Wellness Experts

James Golden 

James Golden is the founder and Managing Director of Target Fitness Retreats. He has over 15 years of experience in the fitness industry, since graduating with a Sports and Exercise Science degree in 2001. James has worked as a lifestyle and fitness consultant for the government, presented different forms of group fitness across the UK and spent time in fitness management, before setting up a personal training boutique club in Amersham, Bucks called the Target Training Club in 2010. The Target Training Club is the sister company of Target Fitness Retreats and under the vision of James, the companies are continuously evolving and achieving credibility for their quality and service. James has recently been featured in Men’s Health, Your Fitness and Brides Magazine.

Stephanie Rault

Wellness Consultant at Absolute Sanctuary, Stephanie originally became a therapist to fulfill a passion in empowering others to improve their health and happiness  and inspire them to lead healthy lifestyles. With over 10 years of experience, she is able to work with her clients in a flexible, fun and caring way, creating a safe and supportive environment while exploring what really works for them. Stephanie not only conducts wellness consultations but also private sessions in clinical hypnotherapy, intuitive life coaching and smoking cessation programmes. 

Lower back pain can come about as a result of many different lifestyle factors such as poor posture, frequently bending forward (usually whilst looking at our phones or laptops), heavy lifting or degenerative conditions such as arthritis. In this latest blog, I’ll detail how and when an Osteopath can help you to combat lower back pain as well as offering some helpful tips to hopefully prevent you from needing to see one in the first place!

by Angie Newson

A Yoga and Pilates Expert

Pain - physical or emotional? We've all visited both places I'm sure. Physical pain caused by injury can be incredibly frustrating to those of us who work out or practice every day. Not to be able to do our usual regime which is such a part of our lives can sometimes make us angry and short with ourselves and others. We may become low and depressed if the injury persists for longer than a couple of days, and then we start to feel unfit and lethargic - a possible vicious circle. 

After this last year I think it is pretty fitting to talk about how practicing yoga can help you maintain a healthy headspace.

I knows it’s been a wild ride since last March and I hope this shines a light on something that I know has certainly helped me and many others.

What does “being healthy” actually mean? With so many mixed messages alongside ever-changing diet and fitness fads, it can be hard to know where to start. Having worked with clients of various ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities over the past few years, I'm a firm believer in finding what works for you and staying consistent; we are all different, but one mantra that rings true for us all is that what we do with and put into our bodies can have a powerful impact on our mental well-being. With that in mind let us explore how a healthy body can help you to achieve a healthy mind:

Angie Newson has been in the health and fitness industry for over 25 years - teaching all aspects of fitness over the years from aquatics to yoga and Pilates. Author of Get Fit for Free and The Detox Factor, she has also many years’ experience of health club management running studios and formerly as a General Manager of a private top London health spa.

Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy”, the term “well-being” is often bandied about - particularly in recent times when mental health is so topical. Life remains far from normal and many of us are plagued by Zoom and desk fatigue. We've been eating, sleeping and working under the same roof with no real reason to leave our homes, and our “me time” often ends up being consumed by work - a recipe for physical and mental burnout. With this in mind, let’s explore how regular workouts can enhance our overall well-being.

by Maureen Cromey

An Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine Expert

Many years ago when I first started training as an acupuncturist it was considered an unusual career choice; it wasn’t fashionable, just odd. I'd be introduced to people with a knowing nod, “Oh you're the lady with the pins” swiftly followed by, “Do you think it works?” Then the softener, “My Mum (or ex-girlfriend or Aunty) had acupuncture for their back and THEY FELT BETTER, it worked. In fact, it has never been a problem since”.  

by Matthew Powell

A Body Aware Specialist

Well, there’s no really easy way to say this, but this month I’m cutting to the chase. 4 times out of 5 the problem with our backs is our fronts, especially in men. Excess weight around the abdomen puts a huge amount of strain on the back and often leads to postural change in the form of lordosis – lower back arching.

Dr Niels Vollaard

Dr Vollaard completed an MSc in Human Movement Sciences at the University of Maastricht, followed by another MSc at the University of Aberdeen (in Sports Nutrition). He then returned to Maastricht for a one-year spell as a research assistant, looking at the validity of bioimpedance for assessing body composition.

Dr Vollaard subsequently completed a PhD in Exercise Physiology at the University of Essex, investigating the effects of oxidative stress in exercise, endurance training, and tapering. His first lecturing position was at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh (2003-2011), after which spending 5 years at the University of Bath, before joining the University of Stirling as a Lecturer in Health and Exercise Science in October 2016.

Fuelling a successful, long-term fitness regime calls for optimal mental and physical stamina. Your body is your vehicle so replenishing your tank regularly is crucial for keeping your blood sugar levels stable and gearing up your mind and body for an effective workout. The right fuel will also aid your recovery before your next training session. Here are my top tips to help you learn how to fuel your fitness regime:

by Steve Halsall

A Celebrity Personal Trainer

I guess we are all victim of our 'naughty side' and our 'self-indulgent side', where we throw caution to the wind and do the things we know we shouldn't. 

I'm at odds with the whole idea of living some puritanical existence where self-control becomes self-obsession, this does not appeal. There is a middle ground in all of our lives where the angel and devil meet and shake hands. I guess it is all boils down to understanding that are you happy with the way you look and feel? If you are not then you have to accept that all you have done to this point has not served you and you simply have to change something. I believe strongly that human will is a powerful thing and we all just have to fit the right will into the right situation. It takes willpower to eat a bucket of Kentucky as much as it does to eat a green salad with dressing on the side. It is all the same. Willpower is willpower. What you have to remember is that improving self-control is shaking up the inherited behavioural systems and actions you do sub-consciously and making a stand within your self. 

by Dr. Sarah Brewer

A Nutritionist and Doctor

Your heart is an amazing organ. It contracts and relaxes around 70 times a minute – that's 100,800 times per day and over 2.76 billion times during an average lifespan. If you look after your heart, it can carry on beating significantly longer, but fail to pay attention to your diet and lifestyle – well, your heart may fail prematurely as a result. And although traditionally viewed as a male disease, heart attacks now kill three times more women than cancers of the breast, ovaries and cervix combined.

by Toby Maguire

A Taoist Master

"Health is Wealth"

Our health is the most precious gift that we can have in our lives, but most of us ignore this fact or completely take it for granted UNTIL we become ill. Managing our health should be our number one priority in life, but most of us put work at the forefront and our health somewhere near the bottom. Without your health, you have absolutely nothing and it is only when you lose it that you will realise that everything else in your life is of secondary importance. Maintaining your ideal weight is the key to living a healthy lifestyle and this can only be achieved with a positive mental attitude, regular exercise programme and a balanced diet.

Today is World Osteoporosis Day (or at least that is when we published this article), we wanted to raise awareness around osteoporosis prevention and help you to understand how you can maintain and even optimise your bone health to help prevent osteoporosis. 

by Lucy Miller

A Fitness and Nutrition Expert

Slumped over you desk far too much? I know the feeling. Many of my clients come to me with rounded shoulders, tight hip flexors and repetitive strain in their wrists and forearms – who would have thought sitting at a desk all day could be so bad for you?

The good news is there are some pretty easy ways to fix these underlying problems and get them under control. 

by Angie Newson

A Yoga and Pilates Expert

Transform your mind first and look at how and why you approach your body like you do, and where the feelings about your body (and food) stem from. If you can hand on heart say you are genuinely grounded, love yourself (however clichéd that may sound), are truly present, confident and have self-efficacy, and you would like to change your body shape and weight for health reasons (and maybe even aesthetic reasons - and nothing wrong with that as long as you're coming from a healthy state of mind), then eating for health and improving your digestive system and lifestyle is the way to go. By taking part in fun workouts with friends - bootcamps and HIIT classes (High Intensity Interval Training) for example, as well as a loving dose of Pilates and yoga - you could be saying hello to a more defined body shape, upped energy levels and increased longevity in no time.

by Lucy Miller

A Fitness and Nutrition Expert

In my opinion, diet and fitness shouldn’t be a quick fix, but instead a lifestyle change. 

Sure, you can transform your body in four weeks in time for that long awaited holiday or special event, but what about the rest of your life? As soon as the four weeks are up – is it right to let yourself go to pot? No! Healthy eating and working out needs to be part of your healthy life. 

Shining the spotlight on the power of yoga to tackle stress, Mr. Sandeep Agarwalla, head of yoga in Ananda in the Himalayas, India, shares the benefits of taking up the practice of yoga.