My 2020 Story

Unsure about yoga?

I’ve long thought that people may be put off trying yoga for an assortment of reasons – the media bombardment of athletic bodies in beautiful locations doing poses which to many would be unattainable – the fear of going into a class and not being able to do anything – the idea that you’re not flexible enough – the list goes on.

I’m keen to learn from real people who may have heard that yoga has many positive benefits but haven’t quite got around to trying yoga – for whatever reason: also those who have tried a class and have been left disheartened. I want to know what stops you from trying yoga.

If you’re able to help me by answering a few simple questions I’d be most grateful – either by way of a questionnaire or by a phone call if you prefer. In return I’ll send you a short video of one of my 8am classes which you can do at your leisure.

Message me at 07545 598661 and I’ll send you the questionnaire – thank you in advance!

Mind:body connection

The whole concept of the mind:body connection is often thrown up as a reason to meditate. The premise being that when you relax the mind that you can affect the state of the body.

This is totally true of course – a positive attitude can improve the immune response whilst conversely fear and sadness will reduce the ability of the body to respond to stress. It is always worth working on your mindset and becoming more aware of your habitual thought patterns.

The mind:body connection is, though, a 2 way process – and this is discussed less. Without any doubt the way you hold your body will affect your mental state.

Consider the difference between a standing position with the weight unevenly distributed between the feet, back poorly supported, shoulders slumped, head forward and eyes to the floor – and a posture with weight evenly distributed between the feet, strong legs and even hips, glutes and core engaged to give upright spinal position and shoulders engaged – with the head stacked above as if an invisible thread were attached and eyes directed forward. Add a smile – and see how that affects your mindset.

It’s a 2-way process.

Coming off the meds (part 2)

I’ve been taking Levothyroxine for 21 years – since my son was born. I believe that all started as I was under a lot of stress – and it was always my intention to balance my hormones. Now, 21 years later and having had another child plus selling my stressful business and moving to the seaside and a much more relaxing lifestyle – it was time to try and drop my reliance on the pharmaceuticals.

So I started at 175mcg per day – a lot by anyone’s standards – but no-one ever suggested I do anything about that.

This week I dropped a little further – from 100mcg last week – to 75mcg this week. And I feel exactly the same. How can this be?!

I’m not in need of any more sleep, I can still workout the same – my heart rate is the same in workouts and at rest. I’ve put on no weight. I’m curious now to get a blood test to see what’s happening with those – but I haven’t called the Dr as I’m guessing bloodtests will be cancelled for the moment.

So onwards with the journey – watch this space!

(This is not a medical advice – most likely you should not attempt this without the advice of your doctor. This is just my journey!)

FOMO and being time-poor

Fear Of Missing Out is a terrible thing! – It compels you to sign up for must-do training and events, must-be places and must-have items.

Even in these times of isolation it’s too easy to be drawn in by those online events which promise the must-have information so that once lockdown ends you’ll be ahead of the game and ready to take on the ‘new world’ at full pace.

At a time when maybe the best option might be some re-evalutaion, refection and meditation – FOMO encourages you to sign up and get ready to learn more stuff. – Or is it just me?

I ‘retired’ over 4 years ago – yet my days are filled with things – I signed up for Level 4 Strength and Conditioning to be a coach; more Yoga teaching; business skills such as Social Media and website building; business coaching courses such as the Tony Robbins ones. Maybe it’s a curiosity for learning – a desire to feel useful – a feeling that I’m not ready to retire as such: or maybe its a fear of losing touch with the world.

Either way – despite my constantly reminding myself that I am good enough – I find myself with a Fear Of Missing Out and have signed up for another course next week …. so much to do so little time!!

Waste not ..

Is it just me – or does everyone do this?

It seems to me that there’s a lot of waste when you can no longer squeeze anything out of the tube – expensive face creams, hair products etc. Is it normal – even decadent, to discard once the last squeeze splutters a tiny bit of the product into your hand?

A pair of scissors, I’ve found, often yields at least a head full of conditioner and almost a weeks worth of face cream – and sends the now satisfyingly empty tube to the recycling centre cleaner too. Win:win.

So whether for economic or environmental reasons – use scissors. Just saying..

Protecting your health

How does your daily routine protect your health? – the age-old saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ has never rang truer.

In today’s age where our worldwide virus causes distress and chaos, it is the compromised that are at most risk. Those with pre-existing health conditions – only some of which are genetic. Many of our modern diseases are a response to the stresses of modern life – our own response by the way we react to those stresses as well as our body’s response: though you could argue that if the correlation between a particular lifestyle or environmental stressor is known then we do have a conscious choice as to how we respond (I think here of my dad’s mesothelioma which he knew for many years was a possibility having worked with asbestos: maybe he could have left the job in favour of his health – maybe).

So here I speak in general terms – prevention is better than cure.

Your daily routine should be based around these basic steps

Nutrition – you are what you eat – eat clean, eat fresh – and some supplements really do prolong your healthspan.

Lifestyle – exercise, sleep – make the right choices here for a life full of energy

Mindset – positivity, gratitude and meditation.

Look out for my ‘protect your health’ challenge coming soon!!

The teenager goes out!

I’ve been worried about him lately – it seems the media barrage of stories has instilled fear into our teens. – Well, my teenager – I can’t speak for all of them as I saw plenty groups of them on the beach last night. (I guess I shouldn’t complain – he’s been super-compliant with lockdown rules).

But he seemed so full of fear he wouldn’t even go to the front of the house. And his mental health looked to me to be the worse for it.

So I’ve been working on him gently – he can and should go out to meet a friend. He can and should be outside in the fresh air moving his body and feeling some joy. He can and should be socialising (at a distance of course – and he does know this).

So I told him I trust him and that on his return he needs to take off his outside clothes and get a shower – which he agreed to. I hope I’ve made the right decision, but it was good to see him smile!!

So many things to learn!

There’s always someone who comes up with a great new way of saying stuff which totally resonates – a new angle, more stuff you didn’t know.

You convince yourself you need to know this stuff – maybe you should sign up for the course that promises you the blueprint to uncover your hidden talents and teach them to the world, maybe you really don;t have the time to give to the course – or the money. Maybe you need to – maybe you don’t!

Do you find yourself listening to the experts and are left feeling this way – all those years of experience and you still don;t know quite enough? So many things to learn, so little time!!

Or (as they teach in the course) do you actually know enough right now to make a start – and maybe outsource some of the stuff you don’t need right now when you do need that stuff later on (how to set up a YouTube channel for one, in my case).

I’m on day 6 of a 7 day free course – and I feel like I’ve enough from that to get going. So that’s where I’m going to start – watch this space!!

Simple steps to a healthier, longer life

Today’s challenge was to write a headline which summaries what you do or what you offer. It sounds easy – but in practice, putting together those few little words which encapsulate it all? – hmmm.

So I tried –

My aim is to die healthy and old; I remember my second husband deriding my choice of dinner comprising a load of vegetables whilst he munched on fried chicken and fries – telling me I’d be the youngest looking corpse ever. Well ok – I’ll take that!

So we’re focusing on increased healthspan alongside a longer life – in other words staying health for the duration of our time in this lifetime. Personally I have no intention of spending my latter years trapped in a decrepit body with a fading brain. There are simple steps and lifestyle changes we can all make to dodge those ‘diseases of ageing’.

Do you want to live or just pass time?

It’s about uncovering and sharing the secrets of ageing slowly – very slowly. Since I left the world of dentistry I’ve done the research and the training – and I’m ready to share. It’s an evolving field – but I don’t want to leave it until I’m in my 80’s or 90’s to discover I really should have taken steps earlier – I’ve started already!

So how does this sound?

Simple steps to a healthier, longer life

My ideal client

Continuing the theme set over recent days where I have looked at my superpower in relation to what others see in me I have been considering who is my ideal client. Who would i like to work with and to achieve what?

Given that my personal passion is for health and fitness for a long and healthy life, my ideal client would have similar desires, but lack the skills and roadmap at this stage – probably where I was a few years ago. I had worked hard in a professional capacity and the bills had been more than adequately covered – but I felt stressed, trapped and ill.

After I sold the practice I had in my head that I was going to live to over 100 and be active the whole time – but it’s taken a lot of research, skill development and work to become clear and focused personally.

I offer a consultation to find out where you are on your personal journey and hook you up with a roadmap which will serve you on your journey towards your own increased healthspan and lifespan.

It’s all a work in progress, this life stuff..