worked on how to open up the chest, the need for strength through the traps, lats and triceps, length in the hamstrings, strength in the core and so much more. So for example, to improve High Scissors, you could consider side lying chest opener, Roll down with arms behind you, Saw and upper body only double leg kick - all moves to open up the chest and strengthen the upper body. In addition, hamstring and hip flexor stretches. Focus on pelvic floor and deep core connection so lots of abdominal and core strengthening- we could (and do) a whole class on moves to prepare us for one single and seemingly evasive exercise. What we do know is that to get better, we need to practise - a few daily exercises relevant to what you need to build on will make ALL the difference so.... with that in mind, I am going to start planning some workshop style classes again as we haven't done this for a while so your input would be welcomed. What moves really challenge you and what would you like to work on? I will get my creative hat on and build a class around the strength, stretch and mobility we need to focus on. What I continue to hear from you (and feel for myself) is the benefit of building strength from lifting weights and how that really helps with your Pilates progess. Isn't it great!!

Weekly Wrap up. Week 16. 2025.

By juliet • April 17, 2025

Make it a lifestyle, not a duty.

Weekly Wrap up. Week 15. 2025

By juliet • April 10, 2025

On the beach, meeting our challenges and other bits and bobs