Body:
Mindful Personal Training
We offer mindful personal training (one-to-one fitness sessions) in and around Mousehold Heath and the NR7 area. Personal training sessions would be with either Rachael or Paul depending on your needs and preferences.
We can train those who perhaps struggle to access more mainstream exercise settings such as gyms and exercise classes. We are aware of how mental health and/ or neurodivergence can impact access to fitness. We offer an inclusive service tailored to your personal requirements. We are encouraging and supportive whilst also focused on getting you results.
If you would like to bring your well-behaved dog with you or have our therapy-dog-in-the-making, Paddington with us, great! If you want to take some photos of nature whilst out, then that is great too. It is about what makes exercise enjoyable and sustainable for you. We can offer as many or as few measures as you would like to get a baseline of where your fitness is currently at, and measure improvements as we go along.
Rachael
Rachael also offers one-to-one yoga sessions, and group yoga classes. Rachael has taught yoga in leisure centres, people’s homes, ran yoga day retreats in Edinburgh, and worked at the Norwich School as the yoga teacher for their ‘Elite Athlete Programme’. She has delivered personal training in parks in Edinburgh, and in clients’ homes/ gardens.
Rachael has completed the Edinburgh Marathon, and Glasgow, Bath and Plymouth half marathons.
Rachael’s qualifications:
- Diploma in Personal Training Level 3
- Level 3 Award in Instructing Outdoor Fitness
- GP Exercise Referral Level 3
- Dru Yoga Teacher Diploma (registered with Yoga Alliance and Independent Yoga Network)
- Postgraduate Dru Yoga Back Care Course
- UK Coaching (UKCC) Level 2 Swimming Teaching
- National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC)
Rachael will be teaching a regular yoga class at Frere Road Community Centre, Norwich, Norfolk, NR7 9UT from February 2025. Classes will be priced at £8 per person.
Rachael is happy to consider alternative forms of energy exchange so that it is accessible to more people (maximum of 3 non-cash participants per yoga class to begin with). These are some offers of energy which Rachael would ideally like but she is open to other suggestions:
- Seasonal fruit, vegetables, honey
- Echinacea, honeysuckle, Boston ivy and other plants
- Dahlia tubers
- Home-baked wholegrain bread or sourdough
- Flute lessons
- Clothing alterations
- Head / Body / Foot massage
- Relfexology
- Shiatsu
We used to belong to a LETS (local exchange trading schemes). These are local community-based mutual aid networks in which people exchange all kinds of goods and services with one another, without the need for money. Rachael is happy to run the group yoga class like this once the initial room hire fee has been covered. Please contact Rachael beforehand to ensure both parties are happy with the energy exchange.
Paul
Paul has over 25 years swimming teaching experience. He specialises in teaching children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Paul runs the ‘Paul Howe Swim School’. Paul also offers physical activity lessons for those children who are homeschooled. Please see www.phss.co.uk for details or contact Paul on: phowe2@yahoo.com / 07909332953 for more information.
Paul specialises in personal training with children, teens and families. He is able to adapt sessions if, for example, a mum and dad want to get the whole family fitter at the same time rather than trying to split the family up to individual sessions. He can create interesting activities to engage all the family. This way there are no childcare issues. Both the parents (or grandparents, carers/ guardians!) and children benefit from getting fitter, getting in shape, lowering stress levels, becoming more mobile and having more energy.
Paul has worked at David Lloyd as a Fitness Instructor (with adults), and as Lead Activity Coach when he worked with children and teenagers.
Paul has completed the London and Edinburgh Marathons, and Bath and Plymouth half marathons.
Paul’s qualifications:
- BSc. Sports and Exercise Science (Napier University, Edinburgh)
- Level 3 Personal Training
- Level 2 Instructing Health related Exercise to children (5-16 years)
- Level 2 Gym Instructor Course
- National Cycle Training Standards Instructor course
- How to Coach Disabled People in Sport (UK Coaching)
- UKCC Level 1 Certificate in Coaching Tennis
- Level 2 Aiming Higher for Disabled Children
- UKCC Level 1 Certificate in Coaching Tennis
- Level 1 Basketball Coach
- Scottish Football Association Coach Certificate
- HND Sports Coaching with Sports Development
- Moving and Handling of Children
What to expect from personal training sessions:
Whilst we can be flexible to your needs, we would still need to go through some paperwork and checks to make sure you are well enough to engage in physical activity. We would ask you to complete a physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q). This would establish if we are ready to start or whether you need to seek clearance from your GP first before exercising.
Then, we would like to go through a lifestyle questionnaire together and also find out more about what your motivations for exercising are. This will help us to come up with a plan of how best to ensure you are motivated and enjoy the sessions. We can also discuss how to help you with achieving your goals outside of our sessions together. This will help you to build confidence and independence with your (new) lifestyle moving forward. It can also help to keep the service more affordable for you.
A well-rounded exercise session would include the following to varying degrees:
- A warm-up (to increase the heartrate, mobilise the joints, stretch and rehearse skills)
- Cardio and resistance (strength) work together or separate depending on goals
- Cool down (to lower the heartrate)
- Developmental stretches (to increase range of movement when the muscles are most pliable and reduce the likelihood of delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS).)
