Faced with the winter weather, Lockdown restrictions and more people stressed than ever, it would be easy for personal trainers and gym owners to hibernate like most. But one Harrogate personal trainer is “relieved” to see a boost in clients thanks to an increasing number of social bubbles training with him online as well as people training outdoors more come rain or shine. 
 
Like most, Lockdown One hit personal trainer and body transformation expert Mike Green but thanks to loyal clients willing to train outdoors or online, he was able to offer his sessions still. He said that Lockdown One was like a ‘warm up’ in trialling his services online and outdoors which he says also adds the benefit of decreasing stress levels and giving people a welcome break from the current stress of the pandemic.
Mike, 34, who runs his Mike Green Body Transformation business, normally from his studio in Hornbeam Business Park in Harrogate, said: “Uncertain events of the past year has caused stress levels to soar, so whilst people were focused on adjusting to the pandemic in Lockdown One, many people neglected their body and most of all their mind. 
“We all know how important exercise is in releasing endorphins and reducing cortisol levels. But for many people that is the first thing to go from their priorities. 
“But now it’s great to see an influx of people online get in touch about personal training via Skype, Facetimes and Zoom or taking on one of my online transformation plans which range from 30 days to 8-weeks.” 
Mike who is happy to be reopening his studio at the end of Lockdown will continue to train clients, indoors, outdoors and online depending on the clients' lifestyle. 
 
​
YORKSHIRE TRANSFORMATION COACHES OFFER FREE MIND AND BODY WORKOUTS AT HOME DURING LOCKDOWN
 
As a way of supporting people through Lockdown two and giving their minds and bodies a free boost, Mike and his partner Sophie Mei Lan, a mental health journalist and author at https://mamamei.co.uk, have been offering 15-minute mind and body boosting sessions online which involve body weight only exercises for people to join in at home. 
The sessions run on instagram.com/greenhealthpt and facebook.com/mamameiblog or for the link to follow along on zoom, contact Mike directly on bit.ly/greenhealthPT where you can find more about his personal training sessions and body transformation plans. 
 
See some of Mike and Sophie’s tips for busy people and stress busting tips, below: 
 
 
How to Transform your body’s as fast as humanly possible on a busy schedule....
 
If you are a business owner with a family and ridiculously busy schedule it may seem impossible to start a body and mind transformation. If this sounds like you have a read of these tips below. 
 
1.) Progressive overload. Your body will simply not build muscle or drop body fat without progressing the weight each week, this can be the number of reps or adding weight to the bar. Log all your lifts if muscle growth is the main focus. 
 
2.) Frequency. Train each muscle group twice per week. Use an effect split like a full body routine, upper/ lower or if you have 5 years solid training under your belt and solid strength gains you could try a push, pull, legs split. These splits require you to train just 3 days a week or you could go full body 2 x a week which a lot of my busy clients do. 
 
3.) Eat earth grown nutrients. Your body will simply not build change if you don’t provide it with good nutrition. Aim for 0.8g protein per pound of bodyweight, 1.5-2g carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight, the rest of your calories should come from fats. As a starting point x your body weight on pines by 16. Consume this many calories daily. If you need a diet plan putting together DM me on here. 
 
4.) Manage stress. If your body is stressed your cortisol levels will be elevated! This is a stress hormone that eats away at muscle tissue. Try deep breathing, yoga or some walks outside to keep stress levels under control. Erase negative people from your life! Best thing I ever did! 
 
5.) Get enough sleep. Aim for 7-8 hours a sleep, it is crucial to develop good sleeping habits for recovery and general health.
 
6.) Drink enough water, aim for a minimum of 3 litres daily. Your body needs to be hydrated to work optimally. Anyone can do this. 
 
7.) Use correct form. I can’t stress enough how important it is to use correct technique! Always use a controlled tempo keeping tension on the targeted muscle. If you cannot do this hire me to teach you. Bad form will give you poor results and injuries. Quality over quantity when it comes to resistance training. 
 
8.) Correct exercise selection. Stick to mainly compound exercises the more muscles used on a specific movement the more muscle fibre will be used. Deadlifts, squats, rows, presses, pull ups (these should be the staple movements in your program). 
 
9.) Wake up 15 minutes earlier if time is against you! We can all find 10-15 minutes a day where we can do some form of physical activity, all them times you spend scrolling on Instagram or Facebook could be spent exercising. A simple workout of push ups squats and pull ups can be done on 10-15 minutes. 
 
 
When you have so much to do on a daily basis stress can impact us all. But here are some tips to deal with it: 
 
Regular challenges are great for mind, body and business. It helps make us stronger but how you deal with it will help shape your health and happiness in the future, as we can’t control certain events but what we can do is get the building blocks in place to best sustain and keep our mind and body as well as possible. 
 

Here are a few daily habits to try to help manage stress on a day-to-day basis: 
 
1.) Meditate daily, it’s so important to switch your mind off even if it’s for just 5 minutes a day. 
 
2.) Exercise daily, this doesn’t mean just lift weights, get outside in the fresh air for a long walk or anything to stay active. I exercise 4 hours a week maximum anyone can achieve this. When you give so much energy to others and your business your body requires movement to heal itself. 
 
3.) Try to get 7-8 hours sleep every night. Develop good sleeping habits this is so important for managing stress. 
 
 
All three of the above habits can be achieved by anyone. But if you are struggling still, reach out for help from professionals, loved ones and there are a range of services to help you manage your stress and reduce the feelings of overwhelm when we are dealing with stressful triggers in life. 
 
Take responsibility for your own actions and how you manage stress. 
 
#perfectlyimperfect
 
 
By Sophie Mei Lan 
Co-founder of EvokeMediaGroup.co.uk 
Blogs at mamamei.co.uk / yorkshirefamilies.co.uk / blogupnorth.co.uk 

• New Fashion Design House and stylish store lands in Cleckheaton 
• Leeds dress-maker who styles stars for hit TV shows, influencers and celebrities launches new venture in West Yorkshire with “biggest and best” HQ yet 
• Wake Bespoke, run by Jordan Wake, empowers all women through its tailor-made designs offering online and in-store style consultations 
• Wake Bespoke will transform its new premises on Northgate in Cleckheaton town centre 

 
Lockdown along with dark cold nights are upon us and feelings maybe sombre but that’s not putting off a local fashion designer who is busy working her magic and sprinkling glitter over an exciting new venture as she adds sparkle to a West Yorkshire town centre with her new “pink palace.” 
 
Stylist to the stars and self-dubbed “fairy dress-maker” Jordan Wake is determined to use Lockdown to transform her new premise on Northgate in Cleckheaton where she will be creating designs and clothes for everyone from A-list celebrities on the red carpet to the passer-by who wants to feel-good on the inside out. 
 
Jordan, who runs social media famous Wake Bespoke, said: “It’s a challenging time for all businesses but in the true spirit of the brand which I started from my bedroom, I believe that we can transform any situation by focusing on feeling good in what we wear and having outfits that reflect our true personalities. 
“I’m taking a leap of faith and whilst most businesses are downsizing, I’m excited to be upgrading from an upstairs studio in Leeds City Centre to an entire premise in Cleckheaton.” 
 
Leeds lass Jordan is relocating to the area with a promise to add sparkle to the town centre and people with her stunning designs. She creates everything from twinning loungewear to glittering red carpet gowns. The thing all her designs have in common? 
 
“I create my dresses, outfits and wedding attire all around the person. I believe everyone deserves to shine in clothing that fits and helps them to feel-good,” said Jordan, 28 who says she is disguised as a “dress-maker”, but her heart is in female empowerment. 
 
Jordan also promises to launch her new shop and studio following Lockdown and she can’t wait to welcome everyone through its doors, especially those who need a boost to their confidence and self-esteem. 
 
But for now, she will be busy alongside her team of designers, seamstresses and family to create designs for people online as well as doing up the new Wake Bespoke headquarters. 
She said: “Everything feels a bit grim at the moment for so many people, so I want to cheer people up by continuing to build my dream to help empower more women to have fashion designed for whatever works for them, whether we are adding some glamour to our home or we’re allowed to party again... I won’t let this get the better of me and I am proud to be based in Cleckheaton alongside so many other fabulous businesses and talented people.” 
 
As well as offering her bespoke fashion designing services, Jordan and her team are skilled at clothing alterations, style consultations, make-overs and they offer a range of feel-good merchandise all of which are available online at the moment and will be in-store, once Lockdown restrictions ease. 
She said: “Now’s the time to reflect and discover your inner sparkle. We want to empower everyone to feel incredible from the inside out, through Lockdown and online at the moment and in the near future we can also have guests back for face-to face fittings.
“Don’t let tough times dull your sparkle, we can’t wait to add some magic into our biggest and best HQ yet and we will be using this time to transform our very own pink palace, so it is ready to welcome all women and help them to feel special.” 
Jordan, who has dressed almost a thousand women in her unique designs, says that her real success is helping women to rebuild their self-esteem to shine from the inside out. 
“Now I have taken a leap of faith on building my very own shop, dress fitting service and instagrammable backdrops all in one place, I hope I can transform the lives and confidence of even more women to help them look and feel their very best. 
“Every woman deserves to shine and feel great in what they wear, it is my honour to be able to help them along their journey.”  
 
You can shop now for Wake Bespoke’s latest collections via the boutique section on their website,
​by going to: ​https://www.wakebespoke.co.uk ​or you can opt for made to measure services, all done online for the time being.

You can also follow Wake Bespoke on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @wakebespoke. 
Wake Bespoke’s new premise is located at 51 Northgate, Cleckheaton, BD19 3HS.
 

By Sophie Mei Lan 
Co-founder of EvokeMediaGroup.co.uk 
Blogs at mamamei.co.uk / yorkshirefamilies.co.uk / blogupnorth.co.uk 

• New mental health and wellbeing podcast to help locals in lockdown 
• Recovery Road offers hope to health and wellbeing experts as well as sharing expert guidance on a range of therapies 
• Self-love author’s dream from lockdown number 1 of her own “radio show,’ realized in time for lockdown number 2
• Presenter and Recovery Road Founder Sophie Mei Lan, 32, features a range of celebrities and experts on her new show 
• Sophie aka Mama Mei who has more than 22 million views on her mental health and fitness YouTube channel set up podcast to offer hope to those who need help but don’t fit into the draconian health system

A podcast showcasing a range of health and wellbeing practitioners from Yorkshire has launched in time for lockdown to help those recovering from a range of mental health problems as well as supporting local businesses. 
The Pandemic has highlighted many mental health issues amongst a wide range of people. Uncertain times, a range of challenges and a lot of people struggling at the same time, has been detrimental to most people’s mental health. 
But it has also been a time of reflection and people have been reaching out for new therapies and treatments as well as a range of health professionals now diversifying their services by offering it online, making it more accessible for people.

But how do we find the right mental health help in such a crowded wellbeing market?

In order to help people begin on their recovery journey and to save people time on researching and exploring the array of offerings, Recovery Road podcast was born. 
Founded and presented by mental health author and self-love coach Sophie Mei Lan who has been on her own rollercoaster recovery ride, wants Recovery Road to help educate, inspire and to feature the wide range of alternative, complementary and traditional therapies there are available as she meets experts on her own discovery journey. 
Sophie Mei Lan, 32, who is far down her own road of recovery from self-harm, addictions and an eating disorder, says on the show: “Let’s go on a healing journey together as we try out a range of therapies, treatments and techniques to help us on our way to live a stronger healthier life full of smiles and sparkles.
“I’ll be finding out what works and what flops when it comes to feeling strong in mind, body and soul. 
“I’ve been on my own rollercoaster recovery journey from self-harm to self-love.
“Now, I want to help you sparkle from the inside out to be truly successful...
“Health is wealth! 
"You are not broken, you are healing."

Last week on Recovery Road presenter Sophie, who lives in Wakefield with her two daughters and works as an Author, Self-Love Coach and Online Content Creator, met the two relationship experts behind Channel 4's Married at First Sight who have been dubbed “the avengers of Matchmaking.” 
They talk about all things mental health recovery and the power of relationships, how to meet the right person and what to look out for in a positive relationship. 
Forensic and Relationship Psychologist Dr Angela Smith and transformational empowerment coach, dating & relationship expert Genevieve Gresset share their tips on the first episode of Recovery Road.

Sophie says: “I’m so excited to launch my first podcast after training as a broadcast journalist and working for Channel 4 News, it has always been my dream to have my own show sharing my passions in mental health, wellbeing and fitness as well as shining a light on important stories of recovery, hope and healing.
“Recovery Road is my way of giving back to the world and to help other people who are on their healing journey too. 
“I’ve previously experienced a range of addictions, eating disorders and mental health problems. But I’ve somehow clawed my way from a life of self-harm to self-love through self-care and tons of therapy!
“And I still have talking therapies, Reiki treatments, Dance Therapy, Fitness therapy and practice self-care as well as taking medication to manage my mental health problems. I know no one size fits all when it comes to care and treatment, and I am always exploring what works for me and others because so many of us don’t fit in the box and are often shunned or pushed away by services. 
“Recovery Road is non-judgemental, and we listen with an open mind and chat about a range of issues to help everyone who strives to succeed in mind, body, home, life and at work. 
“I hope it helps those of us on a wellbeing journey to success.”

On this week’s episode Sophie talks about “work” that works to help our mental health and wellbeing with popular online influencer and Mum Boss author Vicki Broadbent who is originally from Leeds. 
Sophie said: “We spend a lot of our life focusing on our career and ambitions but too often we neglect our mental health, fitness and wellbeing in the process.
“My friend and inspiration Vicki is testament to the fact that you can survive and thrive at home and at work.”

Recovery Road by Sophie Mei Lan is available now on Apple podcasts, Spotify and all major podcasting platforms. 
You can listen direct by going to https//:mamamei.co.uk or https://recoveryroad.buzzsprout.com

​LISTEN NOW TO EPISODE 1: Matchmaking and Mental Health Recovery:
​https://www.buzzsprout.com/1451554/6121423

SUBSCRIBE AND DOWNLOAD ‘RECOVERY ROAD’ from Apple podcasts, Spotify and all the main podcasting providers.
 
 
By Sophie Mei Lan 
Co-founder of EvokeMediaGroup.co.uk 
Blogs at mamamei.co.uk / yorkshirefamilies.co.uk / blogupnorth.co.uk