‘May is Measurement Month’ led by the International Society of Hypertension, where the aim is to raise awareness of high blood pressure and to encourage people to get their BP checked.
Elevated BP is seen as primary cause of cardiovascular complications, strokes and heart attacks (around 10 million people die every year of conditions related to hypertension)
Many people have elevated BP without knowing it – they are more often older members of society but it can affect all ages, particularly when there is a genetic pre-disposition, excess fat/weight, poor cardiovascular fitness, stress, post-menopause, dehydration, depression.
You can buy BP monitors easily from pharmacies and online that are very simple to use and inexpensive.
I recommend that you take a reading as soon as you wake in the morning, taken daily and averaged across the week.
Place the cuff around upper arm (just above the elbow) on your non-dominant arm, press start, relax and stay still whilst the cuff tightens around your arm, the reading will show on the display when the measurement is complete. Record the reading plus time and date.
A normal reading is 120/80 (systolic/diastolic)
High 140/90
Low 90/60
If after several readings your BP is in the abnormal range then book a visit to the GP.
I’m here to help with advice.
The weekend
I hope you had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend; we had a very productive one here at HQ. Dec completed the painting of the Gym/studio and it looks lovely and fresh. I was also busy with choreography and admin, plus looking after little Mini who had surgery on her knee. She is doing really well and the Vet is very pleased – she is such a little trouper making no fuss at all.
Classes
I thoroughly enjoyed leading our May Bank Holiday 30 mins Fitness session!
(posted on our vimeo page if you want to try it)
Thanks to those who joined me it’s a great way to start the day – I hope you feel the same way.
This week…
I’ve prepared new Choreo’ for Tuesday nights Dance Fit, so it’s a great week to return/join us.
About our 5 in 1 Outdoor Fitness class…
To ensure Covid safety and viability of this class (I limit numbers for safety), I am implementing a rolling 4 week booking system as follows.
Book the sessions you will attend for the upcoming 4 weeks (informing me of those which you can and can’t make, only paying for those you are attending). Each week you let me know/book if you can make the new 4th session, so we always know who will be there and keep track of numbers.
Insufficient bookings will result in the class not running.
Bookings must be made with payment, no refunds for non-attendance irrespective of reason, Advance booking and on line payment only.
If the class has to be cancelled there will be no charge and fee is transferred to the next outdoor session.
Venue: Zebon Community Centre, Danvers Drive, Church Crookham, Fleet GU52 0ZE.
Outdoor fields (go to the right of the building).
Time and Day: Tuesday evenings 6.30pm- 7.15pm (arrive from 6.15pm) .
Description: Multi-activity fitness class with options from beginners to athletic. Activities include Hiit/Liit, conditioning, core and mobility.
Equipment required: Bring your own resistance bands, hand weights (or equivalent) and mat. No equipment will be provided as per guidelines.
Please wear: Suitable clothing and footwear and bring a drink and towel. Wear layers for warm up and cool down phases of the class. Sunscreen and anti-bug spray if you are sensitive to the outdoor environment. Plus hand sanitizer.
Please note that a short pre-activity questionnaire must be completed via email.
The wearing of facemasks is not required before or after this outdoor class and as per WHO guidelines you are not required to wear a mask during activity.
Class fee: £6.50, online payment in advance only (24hrs minimum notice), non-refundable. Included in Membership, voucher credits taken in advance.
Last minute bookings (within 24 hours incur a £7.50 fee, to encourage commitment).
NOTE – ADVANCED BOOKING ONLY!
Spare Steps!
I have some Steps you can borrow if you want to try our Wednesday early evening ‘Old Skool Step class – I’ve been told by a few participants that it’s their favourite class! So effective, engaging and fun that the time whizzes by.
I love teaching all of my classes (I only teach what I believe in) they all offer different things.
Mixing up the way we work out is exactly what our body and brain needs to keep us moving forward and engaged. I can’t choose a favourite – it’s like choosing a favourite child!
Keep up the great work
During this pandemic so many of you have done brilliantly with your fitness, don’t drop the ball now, keep up that momentum.
If you have let things slide, well come on, get back into it – you know that you always feel better for being fitter and you also know that we will always look after you! There are plenty of fab and effective classes 5 nights a week to choose from (plus the choice of hundreds of classes on our online library for when you can’t make it to the live session).
Spread the Word
Keep telling everyone about our classes, comment on and share our posts on social media and when you are chatting to friends and family. People are now looking at their fitness training options ready for the Summer.
One to one
If you would like to discuss your fitness and wellness goals, feel free to book a consultation. We can deal with fitness, health, mindset and wellness in addition to weight management etc.
I am available for one to one training, restorative exercise and sports therapy, in addition to Life coaching and NLP.
World Fit Camps event – 15th May
Along with other presenters from around the world, I’m presenting at this online event at 12.15 – my session is entitled ‘Women like Me’. It’s a sassy commercial dance routine that inspires strength and confidence in addition to working up a sweat!
The event is free but the ‘catch up’ package is raising Money for the ‘Brain Tumour Charity’, which as you might know is a charity that is close to our hearts.
Please use the code FCW HC.
DYBO Live & Online – This week’s Classes are as follows:
Monday
6.30pm Boogie Fit (Beginners/Returners)
7.30pm Total Tone (All)
Tuesday
6.30pm 5 in 1 Fitness Class – Outside Face to Face & on Zoom!
7.45pm Dance Fit (Intermediate)
Wednesday
6.30pm Old Skool Step (All levels)
7.15pm Barre Fit (All levels)
Thursday
6.15pm Contemporary Stretch (All levels)
7.30pm Dance & Perspiration (Fitness with a Dance focus, more experienced)
Friday
6.30pm Freestyle Fitness Yoga (Relax, Restore and Reboot)
****** All the above classes change and vary weekly! *****
How to prepare your environment
- You need space to move 2 side steps, 4 walks forward, 4 backward. Move trip hazards and furniture as much as you can (get help, be careful!) to give you maximum space for upper and lower body movement. Roll up rugs or secure them so they don’t slip or cause you to trip.
- Plugging your device in to your TV with an HDMI cable is brilliant as it gives you a good picture of you (like a mirror) and me – as well as boosting the sound if you go through the TV/Hi-Fi sound system. If you can place your device under the TV, then even better.
- I know some of you are using your phones – try to plug in to a speaker system (even those little speakers we have when we go on holiday would help) so that you can hear better as you move back from the phone. Angie has tried Bluetooth earphones and it worked well.
- Ensure you have maximum access to your Wi-Fi in the house and as close to the router as is feasible. Take phones off the Wi-Fi system and pop them on to your 4/5G network or place on airplane mode, unless that’s what you are using to join us, obviously. Ask family to do the same for the duration of your class – keep them off the internet whilst you need the bandwidth. The more bandwidth you have, the better the picture and sound and the less likely you are to lose the feed. Your health is a priority at this time and I’m sure they can do something else for that short time!
- Ventilate your exercise space, have plenty of water and towels to hand, keep your exercise equipment close – if you need anything, let me know.
- Wear correct footwear for your activity – putting an old pair of socks over the toes and ball of your trainers will help reduce friction when exercising on carpet (if they are a really old pair, cutting the toes open and then just having them over the ball of the foot is even better). It’s up to you if you want to dance or train in bare feet but be careful if you don’t usually do this as it takes time for the muscles and connective tissue of the feet and rest of the body to adapt to barefoot training.
- Make your own gym equipment. Save laundry liquid or milk bottles – you can fill them with water or wet sand/rice etc. to add weight and make a dumbell/kettlebell. I recommend you make a few in differing weights and you have written on them so you know what they weigh and seal the caps with tape to prevent leakage. Get a heavy duty shopping bag and put weighty items in it, check they can’t fall out and you have a kettlebell alternative. Make your own hurdles, put cushions, pillows, boxes, books on the floor to jump over. Use household items as floor markers for circuit activities. The stairs and outdoor steps are great temporary steps/benches for cardio and upper body work. The garden is a great open space to make an assault course or if you can get a signal, take your class or PT session outside, but do make it safe.
Fees, you have THREE options!
£6.50 per class. Paid in advance please.
10 Class Voucher £55 ( to be used within 12
weeks of purchase)
Membership, unlimited classes, £50, plus a lockdown bonus of free access to all videos of the classes! (Valid first to last day of calendar month, paid on the first day of the month)
If things get so tight that you can’t afford it then please reach out to me, I want to keep you healthy and happy and help you through this tough time and trust that no-one will take advantage of me.
Bank details are UK Fitness Academy Ltd.
Sort Code 09-01-28, Acc No. 04284324
Please email me when you have made a payment and use your name and what it’s for as a reference.
eg. Jane Smith Class Voucher. As reference, I do have a Paypal account but it costs money to receive and move money.
Disclaimer
I declare that all of the information I have given (both written and verbal) is accurate and truthful. I know of no reason why I cannot participate fully in any exercise programme and I do not deem it necessary to consult my medical practitioner/GP/specialist. I undertake to inform my instructor should any information change.
I understand that I participate at my own risk and that any information given is not intended to replace or represent medical advice.
Attending any DYBO class will assume agreement with above terms and disclaimer.
Sweet Potato Turmeric Muffins
Great for gut heath and anti-inflammatory too!
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup mashed sweet potato (to make sweet potato mash, just roast one sweet potato, skin on, in 375 degree oven for an hour, or until squishy to touch. Let cool and scoop out the orange flesh)
- Zest of 1 orange
- ½ cup unsalted nut butter of choice (raw or roasted works fine, but unsalted is a MUST)
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp ginger
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin pan (I used a mini one, because I like the texture slightly better and it’s more fun to snack on, but you do you).
- In a mixing bowl, stir together all wet ingredients until very smooth.
- In another mixing bowl, stir together all dry ingredients until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients into wet, mixing until no clumps remain.
- Spoon into muffin tin of choice. These won’t rise alot, so really mound the batter on to get that gorgeous muffin top. Sprinkle with black pepper.
- Bake for 15 – 20 minutes for mini muffins or 30 – 45 minutes for larger ones, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge. Makes 30 mini muffins.
Have a fab week
Love ya,
Helen xxx
