#23 Sport as therapy for ADHD & dyslexia; creating boundaries; and FST, with Niki Bird - Show Notes

In today’s episode of Fitness UnFiltered I speak with my good friend, Niki Bird! Niki is a professional Athlete playing for England Touch Rugby, as well as a Personal Trainer and Fascial Stretch Therapist. 

Niki and I take a deep dive into FST and how she has integrated it into her training sessions. We also talk about our experience first starting out as PT’s, how sport and fitness can be used as a coping mechanism, and how setting boundaries and prioritising our time has benefited our working lives. 

Niki has an interesting background in the health and fitness industry, as in her early life sport was used as a form of escape due to struggles with school and academics. Before she was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia, there was never a clear understanding of what she needed to improve or work on. Sport was her way of learning to communicate and socialise with others as well as gaining control over her situation, a feeling that can be hard to achieve as a personal trainer. 

Working in the fitness industry is riddled with thoughts that your client’s needs must be put before your own. We’ve learnt over time that this mindset can not only be damaging to ourselves, but to the people we’re trying to help as well. Through sharing both mine and Niki’s insights, we hope you can take away some useful tips on how to break those thought patterns and create a balance in your life. 

If these topics sound like your kind of listening, get yourself comfy and tune in to episode 23 of Fitness UnFiltered!

Some Questions I Ask:

How did you get into sport and what impact did it have on you? (1:32)You knew early on that playing sport was your coping mechanism, even before you were diagnosed with ADHD + Dyslexia. How did all of that manifest into the work you do now? (7:57)How did having that diagnosis change things for you? (12:42)Since you’ve started doing FST, how has it changed your approach with clients? (18:43)How do you balance being an Athlete, Personal Trainer, and Fascial Stretch Therapist? (20:31)What will your classes look like moving forward during lockdown? (39:31)

In This Episode You Will Learn:

How coaching and team sports can assist with communication and socialising (8:44)What Fascial Stretch Therapy is all about (16:10)How FST can be applied in personal training sessions (18:53)How setting boundaries and prioritising yourself creates a healthier work environment (21:03)The thought process behind burnout and overworking yourself (25:46)What influence sport injuries had on Niki when pursuing FST (33:28)More on Joslyn’s background in sports rehab (35:37)Information on Niki Bird’s FST class concept (37:59)

Connect With Joslyn Thompson Rule:

InstagramWebsiteEmail

Connect With Niki Bird:

InstagramFacebook

Resources:

Book - “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” Author, Greg McKeown 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.