Hello I'm Joan!
I am an expert in Women's Health Solutions & Post-Natal Care
I am a mum of 2 girls who are 15 and 17, several of you may have met them as they have made many appearances at Buggyfit during school holidays.
Being a mum is a great qualification for this job as I can relate to you all as new mums. I know how you feel when you’ve had hardly any sleep and I can relate to all things pelvic floor as I had two 3rd degree tears myself and had to rehab myself back into action.
I am a qualified physiotherapist with a masters degree in Manual Therapy
I have other qualifications too! I graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University as a physiotherapist in 1993. I went onto specialise in outpatients following a variety of jobs around this country and Canada in both the NHS and the private sector.
As I became more experienced in the musculoskeletal outpatient setting, I studied for a Master’s degree in Manual Therapy from Coventry University and gained this in November 2007. This extra qualification has given me the ability to analyse and manage musculoskeletal problems to a deeper level and therefore achieve better management outcomes of musculoskeletal issues along with improving hands on therapy.
Becoming a women's health specialist
After 18 years in the field of musculoskeletal physiotherapy and the changing family dynamics as my girls got older, I decided to leave my NHS job and started to run the Bugggyfit franchise in Cheltenham.
To do this I needed to qualify as a fitness instructor and I did this through YMCA qualifications. Buggyfit also has its own training course which was completed before starting to run the classes in Jan 2012.
Becoming a post-natal specialist
Now that I was working with a specific population of post-natal women I wanted to deepen my knowledge further to give the best service to these women.
I have done this progressively over the last few years with Burrell Education. Jenny Burrell, the founder of this education is passionate about women’s health care from pregnancy through to menopause and has provided a wide range of courses to attend.
Post-natal health care qualifications
Since 2013 I have completed the following courses –
- Modern post-natal exercise
- Third age care – exercise from perimenopause and beyond
- Modern functional pregnancy exercise planning
- Optimal nutrition and lifestyle for post-natal recovery and healing
- Optimal health after hysterectomy
- Pregnancy and post-natal massage
- Deep immersion scar massage
- Menostrength®
- Breathe Better
- Natal Strength®
- Kineseotaping in Pregnancy
- Post Birth and Female Pelvic Pain Rehab
The above courses are not only run by Jenny Burrell. Jenny works alongside two top women’s health physios Michelle Lyons and Maria Elliott so the courses involve a combination of fitness and physio input and work well to complement each other.
In 2014 I also became a Holistic Core Restore ® coach. This really is the gold standard of all pelvic floor rehab classes and I have helped numerous women return to exercise and activity that some initially thought they couldn’t possibly do. My physiotherapy training definitely gives me an advantage here because I am very tuned in to watch how people move and exercise and am very experienced in correcting and improving people’s activities to get the best result.
Since 2012 I have also trained as a Kettlebell and Boxercise instructor so I have a wide range of exercise experience with different equipment and class types.
During my time as a physiotherapist, one of my noted qualities from patients, was my ability to get the best out of people and communicate well with them. I have been able to transfer this skill well to the job I do now as I am able to motivate and give confidence to many women returning to exercise whether it’s been with a new mum or an older mum who has lost confidence to get out there and be fit and healthy.
As a woman, hormones can affect how we feel and how much confidence we have to get out and do something. Since returning to exercise after children, I had many ups and downs and stops and starts, I know it can be hard to keep things going and to stay motivated, so let me help you with this journey. Get in touch today.
Experience
With more than 25 years professional
experience, you’ll get the best.
Professional
I am trained and certified and have regular
professional development training
Insurance
I am 100% insured, your safety is my primary concern.
Accessible
Classes are local with free parking and I visit you at home for 1-2-1 sessions
