STRESS RELIEF: A surge in Yorkshire folk fighting to get fit online and outdoors due to Lockdown Two (plus free workouts)

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. 
 
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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