https://linktr.ee/sallyparkinson, https://www.highwaytowell.co.uk/

Highway to Well, CHF Gym, Unit 5 Benfield Way, Braintree, Essex, CM7 3YS, Braintree (2026)

06/01/2026

It’s the new year, so we’re straight back in with our PT sessions. I have been using the gym and going to some classes over the Christmas period, but I haven’t been deadlifting so it’s been good to get back to that and my PT sessions, which I do really, really enjoy.

Hollie did ask me, “What are your gym goals?” And actually, I haven’t thought of any! But since thinking about it, my progress over the last year has been significant so I want to continue that.
I want to continue growing muscle, building muscle, losing some fat. That would always be a good goal, wouldn’t it? And actually continue to enjoy it.

So there you are they’re my goals for the gym in 2026. Not massive but achievable 😅
#…

05/01/2026

A little flurry of the white stuff this morning is obviously very beautiful and it's just a reminder that nature is very busy resting and recuperating and recharging ready for the spring, so is that something we should be doing?

New Year's resolutions are massive, that's what everyone likes to do, make a New Year's resolution, make big changes, make big goals, make big intentions to do some really great things, and that's no bad thing but is this the right time of year to do it?

Actually could it be better to just make small sustainable changes, little changes that you know that you can sustain over the next year? So making these small sustainable changes to your habits is probably going to be a lot more beneficial to you than making a big sweeping statement about huge goals that you're going to achieve.

Maybe we should remember that slow and steady is more likely to win the race.?

#2026

19/12/2025

I was back gym this morning for another PT session. So yes, if you’re counting, that’s two PT sessions this week that I’ve had. 💪 We decided to throw another one in before the year’s out just to have a little look at progress.

We decided to revisit one of my very early workouts with Hollie. I’ve been working with Hollie for just over a year now and this was session number four, I think. So in the green shorts that was filmed on the 1st of December last year, so just over a year ago.

It’s always good to look back and see how far you’ve come. It’s very easy to think “I’m not getting anywhere”. But actually, when you look back, you can actually see the difference. So for anyone who’s looking to start out doing some personal training or just gym work, get some video done, get some photos done because you will see a difference.

Now, the biggest difference I see in myself here is actually my confidence. I’m much more confident in lifting the weights. There’s not so much hesitancy.

And of course, I’m lifting heavier weights, which of course you’d expect. You particularly notice the difference on the lat pulldowns. I notice that there’s much more muscle definition in my shoulders. My shoulders were never the strongest point and I still feel they’re not my strongest point, but I can see that they’re getting much, much stronger.

A huge thank you to Hollie for her support this year. It’s been amazing (and fun!) and roll on 2026. 💪

17/12/2025

I don't know about you, but I'm a bit partial to a mince pie at this time of year. I love them! And it's Christmas, so why not

This time of year, we do tend to eat a lot more sweet things. Our plates do turn a little bit beige in colour. They tend to be full of below ground vegetables, which are higher in the sugars.

This time of year we need to try and support our immune system in the best way that we can.
And the way to do that is to introduce some more colour to your plate.

Think rainbow. 🌈
Think introduce multiple colours of foods on your plate.

Your immune system will love it. Your body will be crying out for a bit of colour. Now, one of the best ways to think about that is think about eating the rainbow.

What colours can you introduce onto your plate to add a little bit of colour, to add some support for your immune system? We particularly love roasted veg in our house. We eat it quite a lot. And it's a really good way of introducing plenty of colour onto your plate.

So I challenge you, what colour are you going to add to your plate this week to help support your immune system?

NO MINCE PIES WERE CONSUMED DURING THE MAKING OF THIS VIDEO.

16/12/2025

Nice early start in the gym this morning for my PT session, my weekly PT session, and only one more before the end of the year! The year has flown by, I can’t believe I’ve been doing PT for just over a year now. 💪

Today we started off with some hex bar lifts and before I’ve got as far as 65 kgs with just one or two reps at that weight. So just pushed it a little bit further today, 65 kgs again, but I managed five reps of that, which is brilliant.

We did reflect quite a lot on my sessions in the year because I’ve noticed such a phenomenal difference in my strength, my body shape, and my overall energy. It’s been fantastic.

I’m going to have another session this week, just to get one more in before Christmas and before the year end, which will be session number 50. We’re going to repeat the session that we did the very first time that I started with Hollie so it’ll be really interesting to see my improvement.

Watch this space for another video on Friday. 😅

10/12/2025

Winter is a time for rest, recharge and rejuvenating but in the month of December that’s almost impossible! With lists and lists of things to be done, parties to go to, food to buy…the challenges are endless and stressful. The idea of relaxing seems ridiculous!

However it’s also flu season, lack of sleep, alcohol and sugary foods all contribute to this. So, what can we do? Consciously make time to rest, take time out of this hectic time. Get some early nights, lack of sleep is a massive contributor to feeling unwell. Drink plenty of water and eat well, lots of fresh vegetables and fruit to keep the immune system happy.

Have fun, stay well and enjoy the season’s festivities! 🎄

09/12/2025

PT on this very rainy Tuesday morning!

Warmed up with some shoulder presses and step ups before moving on to some leg work. I did Body Pump yesterday with some of the newer Body Pump Heavy tracks so my body was feeling it a bit today! Worked the legs a bit harder and I did wonder where the deadlifts were today.. They were saved this week to the end of the workout and I found them noticeably harder at the end of the session. It was good to mix it up a bit and keep the brain and body guessing! I quit whilst I was ahead at 55kgs today, that felt SO much heavier than last week!

Rest day tomorrow 💪

05/12/2025

Omega 3 fats are an essential fat. That means that our bodies can’t make them so we have to consume them. One of the best ways to do this is with oily fish and tinned fish is a great way to go. If you’re not a fish lover, maybe try the mackerel in tomato sauce, it’s super tasty and makes a great speedy weeknight dinner.

Aubergines make a great base for numerous dishes, they’re filling and full of fibre too. Adding in the lentils also gives us some protein as well as more fibre and the cheese on top is super tasty.

Let me know if you give it a go!

03/12/2025

Omega 3 fats are an essential fat. That means that our bodies can’t make them so we have to consume them. One of the best ways to do this is with oily fish. Salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout etc, they’re all great for providing you with these essential fats.

We never used to be big fish eaters, my husband doesn’t like bones in fish and isn’t mad about oily fish. However we both LOVE salmon and some tinned fish too.

Later in the week I’ll also show you a recipe (which has even converted the non fish lovers!) for a very easy way to use tinned fish for a speedy weeknight dinner so watch this space..!

02/12/2025

PT time again in the gym today and we warmed up with three rounds of battle ropes and the ball slams and then moving on to some travelling weighted lunges and at each end doing some single arm snatch as well. So that got the body nice and toasty ready for deadlifting!

We didn’t let deadlift all the way to the ground last week, we use a different apparatus which allowed me to go heavier, but this week we did deadlift from the ground.

We started off at 40kgs and then worked our way up. Of course my ego wanted to go a little bit heavier than my body weight. We took it easy by doing one or two reps of a slightly heavier weight, moving up to 60kgs, which I’m really, really happy with. 💪

So there’s an improvement which kept my ego happy! Onto the other machines, some single arm rows and also the side raise on the machine, which I’ve not done before and I found really difficult! There wasn’t much weight on either!! Definitely something I’ll work on 😃

As always, there’s room for improvement every week. 😅

27/11/2025

It's THAT time of year. What do I mean by that time of year? 🎄. It's the time of year in the office or at home where those big boxes of Quality Street or Celebrations are cracked open and they're passed around. And let's face it, they don't last too long, do they? Because they're really quite addictive!

You don't just have one, of course you don't. You have two, you have three, maybe four. And then you feel really rubbish about yourself because you wished you hadn't eaten so many! 🐷

Well, there's a reason for you needing to eat so many, and it's not your fault. It's actually done on purpose. It's the food companies creating something called the Bliss Point. The Bliss Point the perfect combination of salt, fats, and sugars, leaving you wanting more, not needing more.

Wouldn't it be great if you had something in your fridge ready to go for those sweet treat times? Maybe make some and take them into work, see what your colleagues think of them!

There's just three ingredients, dates, 100% peanut butter, and yummy good quality dark chocolate (minimum 70%, I used 85%). Just open up the dates, remove the pip, fill the centre with peanut butter and then dip in chocolate. I put mine straight onto a plate in the fridge but next time I'll pop them on to a sheet of baking paper as they'll be easier to remove.

Nutritionally they're great too. Healthy fats in the peanut butter and protein which will help to keep you satisfied. The dark chocolate is a great antioxidant and there's fibre in those dates which will help slow the digestion helping to keep your blood sugars under control.

Let me know if you give them a go!

Highway to Well

06/01/2026

05/01/2026

19/12/2025

17/12/2025

16/12/2025

10/12/2025

09/12/2025

05/12/2025

03/12/2025

02/12/2025

27/11/2025

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