Clean Well-Being

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Simple and effective exercise classes, relaxation retreats and personal development courses for peop

04/06/2026

Effectiveness in exercise.

What does this mean to you?

Perhaps you exercise to feel fitter, stronger or more flexible; maybe you exercise as a way to let go of your worries for an hour; or perhaps you want to move in a place where there are like-minded people and you don't have to explain yourself to anyone.

Whatever your reason, an exercise class has to meet your needs. It has to make a positive difference to your life, otherwise I’d suggest it’s pointless. Progression and consistency are crucial factors for effectiveness. No one can expect ‘results’ after just one class, so it’s important to keep going by turning up and making incremental progress.

01/06/2026

This week in Clean Well-Being classes, we'll be focusing on... back mobility and flexibility.

One way to stretch and activate this area is to do a modified 'thread the needle' pose, which stretches the shoulders, upper back and neck area. Instead of the full pose with shoulders and head on the floor, I like to hover both, so there is a bit of upper arm engagement too. Try this pose and more at my classes this week.

28/05/2026

Did you know there are apparently seven types of rest?

• Physical Rest
• Mental Rest
• Sensory Rest
• Creative Rest
• Emotional Rest
• Social Rest
• Spiritual Rest

This week, I'm exploring physical rest (frankly, I'm too hot to move!). Physical rest can be either active or passive.

Passive physical rest is when your body is actually asleep, and active physical rest is an activity that restores the body, like yoga, massage therapy or stretching. While active rest might not be as crucial as passive physical rest to your daily functioning, it is still important to do it (I'm nodding but will I do it? Not sure!)

What's your preference?

25/05/2026

What can you expect from my exercise classes? Consistency!

We always start with a warm up, naturally; we breathe deeply and begin to move the body in lots of different ways. I’ll usually do some sort of ‘primer’ move in the warm up that we return to later on in the class.

Each Monday, I do a that is incorporated into every class (when I remember…). It’s nothing fancy – just good practice.

We work the macro and the micro – the big and the small muscle groups. My mission is to help you achieve a stronger body, one that is flexible, well-balanced, and mobile.

Sometimes, we do things quickly, other times slowly. We always focus on breathing.

I have LOTS of cues that I say ad infinitum, including spread toes long and strong, soft knees, pelvis tucked under, ribs over pelvis, chest wide, shoulders down and chin on an imaginary shelf. My favourite is ‘knees and feet forwards and away’, which is a nod to the Alexander Technique.

Plus, I talk about which parts of the body are in play and why we do each exercise – and the long-term benefits of movement in general. Details matter to me and I like to share what I know with everyone.

21/05/2026

Being consistent is one of the most crucial things for health and well-being, especially when people are recovering from injury.

And I’ll add patience to that too.

Change can take a long time and it can feel really frustrating when ‘results’ aren’t noticed immediately. But in my role as an exercise therapist, I remind clients that adapted movement takes a long time to establish itself and it will likely take time to re-establish patterns and habits.

Consistency is one of the most important elements in change: if you are consistent and persistent, you will eventually notice positive change.

18/05/2026

This week in Clean Well-Being classes, we'll be focusing on... inner thigh stretches, because inner thighs are sometimes forgotten about in everyday life.

If you sit for a long time, particularly with your legs crossed over, your inner thighs don't do much, so it helps to do stretches and exercises to activate these rarely-used areas.

Great for core support, and for injury prevention in the knee.

14/05/2026

I’ve worked in health and well-being for decades and have collated a few tips that are based in strong evidence and also my experiences. They won’t all work for everyone so it’s important to pick the ones that appeal to you. As with all kinds of this online ‘advice’, if you need different or more support, please contact the relevant services (GP, mental health services, charities, etc.). Maintaining mental and emotional health is an on-going process and might sometimes feel more difficult and equally easier than other times. For many people, this is part of being a human and is to be expected.

One of the things I go back to all the time is to write down or draw what's on your mind. (I’m definitely not saying that some mental illnesses will be cured by writing in a journal or drawing a picture of your feelings; hoping that's obvious.) Instead, when you want to look after your mental and emotional health, it can be helpful to allow your feelings out onto paper or a screen; writing or drawing until there's nothing left can feel cathartic and freeing. The act of getting your feelings out can lighten the load.

11/05/2026

A classic quad stretch in this week's classes.

The benefits of stretching like this include increased flexibility, improved circulation and reduced stress. Stretching your quadriceps is important because tight quadriceps can lead to knee and back pain, and may result in injury.

Make sure your knee points down to the floor and you keep your shoulders down and your bottom tucked under. Hold onto something if it feels too wobbly.

(My ribs are a bit flared in this picture - something I struggle with - so if you can, allow the ribs to drop down a bit.)

07/05/2026

I find myself recommending this book over and over again.

I love anything based on solid evidence and one of the many things I appreciate about Brené Brown's work is that it is rooted in research.

This book, like most of her work, is packed full of wholehearted and eminently sensible prose. There are too many to mention here, but one that sticks in my head is 'Nostalgia is a dangerous form of comparison'. She also writes a lot about perfectionism in this book - about how perfectionism isn't the same thing as striving for excellence.

But the clincher for me is this: 'Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage.' Gets me every time!

04/05/2026

Doing the basics.

Sounds boring and repetitive and doesn't appeal to my 'need' to have exciting new things, but when it comes to well-being, it's probably mainly true for most people most of the time - all other things being equal.

Do the basics first. These are things like making sure your body and mind have enough rest, quality sleep and downtime; eating a balanced diet that makes you feel good in the long-term; spending time outside, noticing the natural world around you; having enough of the right stimulation and less of the wrong sort of stimulation; and making meaningful connections with self and others.

I usually roll my eyes at this sort of thing (as I want a quicker fix, something novel and snazzy, with very little effort), but I know that when I do my basics, I generally feel a bit better.

Address

Caversham
Reading
RG4

Website

https://www.cleanwellbeing.com/

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