October/November/December 2011

10 steps to becoming a top triathlete.

Our very own physiotherapist Laura Fidler after two years of triathlon training is now a potential contender for the World Triathlon Championships next year – here are her top 10 tips:

1. Consistency & Structure is key!

A good training programme needs to incorporate adequate mileage and a mixture of speed and pace work. This can be hard to put together and stick to by yourself so I'd recommend the advice of a specialised personal trainer.

2. Paced Progression

You need to think about how you are going to build your fitness. Too much too soon may lead to injury. Increase your distance steadily and focus on the exact distances in mind.

3. Quality not Quantity:

The common mistake made is the perception that in order to get fitter, more mileage is required. However, short and sharp sessions will do your fitness the world of good.

4. Rest and recovery:

Difficult I know, but it's a MUST! Your body needs time to recover from hard sessions so you must allow time for this. I have one rest day a week and it is vital to help me remain fresh.

5. Determination:

You have to want to do it, simple as! People often say I'm mad but I love the challenge, without this motivation I couldn't continue - rain or shine!

6. Focus:

Focus on a few key competitions. Over-training and over-racing can lead to fatigue and poor performance. I focus on 3-4 key competitions each year and tailor my training around this.

7. Conditioning:

Both as a physio and a sportsperson I cannot emphasis the importance of strength and conditioning. It's tempting to cut these sessions, but they are just as important to help prevent injury and improve long term efficiency.

8. Good nutrition:

Good quality food is so important. If you want your body to perform, you have to provide it with the right goods. So less refined produce and more fresh ingredients!

9. Enduring the pain:

Be honest, sport and triathlons are challenging and you have to be both physically and mentally tough. You need to get on with it when it hurts, but the benefits and sense of achievement are always worth it.

10. Support.

Paramount to achieving your potential, I couldn't train like I do without support from friends, family, coaches and CHP sponsoring me. They guide you through tough times keeping you focused on your goals.

With three disciplines, being a triathlete is time consuming and there is no easy way to train. The bright side is that you do get out what you put you in and I am always surprised at what you can achieve no matter what your level of fitness! Come on, come join me!

Patient Experience

The Life After Birth Post Natal Recovery Class

Inevitably your body feels different once you have had a baby. Claire Head's unique class aims to provide new mums with medically sound advice and expertise in order to optimise recovery following birth, whether this be after a caesarean section or vaginal delivery. It helps to allay fears, address common concerns and is packed full of useful information.

For more information please visit:
http://www.central-health.com/classes/pregnancyandpostnatalclasses.html

"A great way to get back to reclaiming my body and moving away from that 'newborn' bubble, feeling confident and knowledgeable to focus on me. Claire is patient and has great knowledge. Open and frank discussions on anything and everything. Highly recommend it!"
Tamara, St John's Wood

Claire also runs Antenatal Pilates classes, for pregnant ladies who wish to reduce backache, improve muscle tone and make it easier to regain their pre-pregnancy physique after giving birth. Please call 020 7404 6343 for further details.

News

Natasha Price on BBC One Saints and Scroungers

 

Natasha is the expert physiotherapist on the TV programme Saints and Scroungers and she has just completed the filming to be shown soon on BBC One.

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Laura Fidler on ITV Tonight

 

Laura Fidler was featured on ITV Tonight treating a patient in the Hydrotherapy pool at our Chelsea Clinic. During the documentary the patient reports the huge benefits Hydrotherapy has made to his recovery.

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Caroline Fox & Gemma Newell at the World Badminton Championships

Gemma and Caroline were tournament physios at the Badminton World Championships held at Wembley Arena in August. They were involved in treating players from throughout the world including Bulgaria, Vietnam, Guatamala, France and Spain. It was a busy and a very successful experience. It was also a great warm up opportunity for the Wembley Arena as they were hosting the event at the 2012 Olympic Badminton site.

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Gemma Newell at the British Junior Tennis Championships

Gemma Newell was the tournament physio for the third year running at the British Junior Tennis Nationals. Despite torrential rain affecting play on the clay courts, she was able to make a good impact during her week. She was even mentioned in the victory speech by the U-16 boy winner Josh Page for her 'great job' on his shoulder pain during her on-court visit in the final of the Championships.

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Natasha Price in the Kensington & Chelsea Newspaper

Tash was 'top news' in a piece about the exciting opening and success of the new clinic at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Now into their ninth month, the clinic is growing in success each week and has now expanded to two full days.
http://www.central-health.com/media/kensington-chelsea-today.html

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Welcome back to Megan Sumner and Claire Morrell from Maternity Leave

Claire Morrell
Megan SumnerWe are really pleased to welcome back both Meg and Claire to our team. They are already becoming an asset to the physio team at St John and St Elizabeth Hospital.

New Service

Central Health Physiotherapy has been based in Notting Hill for 18 months and the new service has grown from strength to strength. We have moved and are now based in the prestigious Harbour Club, Notting Hill.

This exciting new location provides more room and better facilities for patients to progress with their rehabilitation. As well as private treatment rooms, the state of the art gym and 20m swimming pool are excellent for rehabilitation. The pool at the Harbour Club can also be used to help patients who are returning from orthopaedic surgery such as total hip/knee replacement and who may be struggling with land based exercises. The Harbour Club also offers private valet parking for patients, who may also enjoy use of the pool and gym facilities after their appointment.

New People

Emily Spiro

With six years NHS experience at the central London teaching hospitals of UCLH and The Royal London Hospital, Emily's specialisation is acute orthopaedic rehabilitation of both inpatients and outpatients. Emily is now based at the Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth where she treats post-operative recovery of surgical patients and works on the rehabilitation of patients with complex medical needs requiring admission to hospital. She is also part of the domiciliary team, visiting those who require physiotherapy at home.

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Swati Bhagat

Swati gained a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy from the University of Manchester in 2002. She has worked at New York University Hospital as well as London hospitals, most recently Great Ormond Street. She specialises in treating paediatric patients, from babies to adolescents, with a variety of conditions. She has received specialised training with focus on gait analysis and orthotics, back education and training, the paediatric primer, and autogenic drainage.

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Charis Conroy

Having studied Physiotherapy at Kings College London, Charis now works at Springdene Clinic in Barnet where she specialises in post operative rehabilitation following orthopaedic surgery. Previously, Charis spent two years managing the condition management programme for a welfare to work company, specialising in chronic pain, mental health and ergonomics. Charis also treats patients using
hydrotherapy and Pilates.

Natasha Price takes on a twenty week health and fitness challenge

Since starting her fitness challenge at the beginning of June 2011 we have all been incredibly proud of Tash's hard work and dedication. We are so pleased to announce she has lost 8kg in weight & 5% of body fat. She continues to stick to the non carb diet and is still having work outs with Nikki each week and when you have achieved such changes why stop there – I think the photos say it all.

Central Health team summer outings

Over the last quarter the CHP team has taken full advantage of the summer months with some good team events. In July we had an afternoon Lawn Bowling where we saw a great performance and victory for Paul King and Hayley Dalton from Chancery Lane clinic!

And then just last month we were all privileged to be taken for a day out at Kempton Races in a corporate box! Not sure many of us came back with anything left in our pockets but Hannah Kokoschka narrowly missed out on the best dressed award and lots of fun was had by all!

Promotion

Email us your birthday and we will send you a voucher each year for a half price massage to use within a fortnight of your big day.

info@central-health.com