To fall (and stay) in love with exercise, I… started focusing on how I feel afterwards. I think there’s a belief that people who work in the fitness industry love exercise so much that they’re always motivated and have loads of energy. For some that may be true but for many, including myself, we have days that we absolutely do not feel like working out. I remind myself of the endorphin rush afterwards, how it’s going to make me feel mentally as well as physically, and that any form of movement is going to help improve how I feel – no matter how stressful my day is. I think movement heals.

The one thing that has improved my workouts is… pigeon pose. It’s my absolute go-to stretch to increase hip flexor flexibility which is needed in all kinds of exercise, like running and squatting, and it also helps alleviate tightness in the muscles surrounding the pelvis that cause back pain. If you’ve ever come to one of my classes, you’ll know pigeon is a pose I swear by. 

The fitness tip I swear by when I have no time is... steps, steps and more steps. You’ve heard it time and time again but don’t fix something that isn’t broken. Got to take a call? Go take a walk. A long commute to work? Get off a stop (or two) early. Meeting a friend for a coffee? Get it to take away. Like the look of that escalator? The steps are ready and waiting. You get the idea. 

A year ago, writer Jessica Regan felt a hard, bulging swelling in her middle. Prodding the lump, she began to think about other strange things that had happened to her body over the years – from sudden and severe menstrual bleeding that lasted weeks at a time to unusually high levels of the breastfeeding hormone prolactin (despite not being pregnant or breastfeeding). She turned out to be suffering with fibroids, a condition that impacts 75% of women. Here, Jessica shares her story, from symptoms to diagnosis and treatment. 

Nothing interrupts a calming yoga session like falling over between positions – and tight hamstrings are often the culprit that stops you from gracefully reaching for the ground. To build hammies that are strong enough to provide stability in hard-to-hold positions, try this workout. The main bodyweight section includes lengthening and strengthening exercises like curtsy lunges, good mornings and glute bridges that improve endurance. They’ll challenge your balance and flexibility, so that the next time you’re about to walk out into your downward dog, you feel solid as a rock.

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You need something filling that will restore your energy and rebuild your muscles after exercise. The problem is that a warm-weather run or sweaty gym session has made you lose your appetite (at least temporarily). The solution? This refreshing salad: the perfect way to refuel without feeling heavy while still packing in all the nutrients your body is secretly craving.

You’ll easily hit your protein goals with the chicken, while moreish potatoes are full of much-needed recovery carbs. Forget pale baby gem as the base – the addition of courgettes add extra fibre and flavour, while salty anchovies and parmesan become health foods as they restore your sodium lost in sweaty sessions. So you’ll have a recipe to fall back on that isn’t pesto pasta.