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CLS Physiotherapy & Nutrition, Merton Lane N, Canterbury (2025)

11/07/2025

Some big news… I got a PhD scholarship 🎓🥹

Over the next few years, I’ll be researching how resistance training can support women through menopause — particularly when it comes to pelvic floor symptoms and the very real barriers women face when trying to stay active during this stage of life.

Honestly, I’ve worked my t**s off for this.
I’ve juggled an MSc in Women’s Health, a full-time NHS role, and running my own business. Apparently, that’s an unusual route — given that in the online space, you can become a “women’s health expert” with a PT qualification and a couple of blog posts 🙃

But hey, welcome to the internet — where the Dunning-Kruger effect has never been so well-branded.

After 11 years as a pelvic health physio, I’ve seen first-hand how many menopausal women are struggling.

Not because they’re unmotivated — but because they’re managing careers, caring responsibilities, exhausting symptoms, and navigating fitness spaces that often don’t feel made for them.

Add in a daily dose of conflicting advice from self-proclaimed menopause gurus, and suddenly even something as basic as exercise feels overwhelming.

This year didn’t start the way I imagined. For a while, I felt completely lost. But sometimes the most difficult chapters make space for the most meaningful ones.

Thank you to everyone who’s cheered me on, listened to me waffle, or reminded me this work matters 💛

Here’s to the next chapter.

🥂

17/05/2025

When your Canva skills you learned from content creation come in handy for your dissertation…

Women diagnosed with prolapse in the UK are offered clear guidelines for the management of prolapse:

🍋 Pelvic floor exercises
💊 Topical v*ginal oestrogen
🍎 Lifestyle advice e.g. weight management, constipation management
💍 Pessaries may be offered

Then the next conversation tends to be inconsistent, ambiguous and overly cautious:

‘No heavy lifting’ with no context, no nuance, no specificity around types, intensities or volumes.

And then no clear advice around exercise participation is offered.

As a result, of course, women avoid physical activity, which leads to deconditioning and impacts their quality of life.

I hope my narrative review can pull some of the data together and give better guidance for exercise and prolapse!

Let’s see!

17/04/2025

😮‍💨 Pretty bang on IMO‼️

Number 4 is by far my favourite. Let’s start reframing pelvic floor dysfunction as a performance not a hygiene issue!

Comment below 👇🏽 What’s your favourite?

16/04/2025

I quit!

I was supposed to run the Paris Marathon last weekend, but after experiencing a miscarriage in December, along with the demands of my MSc studies, running my business, and working in the NHS, I realised I just couldn’t do it—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

My menstrual cycle had returned to normal after my miscarriage, and I wasn’t prepared to disrupt that by training for a marathon. In previous marathons, I had noticed that my cycle would shorten by up to a week, so I knew deep down that now wasn’t the right time to push my body. My studies and health had to be my priorities.

Honestly, that decision was difficult. I used to believe that quitting meant weakness—that if you sign up for something, you must follow through. But pushing through regardless of the circumstances isn’t a sign of strength; it’s a disconnect. It’s about ignoring your body when it’s asking for compassion.

Instagram doesn’t always portray this reality. We’re often sold the idea that striving for more and pushing through pain is empowering. However, we don’t discuss enough the toll this takes, especially on women’s bodies.

Choosing not to run the marathon wasn’t quitting; it was about listening to and respecting my body. It was also about honouring the marathon distance itself, because let’s be honest: running 26.2 miles without proper training is unwise. The marathon deserves respect, and so does your body.

Here’s the beautiful part—I still went to the marathon. Cheering on my friends brought me immense joy. Witnessing them achieve something incredible and being their biggest supporter was magical. Sometimes, supporting others is just as powerful as supporting yourself.

I will run the Paris Marathon one day when the timing is right and my body is ready. I’m not done; I’m simply approaching this differently this time, with more wisdom, respect, and self-kindness. Let this be a reminder: you don’t have to prove your strength by ignoring your body. Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is pause.

10/04/2025

🦴✨ Should menopausal women be jumping in their workouts? ✨🦴

This recent randomised controlled study explored just that — putting postmenopausal women through an 8-month jumping programme (just 10 jumps, 3x a week).

💪 Adherence? 95%.

🤕 Injuries? None.

📈 Bone improvements? …Well, the results weren’t quite as strong as the jumps. But there’s more to the story.

Jumping might be a safe, simple way to load the skeleton, but without enough oestrogen on board (hello menopause), the bone-building benefits may be limited.

Still, GRF and jump height improved — and that matters for falls prevention 👣

🔬 So — should you add jumping in? Maybe yes, individualised plan!

Do you include jump training or plyometrics in your workouts?

11/03/2025

🧴LICHEN SCLEROSUS🧴

Before you go any further, help a girl out!

Instagram censors terms related to female anatomy, labelling them as suggestive or harmful. As a result, posts of this nature do not reach a wide audience.

This censorship reinforces the stigma around women’s health and hampers open conversations, making it difficult for women to seek the help they need.

I refuse to censor my educational content on women’s health, so if you see this post, please support it by hitting like, share, save or comment! Thanks 🩷

I’m currently knee deep in my women’s health MSc final module, Breast and Reproductive Cancers. There is a link between Lichen Sclerosus & Vulvar Cancer hence the inspiration for this post.

Lichen sclerosus is a skin condition that effects around 1 million women across the UK.

Have a swipe through to read more about it.

Please contact your GP if you think you may have lichen sclerosus.

References:
PMID 36873861
vulvalpainsociety.org
Lssupport.net

Have you heard of Lichen Sclerosis?

10/03/2025

🚨Women’s Health is Political🚨

This weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking at The Pioneer Performance International Women’s Day event. I was asked to present on the topic of “Changing the Narrative around Women’s Health: Breaking the Silence on a Taboo Topic.”

Typically, my discussions focus on the science of incontinence, pregnancy, prolapse, or menopause, so this topic was broader and much more political. Needless to say, I was quite nervous!

We talked about ways to break down taboos which culminated in me asking the audience to label all female reproductive anatomy, which statistically around 60% of men and 45% of women can't do!

From the feedback I received, the coaches in the audience were appalled by the statistics I presented (scroll through), and these were just a few of the many I could have included.

While these statistics can feel disheartening, I left the weekend feeling reassured that there are many fantastic health and fitness professionals out there who genuinely want to improve women’s health through their coaching.

Not all coaches are looking to commercialise women’s health in order to become business mentors, offering 10K months from an apartment in the Middle East with a fleet of high-end cars.

I also learned so much from the other incredible speakers. I felt like pinching myself to be sharing the stage with ; the impact she is making in women’s health research truly inspires me!

Finally meeting face to face and listening to her speak with so much passion was remarkable. Plus, having a roll-top bath in our hotel room was the cherry on top!

Learning about the biomechanics of the pelvic floor from the wonderful opened my eyes to a whole new layer of pelvic floor rehab that I can bring to my patients. I can’t wait to learn more from her!

Lastly, thank you to , and for giving me hope that there is still good in the fitness industry!

If you want to learn more about Women’s Health & I have a jam packed Women’s Health webinar you can purchase, drop either of us a message saying ‘IWD OFFER’ now!

06/02/2025

To Kegel or Not Kegel, that is the question…

The evidence would suggest postpartum women should Kegel.

Urinary incontinence (UI) reduces by 37% with pelvic floor exercises in the 1st year postpartum.

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) reduces by 56% with pelvic floor exercises in the 1st year postpartum.

This is high-quality research from a recent systematic review and meta-analysis, which we can’t turn away from.

Now, I am not saying teaching pelvic floor exercises is enough

Of course, we need to do better than lying women on their back and telling them to squeeze.

We should be looking at the entire body, teaching women about managing pressure, training their pelvic floor for impact and load and helping them with their bladder and bowel habits.

We all agree on that but we don’t need to be divisive and create pro & anti Kegel camps.

Being completely anti-Kegel is ignoring the research.

For me, seeing nuance isn’t sexy but it does increase credibility.

What’s your biggest take away from this study? Comment below ⬇️

04/02/2025

💢🚨Is Cortisol Making You Fat?

Are you struggling with belly fat, brain fog, or cravings for sweet and salty foods? Perhaps your sleep is lacking too. Cortisol coaches suggest that high cortisol levels are the culprit and promote their supplements to lower it.

Cortisol has become a common catch-all explanation for various issues, including:

- Insomnia
- Cravings
- Belly fat
- Brain fog
- Anxiety
- Acne

However, these symptoms may simply result from chronic dieting, poor sleep, or just everyday life.

🧪 What Does Cortisol Do?

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress, and it plays essential roles, such as:

- Regulating metabolism
- Managing stress
- Controlling inflammation
- Regulating blood sugar
- Influencing appetite
- Supporting circadian rhythms

Completely lowering cortisol could be harmful since it is crucial for survival.

So, are these coaches genuinely helping women lower cortisol, or are they disguising fat loss as a hormonal issue?

⚖️ Cortisol as a Wrapper for Fat Loss

Many coaches promoting cortisol reduction are primarily selling fat loss programs. Symptoms associated with high cortisol often stem from chronic dieting and low-calorie intake, such as:

- Poor sleep
- Brain fog
- Gut issues
- Irritability
- Lightheadedness from low blood sugar

These coaches target chronic dieters seeking yet another fat loss solution wrapped in the appealing concept of cortisol management.

📈Does Cortisol Directly Increase Body Fat?

No, cortisol does not directly cause weight gain. While it can affect appetite and eating behaviors, weight gain occurs only when calorie intake exceeds expenditure.

In summary, cortisol is essential for our health, and blaming it for weight gain ignores the reality of calories in versus calories out.

Finding a coach that supports your eating behaviours, so when you are stressed, (which you will be at some point ) you don’t always use food as a coping mechanism, is way more effective for your long term health than trying to lower your cortisol-because to put it bluntly completely lowering your cortisol will kill you.

21/01/2025

👵🏽 Is creatine for women of all ages?

✅ Short answer: Yes

Creatine monohydrate is well researched especially in older adults.

📑 This systematic review and meta-analysis highlights the benefits of creatine monohydrate for older women.

Benefits:
💪🏽 Improved strength
💪🏽 Power output
💪🏽 Increase lean mass
😮‍💨 Anaerobic performance

Creatine monohydrate is less well researched for cognitive performance but benefits may include:

🧠 Reduce mental fatigue related to sleep deprivation / exercise exhaustion
🧠 Memory Preliminary evidence suggest reduce depression symptoms

💊 5 g per day, no loading phase required.

💦 Mix in your water or take capsules.

⏰ Best timing is post workout with a carbohydrate source but I wouldn’t worry too much about timing!

😜 If you know the words to this you probably should be considering creatine for the above reasons!

14/01/2025

🥚Ovulation: F around, find out!

📲A study in England and Wales has found that an increasing number of women are seeking abortions despite using “natural” contraceptive methods, such as fertility tracking apps.

💊 The use of reliable hormonal contraceptives has dropped from 19% in 2018 to 11% in 2023, while fertility awareness methods rose from 0.4% to 2.5%.

📉Additionally, while fertility apps claim high effectiveness rates, the NHS notes their actual effectiveness can drop to 76% if not used correctly.

📝 It’s worth noting that not all fertility awareness based methods are the same. The only fertility based method which is FDA approved is Natural Cycles, as it uses basal temperature 🤒 (Swipe through to find out more).

📈70% of women reported using no contraception in 2023, up from 56% in 2018, which is a huge increase!

🏥 This trend may be influenced by factors like limited access to sexual health services during the Covid pandemic and social media’s promotion of natural methods.

🗣️ Consult a medical professionals before changing contraceptive methods to understand their risks and benefits.

🏫 Perhaps where we really need investment is in new contraceptive options, sexual health facilities and menstrual health education.

What’s your experience of natural contraception apps? Comment below! ⬇️

14/01/2025

🥚Ovulation: F around, find out!

📲A study in England and Wales has found that an increasing number of women are seeking abortions despite using “natural” contraceptive methods, such as fertility tracking apps.

💊 The use of reliable hormonal contraceptives has dropped from 19% in 2018 to 11% in 2023, while fertility awareness methods rose from 0.4% to 2.5%.

📉Additionally, while fertility apps claim high effectiveness rates, the NHS notes their actual effectiveness can drop to 76% if not used correctly.

📈70% of women reported using no contraception in 2023, up from 56% in 2018.

🏥 This trend may be influenced by factors like limited access to sexual health services during the Covid pandemic and social media’s promotion of natural methods.

🗣️ Consult a medical professionals before changing contraceptive methods to understand their risks and benefits.

☎️ You might want to use a service like .the.lowdown for comprehensive support on contraception methods.

🏫 Perhaps this article also highlights the need for more investment in new contraceptive options and menstrual health education.

What’s your experience of natural contraception apps? Comment below! ⬇️

CLS Physiotherapy & Nutrition

11/07/2025

17/05/2025

17/04/2025

16/04/2025

10/04/2025

11/03/2025

10/03/2025

06/02/2025

04/02/2025

21/01/2025

14/01/2025

14/01/2025

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