The Benefits of Wild Walking!

A lovely stroll on a sandy beach recently got me thinking about how different it was to walk on sand compared to concrete footpaths.

Humans have been walking upright for millions of years, and most of this has been done on natural uneven surfaces, over rocks, through wild grasses and up and down hills.

It’s only in very recent times that we’ve walked on smooth, man-made surfaces like concrete, asphalt, flagstones and treadmills!

When we walk on these flat, predictable surfaces, we reduce the range of movement that we do, and our walking pattern becomes very one-directional.

In comparison, walking on uneven ground (like the beach, muddy paths, fields etc) creates a bigger change in our centre of gravity. We have to work harder to stay upright.  If the foot is unstable, it requires a much deeper engagement of muscles throughout the upper and lower body. We’re not just walking, we’re also leaning from side-to-side, tilting forward and twisting a little. This ultimately builds a stronger, more resilient body.

There are huge mental benefits too. The unstable ground helps us to connect more with our environment and nature.

On the beach, there were pebbles, shells, seaweed and puddles that kept me focused on where I was putting my feet. The sand was also unpredictable, with different levels of supportiveness underfoot. I needed to concentrate more and react quicker to my surroundings. As a result, my walking speed slowed down and I ultimately became much more mindful of everything around me.

When I was back on the dull, tarmac footpath, my steps became more rhythmic and repetitive. My mind became busy again, and I started to think of a hundred and one things - none of which included where I was putting my feet!

So, for countless mental and physical benefits, I’d highly recommend getting out into nature for some wild walking. It doesn’t have to be at the beach, investigate some muddy trails or even attempt some stepping stones across a river!

Ideally, you want to build it up slowly, especially if you suffer from any joint pain or balance issues. You’ll soon become stronger, more confident and able to enjoy the benefits of longer walks over challenging terrains.

Have you been wild walking recently? I’d love to hear your experiences.

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

Do you go to the gym to sit down?

During a consultation with a client recently, we wrote down a typical day for her. It looked a bit like this.

  • Sit down to eat breakfast

  • Sit on a bus

  • Sit at a desk

  • Sit down at the gym (on a stationary bike, rowing machine, seated leg press, seated chest press, seated lat pull down…)

  • Sit on the bus back home

  • Sit down for dinner and TV

My client didn’t actually realise how many hours she spent sat down, until we added it all up. So, we talked through some easy ways for her to become more active. Things like getting on and off the bus a couple of stops earlier. Standing up every 30 minutes, and walking over to talk to someone rather than messaging them. These small adjustments could all add up to make a big difference to her daily activity levels.

However, the part of my client’s day that got me really thinking, was when she was exercising. The majority of her time at the gym was spent sat down on exercise machines. Considering she spent most of her day sat down, this was one hour where she could actually be up on her feet and moving around.

Rather than the seated weight machines, I suggested using free weights (think dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, sandbags, barbells etc). These require greater muscle activation, especially from the core stabilisation muscles, and tend to use more natural, everyday movements.

For her cardio fitness, I encouraged her to head outside for a powerwalk or run. The uneven terrain will increase the number of muscles she is able to recruit. And she’s likely to get a mental health and energy boost from being out in the fresh air and in nature.

Finally, I suggested she could include some balance and agility workouts at home in the evening. This would not only get her moving around, but would challenge her co-ordination, strength and proprioception.

We’re now working together to put all of these ideas into a tailored, progressive plan. We’ll be exploring different ways of creatively working-out using body weight and free weights. And we’ll be meeting up to do all of this outside in the park!

So, I’m now curious, how many more people go to the gym to sit down?

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

An interview with...HA Fitness!

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Jacey from Qookeee, the baby clothing rental company, last week about why I set up HA fitness and my top tips about getting fit after having a baby.

It’s over on the Qookeee blog, so have a read and let me know what you think…

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

Fitness Challenges vs. Sustainable Fitness

This week my socials have been full of people doing various different fitness challenges. Ranging from #30milesin30days to the #496challenge (run 1km on 1 Jan, 2km on 2 Jan etc, totalling 496km).

Fitness challenges like this can be really motivating and help push you towards your goals. They can also be empowering, fun and a great way to connect with others online. BUT before you jump head first into the next latest challenge, have a think about if it's…

  • A massive increase in volume? Consider the difference between your December training load and your expectations for January. Switching from sporadic workouts to overzealous daily training often leads to injury and burnout. Genuine fitness progress takes time. It's about consistency, balanced nutrition, adequate rest, and gradual progress. Think marathon rather than sprint.

  • Realistic? Fitness isn’t a one-size-fits all thing. These challenges don't consider your body's current capabilities, your time availability and pace of progress. We're not all on the same path, and nor should we be.

  • Stressful? No doubt you’ll start off highly motivated. But committing to potentially unrealistic targets can become mentally draining and demoralising. Your fitness journey should boost you up, not get you down!

The aim of this post isn’t to discourage you, but to inspire you to approach fitness in a way that’s more likely to lead to success. To encourage you to dig deeper into long term, achievable and realistic fitness goals.

Sustainable fitness is where change is slow and steady. It’s a balanced and realistic fitness journey that’s progressive and individual. It has no miracles, quick-fixes or false promises.

Do drop me a line if you’d like a chat (either in person or on Zoom) about how to sustainably grow your fitness levels this year.  

Cheers to enjoying the journey in 2024, and not just chasing that end goal!

Fitness Challenges vs. Sustainable Fitness
Posted by Heather Waghorn.

NEW CLASS! Posture, Core and More...

Wednesday at 12.00-12.30pm ONLINE

This class is so much more than simply doing a few crunches! Join us to really target your deep inner core, back and glutes. After 30 minutes, you'll come away feeling a lot more aware of your core and your posture. By including these exercises into your weekly routine, it'll help you to integrate good posture into your overall daily life too.

This is a non-sweaty, low impact class, so you can be back at your desk without needing a shower!

Book your place on the Gymcatch calendar!

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

Time to get active with your kids!

It’s Exercise With Your Child Week! So ditch the screens this weekend and get doing something active and fun (whether you have kids or not!).

Our family friendly Saturday classes won’t be taking place this weekend (it’s very rare that I’ve had to say that over the many years of running them!).

Fortunately it’s just for one day, and we’ll be back in South Park Gardens in Wimbledon next Saturday at 7.45am and again 9.00am for our regular Fit In The Park classes.

Children of all ages are welcome to come with you to these sessions (they remain your responsibility). It’s a great way to start the weekend off together!

Drop us a line if you have any questions or would like to join us!

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

Fancy giving Pilates a go?

Why not try out a Pilates class from the comfort of your own home. Our sessions are live on Zoom every Wednesday 12.30-1.10pm.

Our coach, Sophie, is a BASI qualified Pilates Instructor and experienced Personal Trainer. Her sessions use a series of low-impact exercises to improve your posture, increase muscle tone and reduce stress within your body.

If you’d like to join Sophie online for a FREE TRIAL, or would like to find out more, simply drop us a line and we’ll send you all of the details.

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

We’re continuing to offer good times online!

Our Zoom sessions really are the most effective way to train at home.

You could, of course, do a few YouTube videos. But with our live classes you'll get guidance, camaraderie, motivation, friendship, and community. Our team will help you to be accountable and motivated. We check in on everyone to make sure you’re executing the moves correctly and to ensure our instructions are clear. You won't quit early or take extra long water breaks if the HA team are watching!

Head over to our timetable to view all of our classes. We have:

- 13 classes a week

- 5 different instructors

- Loads of variation!

All for just £12 a week or £44 a month!

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Posted by Heather Waghorn.

Happy New Year!

Hopefully you're all settling into your new post-Christmas routine OK?

Life continues to be full of unexpected challenges, but you really don't need me to remind you of that. From a health, fitness and wellbeing point of view, if you've been exercising and eating healthily for most of the time, then give yourself a pat on the back and keep it up!

If you've gone slightly off track and want to get back into it, then don't focus on the past. Look forward to the fact that you're making a positive change now, and build on that. Your positive focus and actions will build momentum and enthusiasm. And of course, if we can support you in any of this, we will.

Our Zoom timetable continues to be very popular, with 13 classes a week, 5 different instructors and lots of variation. All for just £12 a week or £44 a month. If you've not signed up yet, drop me a line and we can organise a free week of classes for you to trial.

Finally, a big thanks to all of our clients for the encouraging feedback and all of the little thank you messages that appear randomly in my inbox!

Stay safe, healthy and fit,

Heather x

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

Nearly there....

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Thank you so much for all of your enthusiastic messages about when we'll be back out in the park again!

Our first session in South Park Gardens will be at 6.15am this Thursday, unless you hear otherwise from us. There are still a number of legislation issues that we're waiting for clarification on from our governing body (CIMPSA).

In the meantime, don't forget to sign-up and join our Zoom sessions (£12 for a week or £44 for the whole of December). You can purchase online here.

Kate will be getting everyone working up a sweat tomorrow at 9.00am, so make sure you join her in your living room/kitchen or garden. If you aren't receiving the Zoom links, drop me a line.

I'd like to thank the whole of the HA fitness community for your continued support during this pretty challenging year!

Heather x

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

Our live online timetable

Focusing on what we CAN do, rather than what we can't, here's our Zoom timetable for the rest of the week.

Kate is fired up and ready to train you in your living room, kitchen or garden at 9am tomorrow morning. Why not get your whole family involved!

Our Zoom sessions are just £12 a week. Or £44 for the rest of November. Every week you'll get unlimited access to:

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  • 8 HIIT/Bootcamp classes

  • 3 Stretch & Restore classes

  • 1 Cardio Pilates class

  • 1 Cardio Core class

  • 5 Amazing Personal Trainers.

You'll also be able to join our 28 Day Lock down Challenge (join us today and find out about my sleep confessions!). Our private HA Facebook group is also where we'll be saving a few workouts a week for you to do in your own time.

If you're new to our Zoom classes, you're very welcome to join us for a week for FREE. Just drop me a line to let me know.

If you'd like to sign-up, head over to our purchase page, or drop me a line for more info.

The HA team have got your back. We'll get through this together.

Heather x

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

I'm doing this for me

With so much going on, there's all the more reason to ensure we look after our mental and physical health at the moment.So here’s my idea. A 28 day lock down challenge. Everyday you take time out to do something to boost your fitness. It could be an…

With so much going on, there's all the more reason to ensure we look after our mental and physical health at the moment.

So here’s my idea. A 28 day lock down challenge. Everyday you take time out to do something to boost your fitness. It could be anything from a run, walk, HIIT workout, Pilates class or stretch session.

Over in our private Facebook group, I’ll be sharing fitness inspiration ideas and hopefully make you smile over the next 28 days.

Each day I’ll give you a little nudge to help motivate you to be active. It won’t be full blown workouts (you can join us on Zoom for that!), just little prompts and activities to keep you inspired.

Along the way, there may well be awesome days, overwhelming days and exhausted days. But the idea is, everyday you’ll hopefully go to bed thinking, today I did something for me today.

Fancy joining us? Message us and I'll send you a link to the private group. You just need to be signed up to our Zoom sessions (either weekly or for the whole month) to have access.

Drop me a line if you have any questions.

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

Training online - further update

We’re still awaiting a full update from our governing body, however I can confirm tomorrow’s class at 6.15am will be on Zoom.

The HA team will be working extra hard over the next 4 weeks to connect, inspire and motivate you all in the best way we possibly can!

  • 5 highly qualified instructors

  • 13 live online classes a week

  • Everything from High Intensity HIIT, to Core, to Stretch and Restore.

  • £12 per week all inclusive. Or £44 for the rest of November.

Sign up on our website here!

http://www.hafitness.com/purchase

We'll try our best to keep you both physically and mentally fit throughout lock down.

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Posted by Heather Waghorn.

Training outside - fitness update

It's now looking pretty certain that we will no longer be outside from Thursday (although not 100% confirmed).

Time to sign-up for our Zoom live online timetable! Benefit from 5 very different highly qualified instructors running sessions live into you kitchen/living room throughout lock down.

13 classes a week. Monday through to Saturday. Early mornings, late mornings, lunchtimes and evenings. Everything from High Intensity HIIT, to Core to Stretch and Restore.

The timetable will be updated on our website later today. It will look the same, but will just have 6.15am on Thursday and 9.00am on Saturday included.

£12 per week all inclusive. Or £44 for the rest of November.

Sign up on our website here!

http://www.hafitness.com/purchase

We'll try our best to keep you both physically and mentally fit throughout lock down.

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

CARDIO CORE: Live online tonight!

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CARDIO CORE is live online tonight with the highly talented Laura!

This class goes far beyond your basic crunch. You'll identify your core, engage it and extend up from it.

Promoting both strength and flexibility, these sessions will help you to develop and maintain a good posture and avoid lower back issues. Laura makes it all great fun too.

Join Laura on Zoom at 7.30pm tonight.

If you've not signed up to one of our Zoom packages this week, there's still time. If you're totally new to our Zoom timetable, you're very welcome to join us for a week's free trial. Just drop us a line and we can send you the details.

Happy training!

Heather x

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

Our new Members' Hub

We've decided to put more resources into our Members’ Hub (our private online Facebook Group).

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This was originally set up as a place to save some of our recorded Zoom classes during lock-down. We're now going to also include all of the things we often don't get time to go through during our classes. There will be a different focus each week.

This week will be all about "engaging your core", and how simply "pulling your navel back to your spine" isn't actually doing the job you need it to, and could even cause you some problems.

We'll teach you how to invite all of your core muscles to the party. This will help to improve overall core strength, reduce back problems and is especially relevant to new (and not so new) mums.

The Members’ Hub is accessible to everyone who has signed up to our Monthly Live On Zoom, Monthly Mini Combo and our Monthly Unlimited packages (see below). There's still time to sign-up if you haven't done so already!

To be added to the Members’ Hub, look up HA fitness Online on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/251327246162495).

In other news, Antonio is taking a well deserved break this week. So Kate and I will be covering his Live Online Zoom classes. All of the times will stay the same.

Drop me a line if you have any questions or queries?

Happy Training,

Heather x

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

COVID requirements - fully compliant

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We are fully compliant with all the industry COVID requirements.
Social distancing, no sharing of equipment and our new QR code for trace and trace xx

Posted by Heather Waghorn.

New October packages!

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Our October packages start tomorrow! Check out our updated prices and timetables.

Then head over to our website to book. Or drop us a line with any questions or queries.

Please share with anyone you know who maybe interested in one of our free trials.

http://www.hafitness.com/purchase

Posted by Heather Waghorn.