Dyspraxia and Exercise. The last of a week of Dyspraxia Awareness blogs by Simone Sirmon.

0 CommentsOct 18, 2013Jane

Dyspraxia and Exercise. The last of a week of Dyspraxia Awareness blogs by Simone Sirmon.

Dyspraxia Awareness Week

 Day Five of my blog on training Jane!

• Today I’m highlighting people who have Dyspraxia and how they raise public awareness of the condition and the challenges it can present.

• A famous person in the media with confirmed Dyspraxia is the actor Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter. He has spoken publicly about his challenges with Dyspraxia and although his is at the mild end of the spectrum, he still had difficulty studying at school and trying his shoelaces! His determination to be an actor has led him down a successful career path and has allowed him to raise the profile of the condition by talking about publicly.  Others include photographer David Bailey,  and the singer, Florence Welch.

  Flying on a broomstick takes real balance and coordination!

• Although not a real person, Tree Fu Tom, a boy who transforms into an animated superhero, is generally well known by children. His moves use carefully selected sequences of movement put together by specialists and are designed to help children develop important foundation motor skills.Their hope is that by practicing these movements it will benefit all children including those with Dyspraxia.

• Some adults mention to me that they had negative experiences in sport at school. Don’t let this put you off now, as an adult, you have control over what you do and who you exercise with.  It’s never too late to start and there are people out there who can help !

•   Always consult your Doctor before embarking on an exercise program .
• An Occupational Therapist  can analyse your movement patterns and suggest specific exercises to help you, give advice or diagnose the condition.
• Personal Trainers can help with core work , build your confidence,plan a program with you and measure your progress. I am always happy to help !

 Another person with Dyspraxia who is a bit less famous than Daniel, but who is the reason I started this blog is Jane Binnion.

• She  is so commited , trains well and takes on board all the advice, exercises  and training schedues  given to her by me. There are funny moments and times when I really challenge her and she  goes quiet !

• I have to say I think she is an inspirational person to be around, she works so hard to achieve her goals and I know that doesn’t only apply to her exercise and fitness. Jane challeges her dyspraxia everyday whilst  running  a sucessful Social Media Business , a family home and remaining full of positive energy !

You can contact Simone

by email simonepersonaltraining@yahoo.co.uk

Phone:  o7720838881

On twitter @simone30096017

Or you can leave a comment for Simone or Jane below

Dyspraxia Awareness Week – Day 1 of a week of guest blogs by Simone Sirmon

0 CommentsOct 14, 2013Jane

Dyspraxia Awareness Week – Day 1 of a week of guest blogs by Simone Sirmon

This week is Dyspraxia Awareness Week and so I am taking a little detour from my normal blogs and posting a whole week of guest blogs by Lancashire Personal Trainer,  Simone Sirmon.

Why?

I am Dyspraxic – and so is my daughter. It is a massive part of who we are and it is also why I am self employed.

Being Dyspraxic means exercise is very important for us to build and maintain core strength.  But anyone with Dyspraxia who has been through school PE lessons will tell you that we are often not terribly well accommodated and going to the gym can be a bit of a disaster too.

Knowing how to work with someone with dyspraxia to build their strength takes a lot of skill and patience. I was lucky  to find Simone (via twitter of course) who has those skills and she kindly  agreed to write these posts, despite being a total blogging novice. .

I do hope you enjoy them and of course find them useful. Please feel free to leave comments.

Day One of Simone’s Blog on Dyspraxia and Exercise

Hello, my name is Simone and I am an experienced Personal Trainer with specialisms in GP Referral, Children’s Fitness and Mental Health and Exercise.

•  My experience and knowledge of Dyspraxia has come from over ten years of working with young people with dyspraxia and dyslexia as Head of Care in a residential school .I was responsible for their day to day care and taught sport and outdoor pursuits to them.

•  Over the next five days I’m going to write a daily blog about my experience of training Jane Binnion, who has Dyspraxia and how it impacts on her exercise routines.

• If you have Dyspraxia you will know some of the exercise considerations can be; poor balance, coordination challenges, muscle weakness, joint instability, memory difficulties and sequencing. So that makes it all the more difficult as many of us find exercise hard at the best of times!

• I first met Jane when I attended one of her brilliant Social Media courses in Lancaster. We arranged to do some PT sessions and during the planning of this I discovered that she had Dyspraxia .During our fitness assessment session, Jane said that she had run in the past and done Boxercise, both of which require good levels of balance, fitness and coordination. She is currently doing yoga which is great for Dyspraxia as long as your joints are stable enough.

See tomorrow’s blog for more on Jane’s progress and workout.

You can find Simone on twitter  @simone3009601  or leave a comment below for her.

Dyspraxia and Exercise - Day 4

0 CommentsOct 17, 2013Jane

Exercise and Dyspraxia – Day 4, Core Strength

Core Strength

• Hello, welcome to day four of my blogs on exercise and dyspraxia for Dyspraxia Awareness Week.

• Today we are covering an area that I have been focusing on with Jane, her core strength. If this is strong it enables the body to balance and exercise more effectively. Jane can do this exercise above! Impressive core strength,  it’s called a Plank.

• Your core is a complex series of muscles,extending far beyond your abdominals.It is incorporated into almost every movement of the human body. They are not visible like your biceps or a six pack, they are like the foundations of your body. It really does help prevent falls and trips and stabilises your body during everyday movements. Its particularly helpful when you are exercising! Its never too late to start working on your core muscles, although I wouldn’t expect anyone to be able to do the Plank  if you have not been working on them.

• We have used a balance disc and a peanut ball, with support , to work Jane’s core and legs. These are a great way to exercise your core and there are many different exercises to keep it interesting and challenging. It is sometimes better to start doing balance exercises without kit and progress to these . If you have balance or coordination difficulties I would suggest that you initially consult an Exercise Professional or Physiotherapist to give you guidance. This equipment is not suitable for everybody .  I initially supervised Jane when using this equipment in order to ensure she was safe and had good technique, and , as she progressed, I incorporated it into her solo training sessions.

• The above picture left to right, has a Bosu, a balance board, a core ball and a balance disc, all brilliant core working pieces of equipment – You don’t need them all! (The skipping rope, kettlebell and ball are not great to use if your balance and coordination are not good, they were just in the picture !!)

• Look out for my last blog tomorrow on high profile people and others who overcame their dyspraxia challenges .   

If you would like to contact Simone you can do so;

via email –  simonepersonaltraining@yahoo.co.uk

twitter @simone30096017

Call 07720838881

Or just leave a comment below.

Dyspraxia Awareness Week. Day 3

0 CommentsOct 16, 2013Jane

Dyspraxia and Exercise – Day 3

It is Dyspraxia Awareness week and as Dyspraxia is a big part of my world I am sharing a daily guest blog by Lancashire personal trainer Simone Sirmon on Dyspraxia and exercise. As I am currently having a very Dyspraxic few days as a result of jet lag, this post is particularly significant.

Illness and its effects on exercise.

• Hello, Welcome to day three of my blog. Today I’m covering the effects of illness on Jane’s  dyspraxia and her ability to train.

• Early during  Jane’s training she was ill. She had a week off to recover and resumed training the following week as she was feeling much better. The session comprised of a short power walking segment and some light resistance work doing squats and some standing press ups to give her some intervals in the power walking.

• This previous illness did not affect Jane’s training at the time and she seemed fine during exercising. However she messaged me the next day to say she was exhausted to the point of not really being able to carry out her normal daily routines. This is perhaps the most hidden element of her dyspraxia. The muscle and brain function fatigue she had after the session was far greater than you would usually expect from a fit and healthy adult.  The difference between teaching adults and children with this condition is that children get far more rest and recovery than an adult. Jane has to work and run a home so gets less recovery time. Jane has to constantly work hard to keep her body responding to the physical and cognitive challenges of dyspraxia.

• This is where as a Personal Trainer, as I get to know my clients I  become aware of their physical responses . They can seem to be fine but as I get to know them I begin to see the subtle signals that let me know how they are coping. I had only been training Jane for two weeks when this occurred. I know her well enough now to recognise  these  signals and  adapt the session or exercises as needed , this includes increasing the difficulty of them if I think she is finding it too easy!

• I would recommend that you postpone training if you are unwell, especially if you have a temperature. I sometimes have to guide my clients into having a rest from training.

• Tomorrow I will be looking at Core Strength.

  If thes posts interest you and you  you would like to  contact  Simone you can do so – by email – simonepersonaltraining@yahoo.co.uk
  Call o7720838881
  On twitter @simone30096017
  Or just leave a comment below

Dyspraxia and Exercise by Simone Sirmon – Day 2

0 CommentsOct 15, 2013Jane

Dyspraxia and Exercise by Simone Sirmon – Day 2

Dyspraxia and Exercise – Day 2

• Hello, welcome to day two of my blog about  personal training with Jane and how her dyspraxia impacts on her exercising.

• In training with Jane I have discovered that as an adult, dyspraxia can be a challenge when it comes to staying fit. Each person is affected differently from the condition and so when you join a gym or class you often have to find your own strategies to be able to participate or not as the case may be! PT’s and Gym instructors may be able to suggest alternative exercises.

• Jane’s coordination, balance and core strength are generally good at present although she says she does have periods where it is not as good. She has great legs, so she has definitely been keeping them toned! I have tailored all her exercises so that even when her balance isn’t as good that she will continue to develop and challenge her skills in this area.

• We have used a peanut balance ball, a bit like a core ball but double ended (these can be bought on the internet and are generally more stable that a core ball) It is possible to buy stability/core balls with stability rings to stop them rolling about! We used the peanut ball for cardio work, resistance exercises, and core and abdominal training. We have also used a balance disc, with support if necessary, and light weights to avoid straining Jane’s joints.

Look out for my blog tomorrow  on exercise and  being unwell .

You can contact Simone by  email simonepersonaltraining@yahoo.co.uk   Or call 07720838881 or on twitter @simone30096017

Dyspraxia Awareness Week - Day 1

0 CommentsOct 14, 2013Jane

Dyspraxia Awareness Week – Day 1 of a week of guest blogs by Simone Sirmon

This week is Dyspraxia Awareness Week and so I am taking a little detour from my normal blogs and posting a whole week of guest blogs by Lancashire Personal Trainer,  Simone Sirmon.

Why?

I am Dyspraxic – and so is my daughter. It is a massive part of who we are and it is also why I am self employed.

Being Dyspraxic means exercise is very important for us to build and maintain core strength.  But anyone with Dyspraxia who has been through school PE lessons will tell you that we are often not terribly well accommodated and going to the gym can be a bit of a disaster too.

Knowing how to work with someone with dyspraxia to build their strength takes a lot of skill and patience. I was lucky  to find Simone (via twitter of course) who has those skills and she kindly  agreed to write these posts, despite being a total blogging novice. .

I do hope you enjoy them and of course find them useful. Please feel free to leave comments.

Day One of Simone’s Blog on Dyspraxia and Exercise

Hello, my name is Simone and I am an experienced Personal Trainer with specialisms in GP Referral, Children’s Fitness and Mental Health and Exercise.

•  My experience and knowledge of Dyspraxia has come from over ten years of working with young people with dyspraxia and dyslexia as Head of Care in a residential school .I was responsible for their day to day care and taught sport and outdoor pursuits to them.

•  Over the next five days I’m going to write a daily blog about my experience of training Jane Binnion, who has Dyspraxia and how it impacts on her exercise routines.

• If you have Dyspraxia you will know some of the exercise considerations can be; poor balance, coordination challenges, muscle weakness, joint instability, memory difficulties and sequencing. So that makes it all the more difficult as many of us find exercise hard at the best of times!

• I first met Jane when I attended one of her brilliant Social Media courses in Lancaster. We arranged to do some PT sessions and during the planning of this I discovered that she had Dyspraxia .During our fitness assessment session, Jane said that she had run in the past and done Boxercise, both of which require good levels of balance, fitness and coordination. She is currently doing yoga which is great for Dyspraxia as long as your joints are stable enough.

See tomorrow’s blog for more on Jane’s progress and workout.

You can find Simone on twitter  @simone3009601  or leave a comment below for her.