The Influence Health

20/01/2023

After an insane 2022, health flares and more stress than I should have been able to survive, I have decided it is time to take a step back from social media to focus on some areas of my life that really need it AND have time and energy to devote to a big work project (I cannot wait to share this once I finish, but it will be all consuming for now). IG just takes up so much time and capacity for a spoonie and I now need to focus that attention elsewhere for a few weeks
I may pop on and off IG stories on occasion, but if you have any questions or would like to reach me, please email me at theinfluencehealth @ gmail . com (no spaces) or visit my website (linked in bio) to send me a message through my site
Continuing to engage with and share my content would be much appreciated and helpful for my account while I’m taking time away. Utilize my movement videos, let me know how they go, check out my YT (linked in bio), and TT for more info and routines. I’m looking forward to this time away to focus on myself, clients, and projects I’ve been neglecting
Thank you for your understanding, love, and support! 💜

11/01/2023

Should i make this a series?
I’ve been a personal trainer and chronic illness movement coach for over 10 years. Here are 5 important things I’ve learned about exercising with chronic health issues:

1. Pain & fatigue will stop you in your tracks & make you fear attempting any mvmt. But movement is vital to decreasing pain, fatigue, & helping you become more functional

2. Exercise can look like anything. Movement is relative to YOU. The smallest of movements count (including just wiggling fingers in bed)

3. Never neglect the power of the mind! The mind-muscle connection! Can’t move? visualize muscles contracting or your body going through a movement. These visualizations can build neural connections & strength!

4. You know your body better than anyone else! LISTEN TO IT! Don’t let anyone push you beyond your limits, always tell your coach what is/isn’t working for you, & make sure to work with people who resonate with you. One of the big things I work on with my clients is helping them listen to their bodies & become more confident in doing so. I rarely provide super strict rules on programming, reps, rest etc because I want my clients to tune into their bodies & move in ways that feel appropriate for them within certain guidelines

5. There is no one size fits all. Different coaches & programs will try to convince you that they’ve figured it all out & are the magic bullet for everyone. Everyone is different & there is nuance to each situation. Yeah, you probably do need movement & nervous system work & pain management, but you probably need a little of each in a protocol for your condition. Something I never claim to do is be the end all, be all. I’m a piece of the puzzle that can help you feel better!

30/12/2022

Who’s ready to head into the New Year with your best chance possible at optimizing your health in 2023? *hand up*
If that’s you, then you don’t want to miss out on my New Years Weekend Sale! You can snag my signature TIH Basic Strength program on sale for the next 3 days. I WANT you to feel better in your body, to up level your healing, and to feel the positive effects movement has on your health. If you want to better understand the absolute necessity that is movement and exercise for health and healing, check out my Science of Mvmt highlight to learn all the juicy details!
The program is POTS and EDS friendly, you have the ability to adjust it to your needs and schedule, and it progresses slowly as you get stronger. We’ll work your entire body with a heavy focus on core strength, pelvic stability, posture, lower body strength, and neck stability
Join in me kick starting your New Year and committing to healing by clicking the link in my bio. This sale is for 3 days only, so you don’t want to miss out!

28/11/2022

I’m currently running a huge Cyber Monday Sale on my TIH Basic Strength Program! This is my biggest sale of the year, so if you’ve been curious about my program, now would be the time to get it
This is my signature movement program is designed for everyone! Whether you are a beginner, struggling to move due to chronic illness, or pretty active, this program will work for you. We work on foundational strength moves to make sure you are stable and moving well. I come back to these moves over and over, even after years of fitness and lifting
If you deal with chronic illness, this program is designed to help your build up slowly. We’ll strengthen and stabilize your body to minimize pain and fatigue so you can optimize healing and get back to your life! I utilized my personal experience, over 10+ years of being a personal training, and hands on experience with chronic illness clients to create this program. I learned it, I experienced it, and I’m sharing it with you!
I want you to heal and feel better in your body. I want you to be able to manage symptoms better, have energy for activities you want to do, and not have to worry about pain each day. If you’re ready for that too, then head to the link in my bio to snag this program at 25% off! No code needed

22/11/2022

Over the weekend, I went on my second “big” hike since getting the ‘vid in June. I put big in quotes because both of the hikes I went on where what I’d considerate moderate pre-pandemmy. But WOW is my fitness not what it was before! Almost 6 months out and I’m still working through major recovery from getting slammed earlier this summer
I still have to watch my heart rate closely. After getting the ‘vid, the biggest thing I noticed was that I couldn’t let my heart rate get above 140-150 bpm or it really knocked me down afterwards. I started to slowly be able to push that a little bit in early fall, but after my huge flare in October, I’m back to not letting my HR get high. And I’m starting to wonder if part of my flare last month was due to starting to push my physical fitness again. HR is something that always needs to be watched with my chronic fatigue clients (I’ve done posts on this, check my highlights) and I’m realizing I need to be more careful than I thought still
I am thinking focusing on some specific heart rate zone/cardiovascular training may be helpful. This is not something I have specifically worked on in the past, so I am curious what what happen if I prioritized it.… I’m getting some big treatments this week to hopefully help boost me to the next level of healing too. I’ll share more soon 💜
Anyway, just posting this as a little viral healing update. Just your friendly reminder that we are still in the middle of a pandemic that chronic illness folks are currently carrying the burden of. Wear your mask in indoor spaces, don’t go out if you are sick, and be less selfish 😉

19/10/2022

I'm starting to share more recipes on this account, not just my Lemons 'N Lyme account. Here is the ultimate fall cookie recipe!

Want the ultimate fall cookie turned healthy? Then you are in the right place! Carrot cake is SO FALL with those deep spice flavors and warming root veggie vibes. So why not make it a cookie? These…

21/09/2022

Do you have hyper mobility? Feel like your anxiety levels are higher than the norm? They might be
At this point, it’s been well documented that those with hyper mobility disorders tend to have higher anxiety levels. Those with EDS etc have been found to have higher levels of interoceptive awareness. This means higher levels of being in tune with & sensing what is going on INSIDE your body. Your proprioceptive system is like “what is happening with my joints?!” This means a couple of things:

First of all, you are better at sensing stability discrepancies due to lax ligaments, so your body will send more concerning signals up to your brain if it feels like you aren’t stabilizing well. These more fear-based signals will in turn trigger an anxiety response
Second, many with connective tissue disorders struggle with POTS. Lax connective tissue in the blood vessels means a lesser ability of blood vessels to constrict upon standing (to pump blood up to the head), leading to an increased heart rate to manage that drop in blood pressure. This can trigger some anxiety in itself, but this racing heart response can also be misinterpreted as anxiety by the brain since there isn’t necessarily an obvious external trigger
Your body kind of tricks you into anxiety in one sense, but the anxiety can also be coming from a very legitimate place in another sense, given what we know about biology & our body wanting to feel safe internally AND externally!
Mindful exercise can help b/c physically strengthening the body to stabilize will let the body know it is stable & okay. Plus, working on core & lower body strength can help pump the blood back up to the heart to regulate BP & HR. We also want to work on learning to tune in to proper bodily signals & understand why we may be feeling a certain interoceptive signal so we can consciously let the brain know what’s going on & that it’s okay
Found this intriguing? Not sure where to start? My TIH Basic Strength program is EDS & POTS friendly & will help you build that foundational strength + stability to feel healthier & more capable in your body! Click the link in my bio for more info to get started
Citations in comments

14/09/2022

YA’LL, WE GOTTA TALK ABOUT THIS!
I’m sure you’ve heard by now how important exercise is for your health and how you should strength train for your bones. But do you know how much of an impact strength training has on your health? From sleep to pain levels to fatigue to mental +cognitive health and more…. it’s literally like a magic pill and our medical system just keeps ignoring! I know I know, you don’t feel good and you don’t have time, but my work is all about teaching you how to make it work for your body and lifestyle!
There are a number of studies these days that show the impact of weight lifting on these different lifestyle and health factors, including plenty to suggest that exercise can be just as beneficial as medication for conditions like depression and anxiety. I’ve done posts on this in the past, but more studies are now being done on more chronic conditions like fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, fatigue, and neurological conditions… all with positive outcomes in symptom management and disease progression from implementing strength training protocols.
Something else I find really interesting is the impact of mental health on gait and posture (and potentially vice-versa). Our posture and gate tend to reflect our health status. Not feeling good physically or mentally often means hunched over, shuffling, head down. But there is some evidence to suggest that changing your posture and gait can actually IMPROVE your mental health. Working to strengthen your postural muscles and improve proper gait mechanics may have the potential to actually improve mood, mental health, and overall health outcomes
I’ve cited a few studies in the comments as a starting place. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the above! If you feel ready to start exploring the impact a strength training program could have on your life, comment “I’m ready!” with your favorite emoji below. Let’s get you feeling better!

09/09/2022

Skeletal muscle affects the function of other organs in the body and optimizes health! But skeletal muscle has to be activated in order to do that
The contraction of skeletal muscle (via exercise!) helps regulate inflammation, metabolism, suppression of tumor growth, cognitive function, and more! As we age, we often become more at risk for many diseases like cardiovascular disease, dementia, and cancers. One of the reasons for that is the natural age related decline in skeletal muscle tissue (called sarcopenia). That loss of muscle tissue, and increased inactivity, is part of what allows inflammation and fat gain to occur and increase our risk for disease, as described above
It’s pretty impressive the importance and impact of our actual muscle tissue, if you ask me. Movement and exercise are absolutely vital pieces of maintaining and improving our health, along with other healthy habits, of course. So, if you are stuck thinking exercise is only about aesthetics or you can’t exercise because you can’t do some crazy, intense workout you see online, I want to help you reframe those thoughts, let me help movement work for you so you can reap all the healing benefits necessary to improve and optimize health!
Want to read some research? Check out the studies I’ll have cited in the comments

15/08/2022

Did you know movement has the power to help you heal? 🌈
I was the most sick when I was the least active. Slowly and gently exercising again, in ways that were supportive to my body and condition, helped me be able to start living independently again and participate in activities I enjoyed. The second slide is just a few of those!
When you strengthen your entire body properly (I’m not just talking about muscles- we have to work on things like cardiovascular and nervous system health too!), it allows your body to move in a more efficient way that uses less energy and reduces pain levels. Yes, you read that right, using energy to exercise (in the right way!) will actually give you more energy to live a better life
I’m sending out an email later this week going into more detail about all of this. If you want more details, make sure you are on my email list! You can sign up via the link in my bio or DM your email

10/08/2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6QTHvwD9Gs

I struggle with sleep, but one thing that helps is a full evening routine with some gentle stretching to relax my body before I get in bed. I do this routine...

10/08/2022

Do you have trouble sleeping?
I’m a terrible sleeper, but one thing that helps is a solid evening routine. The most important piece of that routine for me is some gentle yoga or stretching that calms my nervous system and lets my body know it can relax. I do about 5-10 min each night before crawling into bed, so I wanted to share that with all of you!
I just posted a short and sweet, 5 min sleep movement routine on YouTube for ya. This are some of my fav moves to help slow down and calm my body to prepare it for bed. The link is in my bio! I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful too. Don’t forget to like the vid and subscribe to my channel while you’re there