Website: www.tovewoodexphys.com - POTS Starter Programme
In this gentle, metaphorical Friday Fable, we follow Aubrey, who discovers that life isn’t about keeping up — it’s about finding a rhythm that feels right. Along the way, she learns the importance of support, pacing, and letting her loved ones be part of her healing journey.
This story is a warm reminder that movement doesn’t have to be perfect or lonely. Sometimes the smallest steps become easier when someone is dancing beside you.
At the end of the episode, I share a short introduction to the Evergreen POTS Starter Programme, a self-paced resource for anyone looking to understand their symptoms, regulate their nervous system, build safe movement habits, and feel supported through their recovery.
✨ Cozy • Calming • Insightful
Perfect for a gentle end to your week.
In this episode of The Dizzy Diaries, we explore what it really means to make exercise part of the “dance of life” - especially when you’re managing POTS, dysautonomia, family responsibilities, fatigue, or an endlessly busy schedule.
We’ll break down the clinical side first: how routine movement supports your heart, nervous system, energy levels, and day-to-day function. Then, I’ll share a real client story about how we transformed her weekly routine by bringing exercise into her life rather than trying to squeeze it around the edges — including a beautiful family session in the park where movement became connection, support, and joy.
We finish with three practical tips you can start today to make exercise feel more doable, more flexible, and more naturally woven into your everyday rhythm.
✨ Supportive • Practical • Science-backed • Relatable
Perfect for anyone trying to rebuild movement habits while living with chronic illness.
This Sunday Session is all about the slow seasons — those phases where your health dips, symptoms flare, or you’re moving through an injury, and suddenly everything feels heavier than it should. If you’ve been waking up each day in discomfort, feeling mentally low, or wondering why even small tasks feel overwhelming, this episode is for you.
We explore:
How chronic symptoms and daily discomfort impact your brain and mood
Why slowing down is a form of resilience, not weakness
The science behind reducing stimulation to calm inflammation and nervous system stress
How giving your body less to fight against can actually help you rebuild strength long-term
What compassionate pacing looks like during a low-health period
And I share a little update on something I’ve been quietly working on behind the scenes — a supportive, nervous-system-aware POTS programme built for both your strong seasons and your slower ones.
If you’re in a low phase right now, take a breath. You’re not falling behind. You’re repairing. You’re protecting your energy. You’re building the foundation for the next chapter.
Settle in, soften your shoulders, and let’s talk about resilience — the quiet kind. ✨
This week’s Friday Fable follows Poppy, a gentle-hearted wanderer who discovers that rebuilding strength doesn’t always look like climbing mountains — sometimes, it’s learning to lift tiny stones, one at a time.
In this soft, comforting tale, we explore:
• How small, consistent efforts can rebuild capacity
• Why pacing is a form of wisdom, not weakness
• The quiet courage required to honour your limits
• How progress often grows in stillness, not speed
If you’re navigating chronic illness, dysautonomia, or a season of recovery, Poppy’s journey is a reminder that you’re allowed to grow slowly — and that tiny wins still move you forward.
Curl up, take a breath, and let this fable be your gentle exhale for the week.
And as always… stay sparkly. ✨
Strength training might sound intimidating when you live with POTS or dysautonomia — but the right approach can transform your stability, circulation, and confidence.
In this week’s clinical episode of The Dizzy Diaries, we break down exactly how to build strength safely, sustainably, and without triggering symptom flares.
Inside this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why strength training supports blood flow, venous return, and autonomic regulation
• How stronger muscles reduce pooling and improve everyday function
• How to find your starting point (even if it feels like zero)
• Chair-based, floor-based, and standing progressions
• Simple ways to structure strength sessions around your symptoms
• Why slow, consistent progression beats intensity every time
This episode is perfect if you’re rebuilding after a flare, feeling unsure where to begin, or wanting to feel more grounded and capable in daily life.
Grab a comfy seat, take a deep breath — and let’s get stronger, safely and sparkly. ✨
This week, we’re talking about something a lot of us with POTS and dysautonomia feel but don’t always say out loud… the fear of exercise.Not the “ugh I don’t want to go to the gym” kind of reluctance — the real, body-level fear that comes from past experiences of dizziness, heart rate spikes, nausea, and feeling like your body “crashes” when you try to move.
In this episode, we explore:
Why this fear is completely valid (and actually protective)
The physiology behind why movement can feel so hard
How to reintroduce gentle exercise without overwhelming your system
What it means to treat movement as a conversation with your body, not a battle
And yes… I’m quietly working away on something in the background — a supportive POTS-specific movement programme designed to feel safe, achievable, and nervous-system-aware. It’s not ready yet, but it’s coming. I promise you’ll be the first to know. 💗
Grab a tea, get comfy, and let’s take this one step at a time — together.
In this week’s Friday Fable, we meet Jill — a woman living in a village that never stops ringing its bells.
At first, the sounds meant life and joy… but over time, they became overwhelming.
Until Jill learns that peace doesn’t always come from silencing the world — but from learning when to step away and listen to her own rhythm again.
A gentle, comforting story for anyone who’s ever felt overstimulated, exhausted, or in need of quiet.
💫 Take a breath, settle in, and let this story remind you that even in a noisy world, you can still find calm.
Ever feel like your body is running on too many tabs at once? In this episode, we dive into the science behind overstimulation and why people with POTS and dysautonomia often feel overwhelmed by noise, light, or even emotions.
We’ll talk about what’s actually happening inside your nervous system, how research links autonomic dysregulation to sensory overload, and most importantly — practical ways to calm your system down when everything feels “too much.”
✨ Inside this episode:
Why your body misreads normal input as “danger”
How nervous system overload affects focus, fatigue, and heart rate
Grounding and sensory reset tools you can use right now
Because calming your body isn’t weakness — it’s regulation. 💗
🎙️ Hosted by Tove Wood — bringing science, empathy, and a little sparkle to chronic illness conversations.
In this first Sunday Session, I share a story I haven’t thought about in years — a moment during my second IVIG treatment that taught me what it truly means to be your own advocate.
This episode explores mental health resilience, the balance between trust and self-advocacy, and why caring for your mind is just as vital as caring for your body.
A gentle reminder that even when the system falls short, you still have power in your own healing journey. 💫
When Anna’s body slows to a crawl, she feels like she’s sinking beneath the waves — her energy gone, her plans adrift. But as she learns to float instead of fight, she discovers that stillness isn’t failure… it’s a different kind of strength. 🌊✨
This gentle fable explores what it feels like to experience a flare — the frustration, the quiet, and the courage it takes to rest. Inspired by the clinical episode “From Flare to Functional: How to Pace Without Feeling Like You’ve Quit.”
💖 Listen, breathe, and remember: stillness is part of the story too.
#FridayFables #TheDizzyDiaries #POTS #ChronicIllness #FlareLife
Pacing isn’t giving up — it’s strategy. ✨
In this episode, we explore the art and science of pacing when you live with POTS or dysautonomia — how to find your rhythm between movement, rest, and recovery without falling into the guilt trap of “doing less.”
We cover:
💫 Why overdoing it leads to post-exertional crashes
🩺 How symptom tracking, pacing schedules, and heart rate monitoring can help
🧠 The mental side of pacing — from guilt to self-compassion
💖 Why pacing is one of the most powerful tools for regaining function and confidence
Because learning your limits isn’t weakness — it’s wisdom.
✨ Pacing isn’t the pause before progress — it is progress.
🎙️ Hosted by Tové — Exercise Physiologist, chronic illness advocate, and your POTS bestie.
Sage once loved the sparkle of festive gatherings, but chronic illness left her feeling like a guest trapped in her own body. In this gentle tale, she learns that joy doesn’t mean doing it all — it means choosing moments that matter, pacing her energy, and finding magic in presence over pressure.
If the busy season has you feeling stretched thin, let this fable remind you that rest, boundaries, and mindful choices can bring the glow back to your celebrations.
Stay sparkly ✨
Living with a chronic illness means your life doesn’t always run at the same pace as others — and that can feel isolating, especially during busy seasons like the end of the year. In this episode of The Dizzy Diaries, we dive into the mental health side of chronic illness: fighting comparison, embracing your current season, and learning how to adjust your expectations with compassion.
We’ll explore practical tools to help you finish the year with more ease:
✨ Auditing your rituals and routines
✨ Protecting your energy during social events
✨ Communicating with friends and family about what you can do
✨ Creating recovery time around festive gatherings
This conversation is about resilience, kindness to yourself, and reminding you that your season — whatever it looks like — still holds meaning and joy.
In a small coastal town, a magical lantern once lit up the harbour with a brilliant glow. But as time passed, its light began to flicker unpredictably. Fearing it was broken, the lantern lost hope — until a wise fisherman showed it that shining in short bursts, with periods of rest, could be just as powerful as burning endlessly.
This gentle fable is a metaphor for fatigue and energy budgeting in chronic illness. It’s about learning to pace, rest, and choose where to shine, rather than feeling like you have to keep burning at full brightness all the time.
✨ What you’ll hear in this episode:
– A soothing story about a lantern learning to glow wisely
– A metaphor for fatigue, pacing, and spoon theory
– A reminder that your light is still magic, even when it flickers
Hi, I’m Tové — your POTS bestie 💖 This is Friday Fables, where stories and science meet with a spoonful of sparkle.
Living with POTS or dysautonomia often means relying on three simple but powerful tools: salt, water, and compression. But what do they actually do inside the body — and how can you make them work for you without feeling overwhelmed?
In this episode of The Dizzy Diaries, we dive into:
Why salt helps your body hold onto blood volume
The science behind hydration and the “osmopressor response”
How compression garments reduce blood pooling and dizziness
Easy, practical tips to make these strategies part of everyday life
Whether you’re newly diagnosed or looking for fresh ideas, this episode will help you understand the why behind these tried-and-true tools — and give you practical ways to use them with confidence.
✨ Stay sparkly, and remember — small changes can make a big difference.
Prince Elliot is trapped inside a castle filled with a thousand locked doors. Each visitor brings him a new key, promising it will be the one to set him free. But no matter how many he tries, the doors never stay open for long—until he learns the power of keeping track, noticing patterns, and creating his own map through the maze.
This gentle fable is a metaphor for the medical mystery of chronic illness and the exhausting trial-and-error journey of finding what helps. It’s for anyone who has ever felt lost in a blur of treatments, tests, or advice—and needed the reminder that persistence, self-advocacy, and small wins matter.
💫 What to expect:
– A magical story about navigating trial and error in chronic illness
– A metaphor for persistence, tracking, and noticing patterns
– A reminder that progress isn’t linear, but your efforts aren’t wasted
Hi, I’m Tové — your POTS bestie — and this is Friday Fables, where stories and science meet with a spoonful of sparkle. Let’s begin.
Cardio exercise can feel terrifying when you live with POTS or dysautonomia — but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, we break down what safe cardiovascular training really looks like, why it matters, and how to start gently improving your tolerance without pushing your body past its limits.
Inside this episode, we cover:
Why cardiovascular health is essential for people with POTS
How exercise supports oxygen delivery, circulation, and nervous system regulation
How to find your starting level using RPE and symptom scales
Three safe approaches to build tolerance:
1️⃣ Recumbent exercise — perfect for starting from zero
2️⃣ Walking & gentle intervals — including the trending Japanese method
3️⃣ BACPR-style circuits — cardiac rehab principles adapted for POTS
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to rebuild your capacity, this episode is here to help you move safely, steadily, and sustainably — with a little bit of sparkle along the way. ✨
💡 For more guidance on the BACPR model and gentle, science-backed principles for exercising with POTS, check out my resource here:
The Science-Backed Exercise Guide for POTS
Theme: Brain Fog & Cognitive Fatigue
Ever felt like your thoughts are moving through honey? Like the words are there, but they slip through your fingers before you can catch them?
In this Friday Fable, follow Elara into a mysterious library where clocks tick slowly, sentences rearrange themselves, and time bends under the weight of brain fog. Through hidden doors and quiet paths, she discovers the secret tools to navigate cognitive fatigue — grounding, pacing, and permission to rest.
If you’ve ever struggled with POTS, dysautonomia, or chronic illness, this story is for you. A reminder that even when your mind feels hazy and slow, there are still gentle ways forward.
🕰️ Sometimes, healing isn’t about pushing harder — it’s about finding the hidden shortcuts.
Stay Sparkly, Tove'.
Ever feel like your brain is buffering while the world moves at full speed? Living with POTS and dysautonomia can make even the simplest moments — standing up, focusing on a conversation, walking across a room — feel impossible.
In this episode, we break down:
Why brain fog happens in POTS — from poor blood flow to the brain to nervous system dysregulation
How balance gets affected
Practical strategies to ground yourself, manage symptoms, and support cognitive function
“It’s like living in a body that forgot to pay its WiFi bill.”
This is your safe corner to feel understood and supported, with a mix of science, practical tips, and a reminder that you’re not alone in this dizzy, foggy journey.
Grab my book here: https://amzn.eu/d/eSRZ8aC
In the village of Virelle, every tiny breeze sets off a blaring alarm. The townspeople live in a constant state of alert, exhausted and overwhelmed by warning bells that never seem to stop. But when a mysterious traveller arrives, she teaches them how to reset their systems—not by fighting the alarms, but by listening to them with compassion.
This story is a gentle metaphor for an overactive autonomic nervous system, anxiety, and dysautonomia. If your body feels like it’s always on high alert—even when nothing’s wrong—this fable will feel like a breath of fresh air.
💫 What to expect:
– A calming story about nervous system dysregulation
– Practical metaphors for grounding, calming, and self-regulation
– A reminder that your body isn’t broken—it just needs safety signals
Hi, I’m Tové — your POTS bestie — and this is Friday Fables, where stories and science meet with a spoonful of sparkle.