ITZINU: Empowering Women's Mindset and Confidence in MIDLIFE

#171: "I want to Increase my Core Strength to Help with Job & Daily Life”

• Renae Elliott • Season 1 • Episode 171

Share episode

In this episode of ITZINU, I share a coaching call with Tanya, a longtime participant in my fitness classes. We discuss her journey in maintaining healthy habits and her current focus on improving core strength and alleviating hip pain. 

We explore various factors contributing to her discomfort beyond exercise, including lifestyle choices, stress management, and daily routines. The conversation highlights the importance of a holistic approach, incorporating movement, stretching, and practical strategies for fitting wellness into a busy life. 

Love this podcast? We love to hear it from you!

If you're facing challenges on your midlife journey and need some guidance, I'm here to help. I'm currently opening slots for a few individuals to join my FREE 1:1 Coaching.

Apply now for personalised support from me.

Or you can check more of my coaching programs here


WAS THIS HELPFUL?
I’d be so grateful if you could take a moment to follow, leave a 5-star rating, and download a few more episodes.


WORK WITH ME:

Move Better, Minimise Pain, Prevent Injuries, Relieve Stress and Enhance Your Everyday Life with my Total Body Connection Program

Ditch one-size-fits-all dieting and discover your unique nutritional blueprint with
28-day Revoloution Program

Discover your Inner self and Improve your mindset with Mind Over Muscle Program

Get the support, guidance, and tools you need to feel stronger, healthier, and more empowered—at every stage. Membership Program

Join my EXCLUSIVE community of Women in Midlife: Strong Body...

#171: "I want to Increase my Core Strength to Help with Job & Daily Life”


Hello, hello, and welcome back to the ITZINU. So today I'm bringing you a coaching call with Tanya. So Tanya is somebody that has been doing my classes since her eldest son was really, really little. I think he was only a few months old when she started. So I have known For quite a while, she has done numerous, uh, different, um, programs or challenges that I've run through the studio for many years.

And she has really spent time building up lots of really, really good habits, but like everyone, these habits tend to fall sometimes to the wayside. The thing is she has always continued her exercise and always been consistent with that. But the good thing about today's coaching call is, and I thought it was really important to, to bring it and share it with everyone is, uh, Tanya's goal is not about weight or any of those things.

It's about how she actually feels and building her core strength. So she does have very tight hips and, um, I think it's something that she's sporadically worked on, but never been out of form. Find something that she can consistently stick to with that. And I think she's now at a point in her life where the pain, it's starting to bother her more than it was before.

And she now really knows like I need to nail down and do something about it. So here, what we've been able to, so in the call, we were able to talk about, um, what could be some other factors and then maybe not the factors that you would suspect. contributing to her pain. Um, and because we don't want to just go gung ho and just only do core and hip stuff.

Uh, we want to look at how other things in our life may be affecting that. So we talk about that in the podcast and, uh, you know, we finish with some, uh, action steps that she could take moving forward. And the same thing I, uh, will look forward to. To, um, sharing with you in a few months time, how she goes and how she starts feeling after implementing the things that we talked about, so I'm going to jump straight into the podcast and make sure you listen all the way through.

So you can get her action steps. Um, so what I wanted to check is, so we're talking about, so I've read over like what you've sent. Hmm. Yeah. I guess what the main thing is, what, what are you actually looking for? So in what are you looking for as in what would you like to get out of this conversation? And what are you looking for health and fitness wise?

Yeah. I want to get my core strength back up and running. Um, cause since having the two boys, I don't think I have been doing enough with that. Yeah. Um, and I think that affects everything else, like my hips as well. They're all tight. Um, but I do have, uh, disc degeneration in my sacrum area as well. So I don't know if that's to do with hip tightness and, um, yeah, but so, so those are the key areas I'd like to focus on because sometimes when I'm, when, sometimes when I'm doing some exercising, um, like you say, you know, to do with your neck, like if you, if you feel it pulling in your neck just to keep it, you know, yourself on the floor kind of thing, putting your neck on the floor.

But I do find that. that it does hurt a bit more sometimes, you know, when I'm not concentrating on my, you know, my, my, um, core strength isn't activated kind of thing. So, so yeah, I'm trying to be more aware of everything like that at the moment. And it's just important for me because Of the job I do as well, with the massage.

So, I want to be able to keep going as long as I can with that. Is this your main focus now over like the other things we've been working on? Yeah, I'd say so because I've worked, we've worked on the other things together and um, I know what to do with all that now, do I mean? So, yeah. Yeah. Um, like the challenges I've done and all the create a new habits and stuff like that.

I, I know, but I think at the moment this would be my top priority. Yeah. This is your number one priority. Yeah. That's, that's what I think it's like really important to get clear on as to what, what's your number one, like priority that I thought would be good to try to do is cause I could kind of tell from what you'd sent me that, that looking at your core and your hips was.

What you're prioritizing. Yeah. And make sure that the other habits that we've put into place. Yes. Yes, that's it. And I think that's why, um, that's why I started to do the, uh, Pilates just did that trial with it again. Um, just to kind of, um, Motivate myself to get back into some, not as if I'm not exercising or anything, but just to get back into doing.

You know, a bit more on a regular basis. And then, you know, because with, um, with, you know, like with pain, inflammation, obviously your food makes a, like a shoe, you know, like it, it, if, contributes. Yeah. So alcohol doesn't do that though, does it?

But it's finding a balance. It is. It is finding a balance with that stuff. It is what I, what I don't want to do is jump from thing to thing and drop other things. So. You know, you have spent time, you know, like, so when I know, or correct me if I'm wrong. I know when we've put a focus on, you know, you, you started like walking more in the mornings and putting on your food and then you, I guess we were doing like a six or eight week style program, stuff dropped off.

So I don't want the stuff, I just want to kind of reinforce to not let that stuff drop off. Yeah. Yeah. And I think, um, I think I just need to refocus. On that as well. Cause life just gets busy, doesn't it? And then, you know, kids get sick, Steve goes away. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A knock on effect. How would you, how would you feel like, how is your energy overall?

And like, how, how do you feel all of that stuff is stress levels, energy. I know. You've had a, you know, a few. Yeah, there's been a bit of stuff going on with the, you know, actually being a bit sick and, um, and then Steve goes away. That gets a bit stressful. Um, you know, but that's why I do try and still come to classes and do the things that help me mentally as well as physically.

Um, the walking has definitely tipped off a bit. Like I, I haven't, but then I've, I've been doing the Pilates extra. So it's. Yeah. So I suppose that kind of overcompensates that. But you're still laying down when you're doing Pilates. Yes. True . Right. So, but I would like to get back into the walking as well.

Yeah, that would be good. Yeah. So, so what or what? I think it's great to have this kind of focus. Mm-Hmm. I think we need to see how other stuff contributes to Yeah. So that like the walking in the morning. So I know that was a habit that we, you got back into and you said how Yeah. Good. That set you up for your day.

That stuff. So we want to think about how, because, um, yes, we have pain, you know, like you've, you've obviously noticing more that your neck is clicking in or your, your, your hips have been clicking. Yeah. Since I've known you, but, um, but I think it's important to see that I, I'd notice in lots of people that women tend to not win, but anyone tends to have a point where their stress goes to notice it in your job.

Yeah. So seeing that. That we do want to focus on this, but we don't want to drop everything else because I think that this other stuff, managing your stress, keeping yourself walking and moving in the morning, looking at your food, how that stuff will contribute to your hip pain. Yeah. And if we go, okay, I'm, I'm now putting all my focus on my core and my hips, and then we're not going to put as much attention on that.

Um, I, I think you might not get very far, you know, yeah, yeah, I'd agree with that. Yeah, like, like I was getting up and like you say, I was doing the early morning walks at one stage, but we've just been through such a thing with the boys with their sleeping. And then, you know, it's like musical beds at night, you know, like whose bed you end up in the morning.

And then if I'm getting out of bed early, like Riley, I'll wake up too early. And I don't want to feel like I'm making excuses, but it's just sometimes just all too bloody hard, you know, when you think, oh, yeah, but I think it's just thinking, and, and I get that it's, it's just reframing how, how you can fit stuff in.

So, um, you might be able to fit stuff around clients, you know, I try to walk, um, with, you know, before school pick up or I've got kids at a, you know, like, you know, Um, Charlie does dancing. So, you know, while she's at, she does two lessons of dancing on a Thursday and I've got to wait there so I can get like a longer than an hour walk in.

Um, so it's just thinking of if, because of, if you're having, you know, not a great amount of sleep, would you fit that stuff in? Because remember the, the walk and that style, the reason I'm saying for it as well is because that walk in that, um, Um, movement is going to help with stress levels. Yeah. And I think when we're, when we're stressed, you know, the being out in nature and that, you know, so I think when we're stressed, it shows in a part of our body, you know, and for you, it just always goes to your hips.

Yeah. Yeah. I would, I would agree with that. Yeah. Definitely. So I think if, um, you know, and the, the thing we've got to look at stretching and strengthening your hips, we look at the other factors that can contribute. So I know that you don't, but if you were drinking, you know, two bottles of wine a night or whatever else, well, then that's like an easy.

thing to think about. Well, maybe that's causing more inflammation. Yeah. If, um, if we're eating tons and tons of takeaway, you know, like it means that the work you're doing on your hips is just going to be hindered by those other. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. Those other factors too. So we just don't want to drop.

The other things that I know you've worked on. Yeah. It's just finding that balance without feeling overwhelmed. Yeah, it is, isn't it? Like, it's just another thing to think of and you don't want to be overwhelmed with it, really. But I enjoy it as well at the same time, don't you? Totally. I think it's coming back to like, remembering the why, you know, like.

Yeah. Remember why and why you want to do this and why, you know, like why, you know, like you've want to stay active because, you know, you've felt tired before and lacking energy and yeah, the actor for the boy. So I think it's reminding yourself of. of what your why is. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Um, how, how clear do you think you are on your why?

I suppose I haven't really thought of it for a while. You know, since the challenge, to be honest. But, I do know, like, I do know why I want to do it. Like, mentally, for my mental health, that's one. For my job, you know, for your, for your Is this, is this for hips specifically, or staying Oh, just everything in general, like, yeah, everything.

To stay, to stay active, you know, to, to, to be working out and, uh Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, definitely, that's, that's number, that's, that would probably be my number one, because when I do get stressed, it obviously helps to be stressed and everything, doesn't it? So, that's kind of what you, what I turn to, so You know, those towel slams, all those ball slams come in handy when you're having a bathroom break.

And you said about your job too? Yeah, of course, yeah, with that, because, um, obviously I'm massaging, so it's It's obviously a lot on my hips and the position, you know, for, for me to be in with that. So yeah. Um, so yeah, I, I think it's always good to, to have that reminder of that wide, like, because, um, when we have those bad nights when the kids are up and we haven't had much sleep.

Yeah. To, um, to not bother doing anything, but Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And you know, you're doing the work. You are, you're gonna be doing this extra like work, you know? Mm. So when we do, um, you know, like I know strengthening your core after Mm. Um, it's reminding yourself why you need to do it. Yeah. Why?

Because, um, it's what I find, um, is. Especially with the core strengthening and, and the hips, it's boring. It's not, yeah, I suppose it is. Yeah. Cause there's just such little. Yeah. Movement. They say like a ball slam. We get the ball and we get, but to re but to really build this core strength, I think I was saying to a class the other day, it's something that we have to do every day, every day.

Yeah. It is every day. It is something we have to physically think about every day. And, and what I think, um, is something that you could think about is. How can you put it in regardless of, you know, what's going on with life, the longer, you know, anything's better than nothing, but we only do like once a week, or, you know, if you only do like a little bit in a Pilates class, so to speak, or some in my classes, like Um, it's, it's never going to do you any harm, but the work actually really needs to happen for you at home every day.

So, so time and the, the, the less that you do, it's just the longer that it's going to take. Yeah. So when I was building strength up after having like kids each time, um, you know, like, like say, um, With Charlie, obviously I remember that better than Coops, but I did something every day, but I did it multiple times a day when I, you know, and that's doing that because I had my, I had seen so many women who, um, Just wanted to jump straight back into exercise and didn't want to spend the time doing the boring work because it is boring.

Yeah. I want to spend the time doing that stuff. I've seen how so many women had, I guess, got to when their kids are older and then went, I'm actually in a lot of pain now. The pain's bad enough before they do anything that I just didn't want to get to that. Yeah, but it still took me nine odd months of doing it twice, a minimum of twice a day, you know, yeah.

So, and, and I already had a really good foundation before. So it's just, It's just, I want you to understand, everyone's different, but I want you to understand that, that it's not a five minute fix. No. Yeah. The more that you can, um, understand why, you know, like you already, you know, a motivator can be your disc degeneration.

Yeah. That's, that's a piece of knowledge that we don't use it as be like, I've got this knowledge that I have already have this degeneration. Now I'm going to do as much as I can, um, to make sure that I'm strengthening the muscles around to support it so that it, um, doesn't, you know, doesn't get worse or I can, you know, maintain it or stabilize, you know, stabilize.

Probably just thinking what, what we feel like we can. realistically fit in. Yeah. True. To your life. And it also doesn't have to be, I have to spend half an hour on the floor. Like, you know, it doesn't have to be that it also can be, could you do things in between clients? Yeah. You know, like how could we fit stuff in so that it doesn't feel like, Oh my God, I'm so tired.

And now I have to do 30 minutes of, you know, core. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like after my clients, so it'd probably be a good, good thing to try and get in the habit of really, because that is probably when they're up there the tightest, you know, especially if I've had a busy day. Yeah. So it could, it could be like a scheduling thing.

Like if you have, let's say you finished with your last client at seven o'clock, just like, well, actually I finished at seven 30, you know, or seven 15 or seven 20, you know, like give yourself like a little bit of time. Like, I find lots of people improve when they fit stuff in incidentally. That's a good idea.

Yeah, I find lots of people, because they're putting it in, because it doesn't feel like, oh my God, now I've got to spend half an hour doing this stuff. But I reckon, I reckon if you could try to fit your stretches in incidentally, like, like in my circumstance, I know it's easier for me because people are already doing it, but I try to stretch with everybody as often.

So I might have, I might have. Five or six or more opportunities a day to stretch with people, and it's always kind of different things. Yeah. So, so I still do my own stuff on top of that, but I, but I have these opportunities to, to fit, yeah. To do the extra. Yeah. Like I had a guy he just started and his hips were really tight.

And, um, so it was the same thing. I only see him once a week. And so he's like putting his leg up on the table, like the same thing we do on the bar. So he's doing that at his work as often as he can. And he's already made like really big difference in the bar. And now it's down. So even like. You know, if you have clients back to back, like, you know, a little, a couple of things in between, you know, if you just, if one says goodbye and you've got a minute or you're talking and, you know, like, you know, you can just think about how you can fit it in.

I think you'll be more Um, more successful, you know, because, because it doesn't feel like, Oh, I'm, I'm now adding in extra Pilates classes. And now, you know, now Renee's telling me I've still got to walk. And now she's telling me like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I've had no sleep and you know, it feels like too much.

More you can think of, even if you choose, um, I've said to other people before, just choose one exercise, you know, like, let's just choose one exercise and focus on that as much as you can and see what happens from there. Um, I like, I like what you say about the scheduling in though, because that is true because, and especially cause I work from home too.

So once I come out of there to here, it's kind of, I'm life. Yeah, you're, you're, you're stuck, stuck back into home life straight away, you know, there's no, there's like mom or mom, you know, it's just like, you're straight back into it, you know, whereas if I kind of just. Put it myself, myself in there. Yeah.

For an extra, I don't know, 20 minutes or so. Then, you know, that might, or start work better as well, you know, like, yeah. Think about your time, you know, if you, if you go in there a bit beforehand. Yeah. And then more so see what you could do between clients or, you know, like you could, you could really put your leg on the bed style.

Mm-Hmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like those way, those stretches Yeah. That you showed me. Yeah. Yeah, you could do that between and it would, because you'd be doing it, let's say, you know, you'd be doing it three or four times a day, you would have, you would have lots of opportunity, you know, like it would feel, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It makes a difference, doesn't it? Um, so, yeah, so I would look at scheduling time before or, um, before work and after work. Yeah. Because I know with me, um, like, My kids go, they'll see me in the studio and then they just like, like I didn't get a moment to, so I actually found I had to go somewhere else to get that time.

So like yesterday I went to do a workout and then I think I had half an hour, right? I kind of like I had half an hour and I wanted to get as much done as I could in half an hour. I needed to make dinner, you know, I, yeah. Sunday night and whatever else. And then Charlie was doing something with, she'd made things with glasses and time, built the dye all over the deck.

Oh, I had to go and fix that straight away because I didn't want the dye to food, so I didn't want that to soak into the deck and wreck the deck. So I had to do that. And then she wanted me to pick them up and then, and then she was then like, Oh, I want to join you for a workout. An hour and then she got it.

And then she said, I said, that's fine. Join me in. And then she didn't want to do the workout that I was doing. And she wanted me to explain to her, like the muscles that I was working because I was getting impatient with her because I just wanted this time to myself. She, um, she then was like, I don't like you shouting at me, but.

I wasn't shouting, I guess I was speaking in a firmer voice because Yeah, tally, I, now I have, I think I end up getting 13 minutes in . Yeah. . You know, and then, then sometimes it's better when I go, like when I leave the house, you know? But that's, you know, no, just thinking of, you know, like even saying to Steve, I'm doing this beforehand, I wanna make sure the kids don't bother me.

You know? Yeah. I've. Being clear with that to Lee, but it's sometimes doesn't follow through like yesterday in one ear out the other. So, so that's, that's what I would like. That could be one of the first things that we look at. What do you think? Um, what other things like, like, I know your stress has been high.

Have you been working on like, now we've have talked about stress management tools. Have you been working on them? Why your stress has been high, or have they all gone out the window? They've probably, to be honest, they've probably all gone out the window. Don't worry. Yeah. I think it's putting back in some of them.

Yeah. Um, and that's why all these things are good reminders. Yeah, to reset kind of thing, isn't it? So like, obviously you've got stuff going on with your dog, but you know, like the kids, the kids sleeping, that's still going to go on, you know, if we go, okay, Riley's nine and Mason's nine, you know, and. You know, Riley's five to, you know, so then we go, okay, well, I've at least got another four years.

Riley's got to maybe be doing this at you, if you know what I mean? So, yeah. Yeah. That's why we want to remind it of keeping this stress management. Yeah. Yeah. What do you feel is your main, um, stress management tool, your main kind of tools? I think, uh, working out, yeah, like coming to the studio and working out, like if some, but I need somebody like, which I do get is you to push me , but I need that.

Do you know what I mean? I can't just do like a home workout or I need somebody in front of me to tell me what to do and then to push me that a little bit further as well. But definitely working out. Yeah. That's you, you've been keeping up with your exercise? Yes. Yeah. So you still, obviously I was away.

You still came to classes while I was away and all that. I came to classes. Yeah. Yeah. So what other things is in your toolbox? Walking, I think, was one of my other ones as well, so I need to get back into that. Yeah. Because I'm, like you say, being out in nature and kind of, um, I did used to like the morning walks because you kind of just get up, see to yourself first, and it kind of gets you back in that right head space to deal with the chaos in the morning.

Yeah. So, yeah, that's another thing. Yeah. It's how, how often is Steve away? Like, how often Um, well, it depends, really. Not, not that often, but, you know, when he does go away, like he did New Zealand. And then he's going to go back to New Zealand again. So like he was away for half a week, maybe last time. And then he's going to be away the same amount of time again.

But most, most times you do have an opportunity to get up in the morning. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Yeah. Thank. From what I know, like, of you, I think that walking in the morning. Yeah. Like, because if we think with, you know, you still were coming to class, like you've got, you've got the working out habit in place.

Yeah, yeah. That's right. And, and obviously you have had extra stress at the moment, but I think, I think the walking is the, the thing that you told me before. I had a big, that made a big, yeah, I was, I was really in, yeah, I was really getting into it and enjoying it. And I can't, something happened and there we are.

So you think about how you could think about, you know, and maybe we get back in that habit of walk, how is, let's say. And let's say you walk for, um, let's say, how long were you normally walking for? Uh, well, it was round, mainly round the lake. So that was about 3km. So it was probably about 40 minutes, 45 minutes.

So you could say, I'm gonna walk for, um, half an hour. Mm. I'm going to add in 10 to 15 minutes of hip stretches. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, to replace that. Yeah. Yeah. So you could do something like that. So then you, you, you moving your hip, you know? Yeah. Then we are strengthening it still, you know, stretching and strengthening it.

I mean, that could obviously, it probably has got a lot to do with it, to be honest with you, that I haven't been doing the walking. Yeah. You know, because I have that plantar fasciitis as well, so I had to. That's probably what it was actually. I had the plan to fasci ISIS and then I had to back it off a bit.

Yeah. Um, while I had that. That's good. That's good. Now, at the moment I've controlled that, so I've done all the things and put that into place. Yeah. So, and it's just managing, so just example, like, I used to run every day and then Yeah. Got these bloody, those gang things on my feet, and then they started and then I, I could feel it was like.

Um, I could, I could feel it was like, I just feel it was gonna turn into something major, like Yeah. It was starting to stop me from moving altogether, so I had to, I had to stop the running and then like, I can't quite go back to running every day. Yeah. Because I feel like I've gotta space it out now more, and that's more how I try to manage, how I try to manage it.

Yeah. And I think that's what I need to do because I. I think what was happening was I was doing the walking, and then I was coming to a class, and I found it was just a bit too much, do you know what I mean, and then it would start playing up again, so I think I just need to implement it back in, but not maybe just do it on the days maybe that I'm not doing a class, maybe, I don't know.

I think it's just. But become aware and start, yeah, become more aware. Yeah. Yeah. But it's also understanding like, you know, feet, ankles, knees, hips, they're all, Oh yeah. They're all related, you know, so, um, you know, like it, it could have a multi pronged effect anyway. Oh, it was, it was at one stage. Yeah, it was.

So it was like, Yeah, so it's just thinking of, and what I would, what I would suggest is, is going okay and also managing it in a way of, um, I have had a really bad night with the kids. We've been awake all night, it's been musical beds. I don't know. Exhausted. And then it would be like, okay, I am going to sleep in, but I know that this afternoon I have an opportunity to go for half an hour walk.

So it's like, give yourself grace, but be like, okay, but this is a stress management strategy of mine that I'm going to put in, but I will make sure that I will fit the walk in while the kids are at school or, so it's just, just think about how you can keep. How you can still keep that up, manage it without, you know, missing out kind of thing.

Um, so what I would also think about, so, um, with, with your core, what I, what I always recommend is there's so much stuff that you can do just in your daily life. Yeah. On the ground for half an hour, you know, about things of, um, the first kind of stages, like I was saying, it's, we've got to remind ourselves.

We're a beginner. So we're starting totally from the start, but it's that stuff like, um, activating our pelvic floor. Yeah. New mum, you, you are just like you've just had Riley again. So we're at God help me. But we want to think in our head that we're going to be just like that. So what I would say to like a brand new mum is the first thing we want to do is we want to work on just Like our posture, we want to work, it's recommended for at least six weeks to not, um, do any core exercises while you're healing, so to speak.

So in that six weeks, I always recommend them to look at, um, you know, like, Just connecting your core properly from your pelvic floor. So pulling pelvic floor, you know, pulling in your sides and you can do that while you're walking around the house driving in the car. So that's things that you can do again.

And then it doesn't feel like, Oh, yeah, I've got to do something. I've now got to do, I've now got to do something else. Um, you know, like it's just that, that's the first thing that I would say. So as much as you can. So I used to, you know, I don't, I don't have to do it now, but I used to like, you know, walk around the house and I'd just be thinking of like, how am I standing?

I'm pulling, you know, I'm drawing my belly button to my spine. I'm holding that, you know, you want to hold your core in and, um, So the more regularly, again, you can think about that. We can, we can look at connecting our core from our pelvic floor. So, um, what I find is people is, uh, lots of people struggle to get that connection first, if you want to.

Yeah. You know, do you feel like, how do you feel about switching on your core? Yeah, I can, I can do it. I can definitely do it because I do it in when I'm working out and your classes and you say to do it. Yeah. I think sometimes it just, I don't know whether it's I could do it to begin with and then sometimes maybe after I've done, yeah, it gets fatigued and that's when my neck starts taking over instead of my core strength instead.

So, um, which I'm, I'm becoming more aware of it, which is great. Strength is the first key. Like. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. As soon as you feel, you know, like I meet so many people that they. You know, their neck starts to click in, but they, they're too embarrassed to say, or they think they have to just push through and you just, as soon as your neck's, as soon as your neck's clicking in, you're not working your core anymore.

No, no, there's no, there's no point, is there? There's no point because you continue, you're just going to hurt yourself. Yeah. So like I was saying, yeah, so it's just thinking of, so that's something that you could do. How do you, how do you feel your pelvic floor is? Do you feel, do you have any problems with it?

No, it's pretty, it's pretty good. It's pretty good. Yeah. Yeah. So you don't feel like you're going to wet yourself or anything? Oh, you know, every now and again. Yeah. Like if you just, if you like hold in for the toilet, that kind of thing, or, you know, um. Like if you, so some people, they feel like they can't run cause they're going to wet themselves.

They feel like they can't, uh, jump, jog, you know, do you feel like. No, I think, um, yeah, I think it's, it's true. Pretty good with that because, um, you know, I see some people go, Oh yeah, but I had kids. So of course my pelvic floor is like that and it's like, yeah, you know, it's not something it can all, it's something we can all work on and yeah.

And the other thing is some people go, Oh, well I had Caesars. So my pelvic floor is fine. I'm like, yeah, but you're still, you know, you're still carrying a watermelon on that. So just putting out a Caesar doesn't mean that you don't need to work. So we just want to say, so that's something that we could look at doing, you know, again, it's that awareness of being able to, and you can do it while you're working at it would may, you know, the switching your core on and holding, because maybe you're good at.

I don't know. And it's just, again, something to think about. Maybe you're really good at putting it on during the class, but maybe think about switching it on while you're working. I'm not, I don't know. Yeah. Yeah, true. Because, you know, that's going to support you from not, um, that's going to, if you've got your core on whilst you're working, it's going to support you.

Yeah. Do you get, what's your probably main, do you get back pain while you're working or what's your main? It's just, it's just, it's just really like, it just gets tighter, really. Do you know what I mean? Just being in that position, I think, and at the moment, because I think, cause the weather's changing, it's getting colder as well.

So, and from hopping from bed to bed, it's kind of, it's kind of giving me a bit of nerve pain as well. Yeah, that's it. Your lower back. Yeah. In that sacrum area. So, um, how, have you done that exercise where we lay on the roller and the roller lays on your back and you put your arms over your head? Have you done that one?

Oh yeah, I'm sure I have. Yeah. That way. So you've got. Yes, you did. Yeah. You did. Um, remember when there was only me that turned up for class before your holiday? Oh yeah. Yeah. Right. Let's really work on it. Sorry. Do you remember the one talking about, did you feel like that made a difference? Yeah. And then I, and then we did the, the one on the wall with quads as well, didn't we?

Remember that? And that was really tight too. That was great. So that's, that's the two exercises. I'm thinking that to not feel overwhelmed, I'm thinking to make your focus. So the other one is the couch stretch. So, so that's the one that's on the wall. Yeah, that's right. So a lot of times, you know how you said you're getting that nerve pain in your back.

Yeah. It's opposing muscle great. Yeah, because your hips are so tight. That's why it's pulling, you know, like it's pull, it's, it's Pulling into the, um, so that's what we want to stretch out the hips. So with that exercise, so I'm thinking this will open your upper back. So roller, and we're going to reach over your head and then open up that way.

So that open your upper back, because I think when you're hunched forward, that would be good for that. Um, but that couch stretch is going to open your hips up and help the back. Now, the person that I got that stretch off, he had chronic back pain and that stretch alone stopped his back pain. Wow. Yeah.

And like the other person, the person I'm selling you that he's started doing that side stretch. He had back pain and he's been doing the couch stretch and And his back, he hasn't had any back pain since he's been training. God, wow. Yeah. So we're connected, isn't it? Yeah. So with that, um, couch stretch, what you need to do is we need to do the couch stretch, but then we need to, so we're stretching it out, but then we need to strengthen, let's say you, you hold up, you know, put one leg up and then we, Um, twist, you know, like kind of give you a hip that, you know, we want to rotate your hips.

Yeah. On the quad. And it does feel like, cause it hurts. You know, then I'll send you the video of it and then we reach our arms over our head and down. So we want to do that on each side and then, um, and then. Um, we want to, um, and then you want to say, do a butt lift. So we've stretched out. Now we need to strengthen the glutes to keep the hip back in place.

So it stops popping back out. I feel that if we just choose two hip, like those stretches, um, it will not feel so overwhelming. Yeah. And if you try to do them. As often as you can, at least once a day, but I, I reckon you'll notice a difference like trying to do that before you can't, like, before you start your day, that's a lovely, that's a lovely stretch.

That is. Yeah. Like if you spent just that little bit of time after your last client leaves, you know, doing that, I think, yeah, it would make a difference. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, because you, you go in the opposite way of what you've been, the position you've been in. Yeah. And then like, you know, like the, um, something else that you could probably do between people is, um, you know, that exercise where we get down into that really, really low squat.

Hmm. Oh yeah. Yeah. And you're always flat footed on it. Yeah. But like that is something that you could, but you could also do that numerous times throughout the day. Like you could just, you could do it while you're doing something for the kids or while you're waiting for them or, you know, like around the house.

Yeah. But you could do, you know, like anything like that, that we, cause our focus is going to be about, um, getting the hips to loosen up and to feel, start feeling and moving how they should. That, that's something else that would be, um, you know, like I said, that doesn't feel, I'm trying to, I'm trying to give you things that it doesn't feel like, right, I have to get down on the ground for half an hour because sometimes, no, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's good.

That's good. So that's something that you could add in incidentally, so maybe you get it done and remember that when we do something, we do something for, um, people feel like they have to do something for half an hour, an hour or, you know, whatever, or it's not worth it. But when you do little things, it all adds up.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'd agree with that. Yeah, definitely. So if we could look at that stuff, um, and then we want to then think about, about your core. So what do you feel like, what do you feel, what do you feel like you can do for your core? Like, like time wise, what do you think is realistic? Well, you know, like you say, Oh, you know, at night you could actually just be lying there, just doing a bit of work on your core strength.

Well, that's true because, you know, you do get the time there, you know, And I, you know, you watch a bit of TV, I watch a bit of TV at night, you know, just for you to switch off kind of thing, but I could be lying there just doing a little bit of A bit of that. I can work it into it. Do you feel like you'd want to do that?

Yeah. No, no, that would be fine. Yeah. Because if you're still doing, like, like I said, it's something about every day, but if we thought about for your core and we had people doing it for, I think there was like 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes at night, the people that had, that had significant um, Changes that, you know, we're doing something every day and like I said, because if we're reminding us.

Why we're wanting to do this. Like, you know, we are, we are wanting, you know, like you do know you've got disc degeneration, you do that, you know, the same thing, you know, like your, maybe cause your cause not switching on your glutes or your hips or something is trying to do the work, you know, like something always a knockoff, there's always a knockoff effect.

Uh, Yeah, so it would, it, yeah, if you feel like you can go, okay, I'm going to pan out the time to do it. Hmm. Do you, would you say that you sit every night? Pretty, yeah, pretty much after we've, um, had dinner and put the kids to bed and yeah, we do probably get by. Is that your time together? Do you want to? Is that something that would take away from your time together?

No, he could, he could do it with me. Gosh, if I asked Lee to do stuff, he'd be like, no way. You just want to make sure that it's not taking away from. No, it'll be fine. Yeah, we're all good. Yeah. Taking away. And so, uh, so what I found is I, so when starting a new habit, so again, just start thinking about, um, I tell myself I was going to do yoga every night and I said, I do it when the kids went to bed every night, the kids went to bed and I didn't do it.

Because I was probably too casual about really defining, you know, yeah, I felt too tired at night to, uh, and then I was like, okay, what habit do I already have in place and the habit already had in place was running every morning. So I got up 15 minutes earlier and I did yoga every day and before my run.

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So when I was trying to pin it to the, uh, evening, it just didn't, it just didn't work for me. Yeah. So I just want you to think about what you think can make work for you. Okay. Yeah. Again. Right. I suppose it's just the thing of trialing it and, uh. Yeah, totally. Being how it goes, isn't it?

Yeah. So that's the same thing as, you know, we talked about getting the walk in, you know, get the walk in and, and, and maybe like that 15 minutes, you know, they're walking for half an hour doing 15 minutes of core could be something that you could combine together. Yeah. Um, so. One of our friends has gone away and I said to her, Oh, I said, well, I'll look after, I'll take Charlie for a walk, you know, this is in my mind, right?

So I actually get to go and do it. Um, so now is in my mind, I need to go and take her for a walk, like a, you know, a couple of times at least a week, you know, just to get me back in the habit of getting back into the walking, you know? Cause it's like, Oh, she needs a walk. So I, you know, she's gonna, motivate me to take her to go for a walk.

So yeah, yeah, something like that. So that's what was in my mind when she said she was going away, do you know what I mean? So it's like, yeah, help get back in. Yeah. Just, um, get a bit of exercise. You can look at, um, you know, again, it all, it's all knock on stuff that's knock on effects, but we think, okay, so, You want to, let's say we're going to start, we're going to get back into this habit and really the habit of walking in the morning.

Um, you've done it before. It's made you feel really good and set you up for the day. Yeah. At the moment, the night times can be quite unpredictable, but let's, so I read, had been read something when I was away actually, and I really liked it. And I've been implementing it into my life since we got back is you set yourself up for your day, the night before.

So you want to say we actually start the night before and yes, I used to always lay out my clothes, but I've really started going to the next level and being like, because, um, sometimes we give ourselves the least amount of time, the littlest amount of time possible to be ready, hoping that everything runs perfectly.

Yeah, I'm talking about 10. Something doesn't quite go to plan. So yeah, yourself. So, so, you know, like, obviously setting your clothes out. If you're taking water, have your water, have your earphones near, you know, make sure this is charged, um, shoes near the door. You know, if you're taking the dog, the dog lead, everything as much as you can.

So you're giving yourself the path of least resistance because we're really trying to create, get this new habit up and running. Um, it's still really easy to, to get out of it. Oh, I've had a late night, you know, I've slept. I used to, and I've told you before, I just sleep in my clothes. So I just had to get up and go.

Yeah, that's a good idea. Yeah. So it's just thinking about how can you make it like as easy as possible so that you've got the least amount of options to get out of it. Mm. Or the habits really. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's really important. So like last week, I even like, you know, like the pot and my tea and like, I even set them out and ready in the morning and they put my water bottle in the fridge and I put the kids, cause I've got to leave the lunches for the, you know, the breakfast of the kids.

So I put them out and the milk in the fridge, cause that milk in cup and then put that, you know, I really went to that next level. So then I'm not stressing, mine's about stress management. So I'm not stressing. In the morning and I'm not getting up feeling like, yeah, that's, well, that's what can be a bit overwhelming on it, you know, cause you know, when you've got kids that don't listen to you, but if we think how much can you, how much can you do in the night for the next day?

Um, yeah, well, yeah, I used to actually thinking on it. I used to do the kids lunch boxes. The night before as well. That was another thing I used to do. So it's not so much of a rush in the morning then. Do you know what I mean? I do that. I have always, I do think I have to because I'm in the studio. But when I see people and they say like, how stressful, I'm like, I don't know why people don't make the lunches the night before.

I couldn't manage it if I didn't have it. Yeah. Yeah. Like I could do it. Like I was doing it in the evening, I think after like, you know, you tidy up the kitchen and stuff. And then I think I was just doing it then. Yeah. So, yeah. So that's another, that's another thing I could start implementing. And if I don't get up to go really early for a walk, then, you know, if Steve's here, then he normally does school drop off anyway.

So I could just go and get my walk, you know, then, cause they'd be all ready to go. Cause that's what I spend my time in the morning doing is I get up. I make the kids lunchboxes, get them ready to go out the door, and then Steve's takes them when he's here, mainly, so. Yep, particularly when they have to go to school, yep.

Mm, yeah. So just, yeah, just think about how, and I lay the kids, like, like, like last week as well, You know, I had, I put their bags near the door because for me, lots of times I'm running in and I'm like running in from the studio and then like on a Thursday, Cooper has to go swimming and I finished with someone at 630.

Now I never finished at 630 on the dot. I normally always talk for longer. So you know, it's, let's say 635 if I'm lucky, running in the door at 640 and then we have to get in the car and he starts swimming at 645. Gosh. So then I was like, okay, though, uh, you know, like one day I tried having the bags near the door.

One day I tried putting like the bag and his musical instrument and all that in the car. So all I had to do was carry the lunches. So just, just think about how you can, yesterday I actually. Um, I'm still navigating what's the easiest thing, but yesterday I actually put all my clothes together for the week and hung them.

You, I get dressed in the dark. I always get dressed in the dark. One day last week I had my pants on inside out. , uh, full of class. Yeah. So I set all my clothes, . I've set all my clothes, you know, like t-shirts, tights. Mm-Hmm. You know, sports bra, you know. Yeah. All of, I had all of the, I've laid. I've hung them all up together, like in sets for the day, um, and I've put five sets up in the hanging in the laundry.

So this morning I just picked out one set of clothes to make less stress make, you know, so just think, well, yeah. Cause you're always looking for like socks or something you can't, you know, you can't always find something it's always that, you know, and that takes up another. So many minutes things like, you know, I can't find a lighter colored bra, or I can't find a pair of undies, or, you know, like it's always something that, there's always something, yeah.

That you're, you know, that you're looking for and then you're looking in the dark. And so it's just thinking how can you make your life as easy as possible to be, because you're wanting to strengthen your core. You know, you because you're wanting to spend your time on this, then yeah, we need to look at how we can sort out other areas.

Yeah. Yeah. So, um, you know, so yeah, so those other things are not quite related to strengthening our core and hips, but they'll make a huge difference too. Yeah, to the fact, if you get to spend time to do, yeah, that's a bit more time to do it. Yeah. Yeah. And you could even, you could even look at stuff like you could go, okay, I'm going to do half an hour walk, uh, 15 minutes on core course, so to speak, or you could do, I'm going to do 20 minutes of a walk and look at walking faster, you know, how fast, how long can it take me to fit in three Ks?

Yeah. Yeah. Can I look at increasing my speed a little bit and then I can, you know, um, spend a little, you know, maybe 20 minutes walking 20 minutes on court, you know, look at fiddling around that way. Yeah. Um, yeah. Yeah. That's a good idea. Yeah. And then I think, I think it's important to, um, check back. So look at, like, let's look at implementing some of these things.

I'll write them out for you and then look at checking back. Like, yeah, yep. I, um, this works well, this worked well, this didn't. That's okay. Let's look at what else we can look at fitting in. Oh, I found the mornings too overwhelming. I found, you know, but this, but yeah, we don't want to try a hundred things at once.

No, that's it. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. That sounds good. The other thing, um, again, tagging, looking at creating new habits, tagging what you already do. Is depending on life and schedule is, you know, like somebody else was shoulder to you. She came to say, she says, I'm not going to do the exercise at home because I'm just telling you now I'm not going to do it.

So she came to class like 10 minutes early. It's the stuff then. So you could be like, I'm already coming to class. Can I not sit in the car on my phone? You know, like you, because then you've already, then you've got another 10 minutes in or something, you know? True. Something in. I've had quite a few people that have done stuff like that and they've, you know, so that, so then it's, you're getting, you're just getting more in, especially while we're putting a focus on.

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. That's another good idea. What I'll do is I'll write up kind of what we think could be a plan and I think we try it for four weeks and then. Yeah. Check back in so you can see your difference. You could, uh, take photos of Yeah, like, like that low squat is an example of how, you know, like if your feet are off the ground.

Yeah. Yeah. I see what you mean. Photos. Um, you could record down, um, how often you're having, you're in pain. Mm-Hmm. , because you wanna, we wanna know that what you're doing is working. You also Yeah. I also want to know that, um, you know, you want to look for triggers. So, you know, like when, when this happens or when I have, you know, uh, this many clients booked in, then my pain's really bad.

And maybe, you know, maybe you need to look at changing the structure of your, you know, like something. No, no. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Or things that may be, may be. Causing you more pain or, you know, um, making it worse. If I know lots of like one, um, lady who used to train, she actually, it was her car. So lots of times with people with like a chronic injury or whatever, it tends to in the gym that they do it because.

They're more conscious of it because they've had the injury. So it's in the everyday life things of when they're not at it as to when. So it's just so she, she had a really, really low car. So it was getting in and out of her car that she actually triggering her hip. Uh, someone else, it was, um, she lives on a driveway.

Yeah. Getting out of the car on the sloping driveway is. Is what put her back out, put her back out. So it's just thinking, just take note in the next few weeks. Is there anything that you noticed that? Uh, well, I already know that with like going into different beds. Yeah. Like if I go from my bed to Riley's bed, cause his is a thermo mattress.

Yeah. And what mine is. Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, and you know, it's like, um, when they're in the same bed as you, they actually don't lie the same direction. They like to sleep across and then they like to kick you and be near you, but they'd like you to go on the very edge of the bed. Yes. So that's kind of, um, that's kind of what happened.

That happened last night. Um, and then this morning. When I got out of bed, I felt that little bit of a nerve pain and I thought, there we are, that, that's what it is because. I've been in all kind of directions with them overnight. So yeah. Yeah. You have to, you have to, you know, it's, it's, I know it's really hard.

We had that where my kids were in the, both of them and like Cooper's getting bigger and I was like, I said to them, I can't do this anymore. Yeah. So like, I can't, I can't do it. I'm so uncomfortable. Cause you know, I was the same on the edge. Um, I did a bribery. I was like, if you, you know, if you stay in your bed this many nights, then you get this at the end of the week.

I started, I worked with Charlie. It didn't work with Cooper, but I started doing, I asked, it's just work out what you're thinking. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. What makes him tick? Yeah. Yeah. And, and, and I spoke to him as well. I said, I told him I was in pain. I said like, you know, I says, I'm not sleeping.

I'm uncomfortable because you, you know, like you're in your bed. And I think what worked with Cooper, I should gave him a, um, I said, you can, I said, you can come into the bed after four. Cause I get up. This is an anxiety. So, um, so yeah, so I think I said to him, could, could he do like, could he do that? And he would, he would wake up and he'd see the clock and he'd see it wasn't for Cooper's older than Riley.

I know, but, um, that's, yeah, that's how I did it with. And now they, they don't very often Cooper was in our bed last night,