Our Goal
To empower and support women to be strong, active and prepared for pregnancy, postpartum and beyond
Our Story
The Optimum Coach was founded to provide support and guidance to women about exercise and staying active throughout their pregnancy and motherhood. The physical, mental and emotional changes that any new or expectant mother experiences is nothing short of life-changing with each pregnancy being very unique. There are many benefits to exercising and staying active during pregnancy and postpartum such as
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- improving sleep
- alleviating pain
- relieving stress
- increasing energy
- an overall feeling of strength and empowerment.
Information about exercise during pregnancy and postpartum can sometimes be both, conflicting and confusing. It can be difficult to know what movements to do or what should be avoided during this period. Optimum can take care of this, ensuring that all workouts are effective and safe, at all fitness levels.
Optimum is here to guide and support you with exercise and overall wellbeing through each trimester, during the postpartum period and beyond. Workouts are designed with you and your body in mind. Once your baby is here, Optimum will support you to be able to return to the activities or sport you love.
Whether you are a beginner, an experienced exerciser or somewhere in between, Optimum can help you through your pregnancy and postpartum exercise journey. You will become fitter, stronger and empowered to reach your goals, and have the healthiest pregnancy possible for both you and your baby.
About Us
Clare has always had a huge interest in health and fitness, growing up playing team sports and later starting CrossFit. She is very passionate about the benefits of staying active and exercising for general physical and mental health, particularly during pregnancy and motherhood.
Clare graduated in 2016 with a PhD from Queen’s University Belfast, where her research focused on early identification of pregnancy complications and understanding why they occurred - with a particular focus on preeclampsia. Since then, she has worked both in the UK and America, continuing to discover ways to improve pregnancy outcomes for both the mother and the baby.
Through her research and personal interest in the importance of exercise during pregnancy, it became evident that exercise guidance for mothers through this stage of their life can be difficult to find and is often not straightforward. With an eagerness to help, Clare became a fully qualified Pre and Post Natal Exercise Specialist. In 2021, Clare got her Level 3 Diploma In Fitness Instructing and Personal Training (APEC courses), and became a certified Pre and Post Natal Coach (Girls Gone Strong). Clare continues her education to bring the most up to date, evidence-based information for training the body and mind of her Pre and Post Natal clients.
Clare loves helping women feel empowered and confident to exercise safely during pregnancy, postpartum and beyond, focusing on feeling strong and healthy, inside and outside of the gym - preparing for the demands of motherhood. She also encourages her clients to understand the changes their bodies are going through and helps them feel resilient in their daily life. Learning how to keep fit and healthy as a new mum can sometimes be intimidating. Optimum is here to guide and support you every step of your journey.
Whether you’re a beginner, seasoned pro, or somewhere in between, we are here to help you.
Our pregnancy and postnatal personal training sessions help you stay, or become more, active during pregnancy or as a new mum.
What does PREGNANCY training involve?
Our sessions are tailored to you. Each client’s needs will be assessed based on pregnancy trimester, fitness level, experience, and your personal goals.
Overall, we work on:
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- Safe lifting technique and resistance training for pregnancy
- Functional fitness exercises and endurance work tailored to each stage of pregnancy
- Pelvic floor work
- Optimising core strength (yes, even during pregnancy we can work on our core!)
- Breathing techniques - great for during pregnancy but also ready for postpartum
Our focus during this time is to help you have a smooth, energy-filled pregnancy. The benefits of exercising during pregnancy are endless, such as improving sleep, alleviating pain, relieving stress, increasing energy, improving stamina, a feeling of strength and empowerment, along with increasing your chances of a speedier postpartum recovery. And that’s not to mention the benefits your baby will be receiving as well. We want to help you best prepare for the demands of pregnancy, labour and motherhood.
What does POSTPARTUM training involve?
The postpartum sessions are also tailored specifically to you. We take into consideration how long ago your baby was born, whether there were any issues or complications, what your current (and pre-pregnancy/pregnancy) fitness levels are and your individual needs and goals.
Overall, we work on:
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- Safe lifting technique and gradual re-introduction of resistance training
- Building up to functional bodyweight movements and endurance work
- Optimising pelvic floor and core recovery
- Breathing techniques to aid reconnection of core and pelvic floor
During the postpartum period, we provide structure to help you recover and rehab safely, keeping in mind your end goal, whether that is to return to the sport you love, to continue to do CrossFit, running or exercising in the gym or at home. Once we are confident with body weight movement, we will progressively add more load, slowly incorporating more impact, power and dynamic focused movements (in all planes of motion), and further progress your strength. We want you to feel confident in your body’s abilities and strength - strong enough to lift, hold, and play with your children.
Frequently Asked Questions
Testimonials
Contact Us
You can call us on: 07563 325204 or email clare@theoptimumcoach.co.uk
alternatively you can use the form below