Team Member Spotlight – Naomi
Physio Naomi, one of our lower limb injury specialists, has been busy working with clients overcoming musculoskeletal injuries, including some who are preparing for spring marathons. Here, she tells us about her next long distance cycling challenge, The Dunwich Dynamo!
Naomi’s next challenge
This July, Naomi will be joining thousands of other intrepid cyclists participating in the Dunwich Dynamo. The overnight cycling event sets off from Hackney, London, then follows 112 miles of country lanes to arrive at Dunwich beach on the Suffolk coast by sunrise!
“The idea is you set off at a time in the evening when you think you want to be on the beach at sunrise – so you set off at about 8 in the evening and you get down there about 4 in the morning. It's going to be like a fun event.
“Before, it hasn’t appealed to me just because of the lack of sleep, but I’ve changed my mind – I'll hack it out! It’s a nice challenge to be able to tick off the box!”
A regular member of Lee Valley Cycle Club, Naomi can accrue up to 100km in the week, and up to 180 km at week-ends, warranting much deserved kudos on her Strava.
Her club rides include longer distance challenges, and last year she participated in Ride London that she may return to next month.
Naomi will be riding in a group, with logistics carefully planned so there is a bus to bring them back from the coast at the end. Although she says there are some who will be riding there and back too – “400 kilometers but with no sleep!”
Staying injury free
Naomi, who says that she is good at listening to her body, often uses her cycling as a low impact exercise to stay fit when overcoming running niggles. But, when it comes to preventing cycling injuries, Naomi says, “Your bike setup is key!”
Naomi juggles her exercise around her two youngsters, aged seven and nine. But to prevent injury, she says, “I've always ring-fenced my exercise time.”
A qualified Pilates instructor, Naomi has a good awareness of posture and core strength, but she also recognises the importance of lifting heavy weights to maintain muscle mass and bone density, and to help regulate her hormonal system – “which is so important for women over 40”.
““I’ve changed my training routine, so I’ve gotten into doing heavier weights. I think it’s just that this is the right age to be doing it, and it’s also good for performance.””
With the advantage of being able to access the Lansdowne Club’s top end gym facilities, Naomi can take patients through strength and conditioning programs.
Another passion of Naomi’s is running, which she started at the age of 12. So, after her cycling challenge, Naomi is considering doing a half marathon later in the year.
Our cycle team
Naomi is not our only budding cyclist within Physio Remedies. Both Sarah Lawson (Director and Physio) and Emily Chong (massage therapist and biomechanist) have a wealth of experience in the world of cycling. From competing in Triathlons, long distance rides and working in the industry.
Emily is a qualified bike fitter and Tri Coach, and previously Sarah worked at Bespoke cycling with their bike fitters working on complex cycling injuries, looking at how to resolve those injuries which did not respond to a simple fit.
If you have niggles and pains when cycling and had a bike fit, we can go one step further. In the clinic we can put your bike on a simple turbo trainer and do an analysis of how you sit, pedal and move on the bike. This combined with a physio biomechanical assessment we can work out why you are still getting pain and help you back on the road to recovery.
Book in by calling us on 02030 12 12 22 or use the online form.
