Camilla Mowbray

I know every mother thinks their baby is the most beautiful, precious little human on the planet… but can we PLEASE appreciate how ridiculously cute my Sonny was (and still is, obviously!)?! 🥹❤️

Honestly, LOOK AT HIM. 😂

This is hands down one of my favourite posts I’ve ever put together, and not just because it features my gorgeous boy.

As a personal trainer, something that genuinely fascinated me when Sonny was a baby was watching how his movement developed.

So many of the movement patterns he naturally explored were variations of the very same foundational movements I teach my clients!

Bridging through his hips, supporting his bodyweight, lifting his chest, crawling, balancing and eventually learning to squat and stand.

Glute bridges, planks, back extensions, crawling patterns and squats. Sound familiar? 😂

Nobody was teaching him to engage his core, stabilise his shoulders or activate his glutes.

He was simply exploring his environment, developing strength, coordination and motor control along the way.

And that’s what I find so fascinating.

Movement isn’t just about muscular strength.

Our brains use information from our eyes, inner ears, muscles, joints and skin to help coordinate and control movement.

Balance, proprioception, stability and coordination all play a part.

And then we grow up.

We spend more time sitting, move less and gradually stop challenging many of those physical capabilities.

Until one day we find ourselves in a gym, deliberately training the same fundamental abilities we began developing as babies. 😂

Of course, ageing brings physiological changes, but inactivity can accelerate the decline in physical capability.

This is why training should be about so much more than aesthetics.

It’s about maintaining strength, mobility, balance, coordination and independence for as much of our lives as possible.

Our bodies are incredibly adaptable, and we can continue learning and improving throughout adulthood.

Move your body. Challenge it. Appreciate what it can do. Never take that ability for granted. ❤️

Need help building strength and improving your movement? Send me a DM or get in touch via the link in my bio.

Going on holiday? Here’s a few tips to help you maintain some healthy habits without missing out on the fun!

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to maintain your progress while you’re away. Equally, there’s nothing wrong with taking a complete break!

Personally, I like finding a balance. Getting some steps in early, exploring new places, trying different activities and making a few sensible food choices can make a difference without feeling restrictive.

And if you enjoy training, why not pack some resistance bands or squeeze in a quick workout? Sometimes a little movement is just as good for your head as it is for your body.

But remember, you don’t HAVE to do any of it!

Holidays are about relaxing, enjoying good food, trying new things and making memories.

And if you come home a little heavier, don’t panic. It’s not necessarily all body fat, and there’s certainly no need to punish yourself with crash diets or excessive exercise.

Your long term habits matter far more than one week away.

Enjoy your bloody holiday! Consistency matters far more than perfection.

Need help finding a balance with your nutrition and training? Drop me a DM or get in touch via the link in my bio.

“I’m barely eating anything, but I’m not losing weight. My body’s gone into starvation mode!”

Sound familiar?

Well, your metabolism hasn’t shut down, but your body DOES adapt to calorie restriction and weight loss.

This is called metabolic adaptation, and it’s very real.

As you lose weight:

Your BMR generally decreases because a smaller body requires less energy.

Your NEAT (everyday movement) can drop without you noticing.

Leptin decreases, hunger can increase, and maintaining a calorie deficit becomes harder.

Your energy expenditure can fall beyond what we’d predict from changes in body weight and composition. This is adaptive thermogenesis.

BUT DOES YOUR BODY STOP LOSING FAT?

No. A genuine, sustained calorie deficit still results in weight loss over time.

And we’ve known this for decades!

In the Minnesota Starvation Experiment (1944–45), 36 healthy men volunteered for a study involving six months of severe calorie restriction.

Eating approximately 1,570 calories daily, alongside substantial physical activity, the men experienced extreme hunger, fatigue, reduced metabolic rates and even an obsession with food.

Yet they lost approximately 25% of their body weight.

Their metabolisms slowed. Their bodies adapted. But weight loss didn’t magically switch off.

This was an extreme experiment, not a typical diet, but it challenges the idea that eating too little automatically prevents weight loss.

SO WHY DOES WEIGHT LOSS STALL?

Your energy requirements decrease as you lose weight. You may move less, eat more than you realise, or experience water retention that temporarily masks fat loss.

The answer isn’t necessarily to keep cutting calories.

Prioritise protein, resistance train, maintain daily movement, sleep well and reassess your calorie requirements.

Your metabolism isn’t broken. Your body is adapting.

Keys et al. (1950), The Biology of Human Starvation.

Need help with your nutrition or training? DM me or use the link in my bio.

HUNGER ISN’T ALWAYS A RELIABLE GUIDE.

Ever wondered why some people struggle with hunger far more than others?

Leptin plays an important role in regulating appetite and communicating our energy stores to the brain.

But when leptin signalling becomes less effective, or leptin levels fall during dieting, managing hunger can become considerably harder.

And anyone who’s dieted down to very low body fat will know that feeling of suddenly wanting to eat EVERYTHING, particularly calorie dense foods. 🙄🥴

There’s a biological reason for that.

This is why telling someone to “just eat less” or “try harder” completely oversimplifies fat loss.

Yes, fat loss requires an energy deficit. But that doesn’t mean everyone experiences that deficit in the same way.

For some people, managing hunger is considerably harder than for others. That doesn’t make fat loss impossible, but it does mean the approach needs to be realistic and sustainable.

So how do we work WITH our biology?

Prioritise protein and fibre, choose foods that keep you fuller for longer, maintain regular meals, get adequate sleep, stay active and avoid unnecessarily aggressive calorie deficits.

And understand that some hunger during fat loss is normal. The aim isn’t to eliminate hunger completely, but to make it manageable.

Fat loss is achievable, but achievable doesn’t always mean easy.

Understanding the biology behind hunger allows us to approach fat loss with better strategies rather than relying entirely on willpower.

Need help with your nutrition or training? Drop me a DM or get in touch via the link in my bio. ❤️

NEAT: FAT LOSS ISN’T JUST ABOUT THE GYM! 🚶‍♀️

You can train consistently, manage your calories and still find your fat loss has slowed. One thing people often overlook is how much they move OUTSIDE the gym.

NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) is the energy you expend through everyday movement that isn’t structured exercise.

Walking the dog, cleaning, shopping, gardening, cooking, taking the stairs, playing with your kids and even fidgeting.

All these little movements contribute to your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), potentially adding up to hundreds of calories.

HERE’S WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING.

When you create a calorie deficit, your body can respond by reducing energy expenditure.

You might feel more tired, sit down more, walk less, fidget less or simply become less inclined to move.

Some of this is conscious. Some happens without you even realising.

As you lose weight or spend longer dieting, these adaptations can become more noticeable.

You might reduce your food intake by 400 calories, but if your daily movement drops significantly, your actual deficit could be considerably smaller.

The same can happen with exercise. You smash a workout, feel exhausted and spend the rest of the day on the sofa. 😂

This is called activity compensation, and it doesn’t happen to everyone.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?

If you’re working towards a fat loss goal, monitoring your daily steps can be useful.

Not because 10,000 is some magic number, but because it gives you measurable data.

If your weight loss stalls, before cutting more calories, check whether you’re still moving as much as when you started.

Look for opportunities to move. Walk instead of driving, take the stairs, get up from your desk, run errands or walk the dog further.

You don’t necessarily need another workout. Sometimes you just need to move more.

It’s not just about the hour you spend training. It’s what you do with the rest of your day.

Need help with your nutrition or training? DM me or use the link in my bio. ❤️

HYPERTENSION: THE SILENT KILLER ❤️

We track calories, protein, steps, sleep and PBs… but do you know your blood pressure?

High blood pressure usually has no symptoms. You can feel absolutely fine while it quietly increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease and vascular dementia.

The only way to know is to measure it.

In the UK, high blood pressure is generally:

🔴 140/90 or above when measured in clinic
🔴 135/85 or above as a home average

And either number can be high. One random reading doesn’t diagnose hypertension, which is why taking readings properly and looking at the average matters.

The good news is there’s a LOT you can do.

Get your cardio in. Keep lifting. Eat mostly whole foods, plenty of fruit, veg and fibre. Keep an eye on salt and alcohol. Don’t smoke. Manage your weight if you need to. And don’t underestimate sleep and stress.

Some people will still need medication, and that’s absolutely fine. Lifestyle and medication work together.

If you’re 180 systolic OR 120 diastolic or higher, repeat the reading and seek urgent medical advice if it remains that high. If it comes with chest pain, severe breathlessness, confusion or new neurological symptoms, seek emergency help.

It takes a couple of minutes. Know your numbers. ❤️

Save this post and send it to someone who needs to check theirs.

Need help with your training or nutrition? Send me a DM or contact me through the link in my bio.

ARE YOU ACTUALLY HUNGRY… OR DO YOU JUST WANT TO EAT?

There is a difference and learning to recognise it can be incredibly useful when you’re working towards a nutrition or fat loss goal.

Hunger and appetite are complicated. They’re influenced by your brain, gut and hormones, including ghrelin, but also by sleep, stress, dieting, menstrual-cycle changes, your environment, habits and emotions.

Sometimes you want food because your body genuinely needs food.

Other times the urge might come because you’re bored, stressed, angry, sad, tired, procrastinating, watching TV, walking past a bakery or simply because something delicious is sitting in front of you. 😂

That doesn’t mean you have “no willpower”. It means you’re human.

But you CAN learn to recognise what’s driving the urge before automatically responding to it.

One useful technique is URGE SURFING. 🌊

Think of an urge like a wave. It builds, becomes more intense, reaches a peak and eventually reduces again. You don’t necessarily have to fight it or immediately act on it. You can notice it, sit with it and give yourself some space before deciding what to do.

There is no magic “60-second rule”. Some urges disappear quickly, others last longer or come back in waves.

So create a little gap between URGE → ACTION.

Go for a walk. Change rooms. Make a drink. Have a shower. Get outside. Call someone. Do something that changes your environment and then reassess.

But please don’t use this as another way of ignoring genuine hunger.

If you’ve under-eaten all day, slept badly, trained hard or you’re simply hungry so EAT. 😂

And if you pause, check in with yourself and still want the chocolate? Have the bloody chocolate.

This isn’t about perfect control or labelling foods as good or bad.

It’s about becoming more aware of why you’re reaching for food and creating enough space to make a conscious choice rather than automatically reacting.

Need help with your nutrition or training?
Send me a DM or contact me via the link in my bio.

#1-1coaching personaltrainer

“Whoa, that’s a lot of food. I don’t eat very much.”

I hear this almost every time I send a new client their meal plan.

And nearly every time, once we look properly at what they’re eating, they’re eating more than they think. Not because of big meals, but because of everything in between.

The latte on the way to work. The pastry with it. A handful of nuts here, a few bites of the kids’ leftovers there. A “healthy” smoothie bowl. A drink after work.

None of it feels like a proper meal, so it doesn’t feel like much. But these foods are small, calorie dense, and often low in the things your body actually needs: protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.

So you’re eating plenty of calories, still feeling hungry, and not getting the results you’re working so hard for.

A plan built around real, home cooked food looks like more on the plate. It’s meant to. More volume, more protein, more nutrients, and you stay full for longer, often for fewer calories across the day.

So stop judging a meal by its size. Food volume and calorie density are two different things. A small portion can be packed with calories, and a big plate can be surprisingly light.

Swipe through to see how some common everyday food choices compare to real nutritionally balanced meals 👉

Need help with your nutrition or training? Send me a DM or contact me via the link in my bio.

YOU CAN’T BUILD MUSCLE WITHOUT THE BRICKS 🧱

You can have the best training programme in the world and progressively overload, but if you’re not eating enough protein, you’re making it harder for your body to recover, adapt and build muscle.

Think of it like asking a builder to build a wall without giving them enough bricks.

Training provides the stimulus. Protein provides the building blocks.

Resistance training stimulates muscle protein synthesis, but we need sufficient dietary protein to provide the amino acids needed to repair, maintain and build muscle.

HOW MUCH?

The basic adult recommendation is around 0.8g/kg/day, but this is essentially a minimum to meet nutritional needs — not an optimal muscle-building target.

For people resistance training, around 1.6g/kg/day is a solid evidence-based target, with 1.6–2.2g/kg/day a useful practical range depending on the individual, their goals and whether they’re dieting.

For 70kg, that’s roughly 110–150g/day.

Protein is particularly important during fat loss to help preserve lean mass and as we age, when our muscles become less responsive to smaller protein doses.

Total daily protein comes first, but spreading it across 3–5 meals, roughly 25–40g per meal, works well for many people.

WHAT CAN ~30G PROTEIN LOOK LIKE?

Chicken breast: ~100g — 165 kcal
Tuna: ~125g — 150 kcal
Prawns: ~130–150g — 130–150 kcal
0% Greek yoghurt: ~300g — 180 kcal
Firm tofu: ~200–250g — 250–350 kcal
Tempeh: ~150g — 300 kcal
Cooked lentils: ~330g — 380 kcal
Cooked quinoa: ~650g — 750 kcal

Figures are approximate and vary by product.

Plant proteins absolutely count, although some are less digestible and/or lower in certain essential amino acids, including leucine, than high-quality animal proteins. A plant-based diet can still provide everything needed to build muscle — total intake, variety and protein-dense choices matter.

Train hard, but give the builder enough bricks. 🧱💪

Art in motion. 🐉
Come and train with me.