Move with May

10/04/2026

Keeping it light cause it's a Friday night

06/04/2026

Where do you feel it?
A question I always ask my clients.
It tells me a lot:
if the exercise is too easy, too heavy, if their form is off, or if we need to adjust something (because we can’t see everything).
But it’s also something you should be noticing yourself.
You might feel it in the right place at first,
but as you fatigue, it can shift somewhere else.
If you’re not paying attention, you won’t catch that.
Awareness is what helps you train safely, especially when you’re on your own.

31/03/2026

This was awkward to get in and out of. A little scary to be honest as well because it's elevated.
When it's not elevated it's actually great for beginners because It helps prevent strain on the low back The alternative is bent over row.
Which if you're not engaging your core and glutes properly you start feeling in your low back.

The advantage of elevating the bench like this is more for range of motion but you don't have to do this if you're a beginner. I mean don't have to do it elevated as a beginner, the regular chest supported option is great but still awkward to get in and out of haha and can take a bit to find the right position - that was the advantage of this. Might do a reel on that next time.

30/03/2026

Life hacks - 1) use a selfie camera as a mirror if the gym doesn't have one. For some exercises I really need a mirror. 2) voice overs when making a reel makes it way easier to get text on screen haha. 3)...do the thing you hate. Practice.

26/03/2026

If you feel deadlifts (or even picking something up) in your low back — this can help 👇
Hinging is the pattern we use to pick things up from the ground.
It should come from the hips, with the glutes doing most of the work, while the core supports and stabilises.

Before you lower, take a small inhale into the ribs (not the chest).
Then exhale as you hinge.
This helps you stay connected through your core as you go down, not just on the way up.
Because gravity is pulling everything down and forward as you hinge — especially through the belly.
If you just drop into it, it’s much harder to manage pressure and keep that support in the bottom position.

Often when we pair breath with movement, we think inhale first → exhale second.
Not wrong — but in this case, exhaling on the way down can help you not lose that connection where it usually drops off.
If you’re feeling it mostly in your low back, it’s often a sign the glutes aren’t contributing enough and/or the core isn’t supporting well.

And yes — I’m a trainer and I still have a belly 😂
Honestly, it makes it easier to see what’s happening with breath and core connection in real time.
Try it and see if your hinge feels more supported 👌

24/03/2026

19/03/2026

You cannot spot reduce fat.
Russian twists, ab bikes, crunches, sit up and those core exercises won't help you lose belly fat.

18/03/2026

Push-ups aren’t a beginner exercise.

But most beginners are told to do them anyway — in HIIT, home workouts, conditioning classes…

So what happens?

They compensate:
– neck jutting forward
– shoulders taking over
– lower back arching

And instead of building strength, they reinforce poor movement.

That’s why I’d rather get beginners to build strength with bench press first, then scale push-ups using different incline heights.

Instead, I scale push-ups with incline:
wall → treadmill handles → different height benches → floor

Same movement. Better control. Real progression.

I’d rather build pressing strength first, rather than compensate.

Have you tried these variations instead of knee push ups?

17/03/2026

Finally posted my first YouTube video - a 12min hip mobility & stability routine. Here's a short clip from it.

16/03/2026

Ugh I know the top of my leggings is not even but I didn't want to refilm this 😅.
Anyways.
When I first trained as a yoga teacher, we were taught not to chest breathe.
Chest breathing was associated with stress or shallow breathing, so instead we were taught to breathe into the belly as a way to relax the body and calm the nervous system.
Then another teacher I trained with — a yoga teacher who was also a Pilates teacher — said something that completely shifted how I understood breathing:
“Your lungs aren’t in your belly.”
And it just clicked.
When we inhale, the diaphragm moves down and the rib cage should expand in all directions — front, sides, and back. That’s what people mean when they talk about 360 breathing.
If the breath only pushes forward into the belly, we’re missing a lot of that rib expansion that helps create better pressure and support through the core.
That’s why I used the band around the ribs in this video — it helps you feel the ribs expand side to side and into the back, not just forward.

I learned even more about this during my prenatal training (I'm not pregnant just bloated 😂) , because breathing becomes really important during pregnancy. As the belly grows, learning to expand the ribs and breathe 360° helps maintain space for the diaphragm and support the core and pelvic floor.
Another thing I see a lot is people sucking their stomach in while breathing into their chest. When that happens, the belly actually moves in on the inhale instead of naturally expanding.
Instead of thinking “belly breathing,” think about the rib cage expanding like an umbrella.
Front.
Sides.
Back.

08/03/2026

Today I was reminded of how often we underestimate ourselves with my own self doubts.

Sometimes we decide we can’t do something before we even try.
Sometimes the world decides that for us based on how we look.

But every week I see women challenge those beliefs.

Women who don’t see themselves as “gym people”.
Women who have spent years believing they’re not capable.
Women who’ve been judged before they’ve even started.

And yet they show up.

When I asked one of my clients if she would be in my photos she said she was happy to. She wanted people to see that fat people aren’t lazy — that they train and work hard too.

That stuck with me.

Strong doesn’t have a look.
And strength isn’t just what we can do physically.

Sometimes strength is simply showing up and giving yourself the chance to try.

Happy International Women’s Day to the women doing just that.

03/03/2026

People think lifting weights causes injuries.
It doesn’t.
What causes injury?
• Not having the strength for the demands of your life
• Lifting with improper form
• Not using your core and glutes to stabilize
• Jumping to weights you’re not ready for
• Compensating because you’re weak somewhere else
Strength training — done properly — builds resilience.
It teaches your body to:
✔️ Stabilize
✔️ Produce force
✔️ Absorb force
✔️ Use the right muscles at the right time
That’s what protects you.