July 13th, 2022

Chronic Illness Exercise – Do you mourn your previous regime?

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes What’s your relationship with exercise? Has it changed over the years? Did a chronic illness diagnosis change your approach?

May 19th, 2022

The Lonely Chronic Illness Life

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes Living with a chronic illness can sometimes be lonely. It can be difficult for friends and family to really understand how we are feeling and why we don’t ‘get better’. It drives me crazy when people say ‘you just need a good night sleep’ – like it’s a miracle cure.

April 18th, 2022

What people don’t see when you live with a chronic illness

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes What’s it like when you go out out – if you do go out out? Is there a lot of preparation and organisation involved?

January 25th, 2022

Living with Ehlers-Danlos – A Life in Two Halves

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes Like many of us, I used to see my life in two halves. Pre motherhood, I lived with symptoms on a daily basis like muscular pain, daily migraines, digestive issues (diagnosed as IBS aged 12). I thought everyone had issues every day.

January 3rd, 2021

Returning to Health – Our Personal Virus Experience in 2020

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes 2020 was an incredibly challenging year for everyone on so many levels. With a history of pneumonia and bronchiectasis I was naturally worried about catching the virus. When things became serious in the UK, my family practised strict isolation. We limited our visits to the supermarket, we washed our hands constantly and carried hand sanitiser when we did go out. We even left our post for 2 days before opening it to limit any exposure.

December 15th, 2020

Enjoy a Zebrastrong Christmas on us

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes Want to take control of your hypermobility in 2021?

This Christmas, The Zebra Club is offering a special Christmas deal. We are offering a Zebrastrong Christmas from the 15th to 26th December and warmly invite you to take advantage of 20% off the retail price on an annual subscription to The Zebra Club.

October 9th, 2020

Am I Doing This Exercise Right? Progress Not Perfection Wins Every Time.

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes We’ve probably all ventured into the previously unknown world of online exercise during these unusual times. When our regular gym or Pilates classes closed (or still remain closed), if you wanted to stay healthy and exercise safely you probably turned to YouTube for inspiration. Or maybe you became a regular on Zoom with your regular teacher.

September 14th, 2020

The Neglected Stress Impact of a Chronic Illness

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes “Psychological factors can trigger a breathing pattern that might be appropriate to an emergency situation, when no such emergency exists”. This is an extract from a book on breathing pattern disorders. I became so interested in breathing patterns the more I worked with our hypermobile community. Breathing comes first. Movement second.

July 8th, 2020

Yes to Self-Care! Be A Little Selfish

Estimated reading time: < 1 minute Give yourself (or your pet) a big hug. You’re doing great.

I have a question. How do you look after yourself when things get challenging? I ask because self-care was not something I used to do, certainly not regularly. One thing that lockdown has given me is a new focus on what’s important. Taking care of myself has definitely risen up the agenda.

April 16th, 2020

Home exercise has never been easier

Estimated reading time: < 1 minute I hope you are safe and well during these unusual, challenging times.

I have been thinking of ways I could help to keep you active and enjoying movement safely at home. I am sure your regular exercise activities and classes are closed. Where do we turn for reliable, safe and effective information for chronic pain or hypermobility issues?

March 21st, 2020

My gift to you in these unprecedented times

Estimated reading time: < 1 minute Keep Moving with me for free – in your own home. These are unprecedented times. Who would have thought we would be living in almost total isolation. Our gyms, Pilates classes and physiotherapy clinics are closing until further notice. And yet, we know that we need to keep moving.

July 21st, 2019

What Does Zebrastrong Mean To You?

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes What does zebrastrong mean to you? I remember a time when the thought of moving and living pain-free was just a thought. I was in pain, fearful of movement and frustrated at trying many options without success.