I have never run a marathon. The Great South Run and Half Marathon distance has (so far at least) been enough of a challenge for me. But I am in awe of everyone that takes on this massive challenge. Every year, I see people pre- and post-marathon events and have learned a lot from each of them. So here are my top tips for a speedy recovery from your marathon.

Saturday 31st March, 2012 will be a day I remember for the rest of my life because it's the day that I ran across the finish line in the new Olympic Stadium in Stratford, London ahead of the 2012 Games.

The journey began last Autumn when an e-mail arrived from The National Lottery inviting me to enter a ballot to win one of 5,000 places in a 5 mile run around the Olympic Park, finishing on the track. It said the event would be the first to officially cross the Olympic Finish Line. I clicked the link, filled out the entry and promptly forgot all about it.

In less than a week, I will join 4999 other people for the most exciting running event I may ever have the privilege to take part in - the Olympic Park Run! The 5-mile course takes in the sites of the Olympic Park and culminates in the Athletics Stadium, on the running track, in front of 12,000 spectators. To say I'm excited is the understatement of the year.

As part of my New Year's Resolutions, I wanted to replace as many 'toxic' products with organic alternatives. With the press reporting in the past few weeks the link between parabens (used extensively in beauty and skincare products) and breast cancer, and revelations about leading cosmetic companies using lead in their lipsticks it seems a good time to elaborate on my own personal crusade!

Christmas is just one month away and no doubt your shopping is in full swing. Traipsing around crowded shopping centres and high streets, overloaded with heavy shopping bags can really take its toll on your body and your stress levels! So why not reward yourself with a relaxing back, neck and shoulders massage? It will ease muscle tension, aches and pains and soothe frazzled nerves, the perfect preparation for all the gift wrapping, cooking and entertaining still to come!

On Sunday 30th October, I joined 24,000 other runners for the Great South Run - the World's premier 10 mile road race. This year was my fourth attempt at the course but having had 6 months off through injury, I knew a personal best was unlikely.

On the Bench Ltd opened it's Portchester clinic doors in March this year.  To celebrate our half year anniversary we are offering one lucky person the chance to win a month of Personal Training with our expert trainer Neil Dayus.

All you have to do to qualify is "like" our Facebook page.  At midday on Monday October 17th we will pick out a winning name at random.

You can find our page here: http://tinyurl.com/6ykyt5d

With just 8 weeks to go until this year's Great South Run, participants (including myself) will be trying to increase their training - increasing distance and pace - in a bid to achieve their goal. But what if your training hasn't been going to plan?

I was plagued by injury last year including a suspected ruptured tendon in my ankle at the end of the year. This led to a 6-month enforced rest period while my ankle healed. Finally cleared to begin training again in May, I knew I would have to ease myself back in gently while my ankle slowly regained strength and I gradually improved my fitness. Since I started running again, I have had peaks and troughs. Every good run boosted my confidence but I found every bad run really knocked me down again and I began to question whether running really is the activity for me.

However, it is the activity I enjoy most and, having a charity place for this year's Great South Run, I knew it wouldn't only be me that I was letting down if I quit without giving it a fair try. So, I changed my attitude and decided that instead of focussing on achieving a personal best at this year's event, my challenge needed to be more realistic: to finish the race, to enjoy the race (and the training) and to stay injury free so that I can come back stronger next year. They say running is as much a mental battle as a physical one and having changed my focus I feel I have already won the mental battle.

So now to tackle the physical challenge. I spoke to Personal Trainer Neil Dayus about the problems I have experienced on my bad runs - my ankle fatigues quickly, I have had tension in my glutes and a few days of unremitting pain and tension in my calf muscles. I have added regular corrective exercise sessions into my training programme to help strengthen the weak areas and I am already noticing an improvement. I have also had a good sports massage on my legs and feet to release the tension that was causing the pain. 

This weekend, with the dreaded "only 8 weeks to go" mantra ringing in my ears, I managed to run just over 5.3 miles and it felt good! I'm not as quick as I was over the same distance this time last year but I am no longer beating myself up about it. Staying injury free is my focus and the pace will increase in time.

So if you are struggling with your Great South training, here's my advice. Identify why you are struggling: if it is motivation you lack, join a running club - the support and advice they give is invaluable or choose a cause close to your heart to raise money for. If you are struggling with muscle aches and pains, come and have a sports massage to loosen tension and re-energise your legs. And if you are still trying to get over an injury, book a corrective exercise session with our qualified trainer Neil Dayus.

For appointments, call 02393 233140 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

I will blog regularly over the next 8 weeks so check back regularly to see how I am getting on! Also, watch this space for posts from Neil explaining in more detail the kind of exercise he is using to keep me on track.

Good luck reaching your goals!

Sam x

Due to the popularity of our June offer we are going to extend it to run through July too.

The important thing to realise straight off the bat is that stress is stress.  The body makes no distinction between physical, emotional or psychological stress.  So whether you're worried about work or pounding out the miles on the treadmill the result is the same.  You get fat!

Scary right!?  After a statement like that I should back it up so here we go!

Struggling to know what to buy your dad for Father's Day this year? We have some suggestions!

For the keen golfer, why not book him in for a Golf Biomechanics session? Trainer Neil Dayus is the only C.H.E.K registered Golf Biomechanic in Hampshire and he is qualified to assess Swing and Stance and by making necessary adjustments, your dad will soon be improving his handicap!

But if golf is too sedate a form of exercise for your father, why not book him a Personal Training session?

Perhaps you would rather pamper your hard-working dad. We can help with that too with our range of Gift Vouchers for a variety of massage treatments including Sports Massage, Hot Stone Massage, Indian Head Massage and relaxing Swedish Massage. Vouchers are available to buy online and we can post them to you or directly to your dad if you'd prefer.

You can also buy organic skincare products from Neal's Yard via our consultant shop with £5 off the men's skincare collection until 12th June.

Happy Shopping!

For the whole of June, if you have a massage you will be entitled to one half-price session with Neil Dayus or if you have a session with Neil, you will be entitled to one half-price massage with Samantha Colverd!

This is the ideal opportunity to find out how and why massage combined with the right exercise program can work for you.

And now for the small print... One discount per customer and the discount can only be used on an indivudual treatment, not a block. This offer is open to all customers who have at least one paid massage or PT session in June and book the qualifying session by 30th June 2011.

For more details and to book an appointment, please call 02393 233140.

We are holding an open day at our beautiful new premises on Bank Holiday Monday 30th May. Join us between Midday and 4pm for drinks and nibbles, see our new premises and discuss how we can help you achieve your fitness goals and/or relieve aches and pains and help you recover from injury.

Bring your diary because all appointments booked at the Open Day will be at a special discounted rate. And there will be the opportunity to purchase Gift Vouchers (ideal for birthdays or for Father's Day).

Sam is a consultant for Neal's Yard Organics and you can browse the catalogue, sample some of the range and order products from Sam on the day.

And you can ask Neil for nutrition advice and find out how he can help improve your golf swing!

For more information, visit our Facebook page or give us a call on 02393 233140.

We look forward to seeing you on Monday!

Sam & Neil

Do you find your shoulders, elbows or wrists are often painful following a morning on the fairways?  If so there is a good chance that we have a fix for you.  These types of ailments are all variations on a tendonitis theme.  Tendonitis arises from overuse of a joint, put a joint under enough stess repeatedly and it will hurt, simples!  What we need to do therefore is first figure out why the joints are being overused during the swing and then what we can do to correct it.

The most common cause of upper extremity overuse in golf is the inability of the golfer to properly stabilise the transfer of force from the ground up.  This stabilisation radiates out from the core musculature of the abdomen, without adequate strength in these stabilisers the golfer is unable to utilise the force generated from the legs to power the swing.  This is certainly bad news as we see from studies that as much as 54% of force is generated by the legs in throwing actions1.

So without this force generation coming from the legs the golfer is now faced with using the musclulature of the shoulders and arms as the prime power generators for their swing.  This is where the increased stress is coming from, so now how do we fix it?

We treat the cause of the disfunction!  The arms don't need to be stronger, the legs don't need to be worked harder it's the bit in the middle that links it all together that needs the focus.  Our core!

Targetted training of the core musculature will mean improvements in the golfers ability to stabilise and hence make use of the force available from the legs, immediately opening up that 54% more power mentioned earlier.  With the legs now contributing their fair share and the summation of force up through the body happening the golfer is going to find that their shoulders and arms are under much less stress and they can get on with enjoying their game without pain.

For help with golf specific core conditioning check out our golf page. Sports Massage may also help to reduce the symptoms of Golfer's Elbow.