Plain-English definitions of the terms used across this site, from nervous system regulation and somatic practice to progressive overload and supplement protocols, so you know exactly what each session involves before you book.
Also known as: self-regulation, autonomic regulation.
Practices that help the body move between alert and settled states more easily, such as paced breathing, slow movement and attention to physical sensation. It describes a way of training the body, not a treatment for any condition.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: ANS.
The part of the nervous system that runs the processes you do not consciously control, including heart rate, breathing rate and digestion. It has two branches: the sympathetic branch, which raises alertness, and the parasympathetic branch, which settles the body.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: somatics, body-based practice.
Any practice that works from the inside out, using what you physically feel as the starting point rather than how a movement looks. Breath, slow movement and attention to sensation are the usual tools.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
A non-regulated movement and touch practice working along the spine, in which light contact and breath are used while the body is invited to move in whatever way it wants to. It is not a medical treatment, it is not physiotherapy, and it requires screening before a first session.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
A specific reason why a practice is not suitable for someone, or not suitable right now. Spinal Energetics carries contraindications, which is why every new client completes a screening form before a first session is booked.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Your sense of what is happening inside your own body: heartbeat, breath, hunger, muscular tension. It is the sense that somatic and breath practices work with most directly.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: breathing practice.
Deliberately changing the pace, depth or pattern of your breathing for a set period. Slower breathing with a longer out-breath is the pattern most often used to settle the body after effort.
Source: www.nhs.uk
Also known as: HRV.
The small variation in time between consecutive heartbeats. It is commonly tracked by wearables as one rough signal of recovery and training readiness, and it varies widely between individuals.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: body transformation, recomp.
Changing the proportion of muscle to fat your body carries, rather than chasing a single number on the scales. Weight can stay flat while body composition changes significantly.
Source: www.nhs.uk
Gradually increasing the demand placed on a muscle over time, by adding load, repetitions, sets or control. It is the mechanism behind almost every strength gain, and it only works when recovery keeps pace.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: strength training, weight training.
Training against a load, whether free weights, machines, bands or bodyweight. UK guidance recommends adults do muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days a week.
Source: www.nhs.uk
How much usable, controlled range a joint has. It differs from flexibility, which describes how far a muscle can lengthen passively: mobility is the range you can actually own under your own power.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
The structured work of replacing one habit with another and making the new one stick. It is a trained discipline with its own evidence base, and it is the part of coaching that decides whether training survives a difficult month.
Source: www.nice.org.uk
Also known as: macros.
The three nutrients the body needs in large amounts: protein, carbohydrate and fat. Nutrition support here means setting sensible targets for each alongside your training, not removing food groups.
Source: www.nhs.uk
A written plan setting out which supplements you take, at what dose and when. Any protocol here stays inside UK food-supplement rules and is not a substitute for advice from your GP or pharmacist.
Source: www.nhs.uk
A planned lighter week where load or volume is deliberately pulled back so the body can absorb the previous block of training. It is scheduled in advance, not a response to feeling tired.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: workplace wellbeing, wellness consultancy.
A programme of classes, workshops and practitioner access run inside a workplace, managed end to end rather than booked ad hoc. It covers timetabling, instructor management, cover, insurance and feedback.
Source: www.nice.org.uk
The structure Roxanna uses to build corporate programmes: mind, body and spirit. Each pillar gets its own sessions so a programme covers mental, physical and emotional wellbeing rather than exercise alone.