My 2020 Story

Baking day

Well it passes the time – and even if it is biscuits it makes it feel healthier than shop food because you know what went into it…

I wonder how many of us have dusted down our recipe books and revisited skills of old – and how many of us are us will be inclined to continue the joy of baking once we all ‘get back to normal’ ?

My partner and I had a team bake-in and made cheese and onion pie, bread, dark chocolate cookies (some of which ended up as oreo style biscuits) and banana bread. This after the day before I had make an apple and rhubarb crumble.

It’s a good thing I do my daily crossfit workouts!!

Bulkhacker

Sometime last week I was approached by Bulkhackers bloggers to provide an interview about talking about my story and how I improved myself inside and outside the gym, how I started out, how I train, how I eat and much more.

They say “The stories we share provides great, specific hacks for improving your training, your fitness and your health. When you read the interviews, you learn directly from the best people from all over the world.”

I am happy to report that today that interview has been published and you can read my fitness story here: https://www.bulkhackers.com/amanda-cartner/

What do you think?

I’d love to hear you feedback about my story!

Staying motivated

Being used to training in the Crossfit environment you are accustomed to working out with others – going through the same pain together and cheering each other on. Working out at home isn’t quite the same!

I hope to get through this period of isolation without loosing too much of my hard-earned fitness. I’d consider myself to be pretty good at self-motivating, but unless I have a program to follow daily I find it just too hard to get moving.

As it turns out there’s quite a few of us who feel the same way about our training – so a few of us have got together and made a commitment to meet daily online and do the programmed workouts together. I’m loving it! – so much better to be committed and not want to let anyone down.

Now I am more optimistic about the possibility of returning to the gym with a reasonable level of fitness intact 🙂

Running

I hate running – it makes me sad. But in this time of isolation when I’m scarcely leaving the house and definitely not getting enough steps in I felt drawn to the idea..

I’m doing crossfit workouts 5 or 6 times a week plus yoga on most days (including my Zoom classes that I’m offering), so not exactly a total couch potato. But there’s something different aout moving the way your body was designed to move – walking and running tick that box.

So on with the running shoes and off we set – my partner, my son and myself – for our inaugural jog around the estate. I know I said run – but, slow jog is where it’s at.

Verdict? – not too bad and will be repeating. Body felt pretty good during and after: Not in a fitness sense – but more in a movement sense. This must be the surprise of the lockdown!!

Face yoga

After a lot of consideration I am today working on putting together a Face Yoga course. Yesterday I wrote a blog giving my background – I was a dentist for 30 years and offered facial aesthetics for over 10 years. I am now a yoga teacher and a massive advocate of healthy living and biohacking.

In the Face yoga series I will talk about how the principles of yoga can translate into Face Yoga. I will offer an overview of how the face ages and how you can combat that at various stages of your life. I will also discuss some of the concepts of facial ageing – including the ageing triangle, the effects of lifestyle choices and the importance of prevention.

I will discuss how I would have approached facial restoration as an aesthetician and how this can be related to face yoga as well as how dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle treatments might fit into the picture. This will include a look at skin quality, an overview of cosmetics and cosmeceuticals, face shape, symmetry – and the topic of fine lines and wrinkles.

I will also discuss the keys for a healthy lifestyle which influence ageing generally – as well as the face of course.

Of course you will be offered face exercises, breathing techniques and relaxation – as you would expect from a face yoga course.

Watch this space for details – as well as my website http://www.innerstrengthyoga.co.uk

My Life Vantage Story

I’m Amanda – I graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in Dental Surgery in 1986. For 30 years I worked in the NHS – most of that time in my own single-handed dental practice.

Over the years I had the opportunity to observe the changes in people as they aged. Some who aged well and others who didn’t – some who took care of their health (and their teeth) and some who delegated their care to the professionals. I watched as those who tripped to the doctor with one single complaint often ended up, some years later, on a whole list of medication.

It seemed obvious to me that whether it was general health or that of our teeth, that prevention is better than cure.

Life Vantage found me in 2016 just as I was selling the practice. I was introduced to the nrf2 product and my first reaction was ‘this can’t be true’ – reducing oxidative stress by 40% in 30 days. I knew oxidative stress (free radical) were implicated in virtually every disease. Bring it on! I ordered, signed up – and did a lot of reading. I can only recommend things I can properly vouch for.

The research added up – independently done and published studies – very rare for what is a nutritional supplement. I was hooked!

I hope that the current situation ( the human race is under threat from a virus) will encourage people to invest in their health – that more people will begin to take responsibility for the way their body responds to stress. I hope they will want to seek ways to boost their inner strength through better personal care – including considering looking into this wonderful product range.

http://amanda.uk.lifevantage.com/

Meditation in movement

I’m often saying that Dru yoga, with its soft and flowing movements, can be described as meditation in movement.

Meditation, for me, means achieving a change of state whereby the mind and body flow together. The connection in yoga comes from the breath – moving in time with the breath, paying attention to the details of the breath and the movement – so that the breath and movement happen together: sending the energy of the breath around the body. This is yoga – connection of mind and body using the breath. Mindfully.

Dru yoga is often offered a flowing sequences which are simple and comfortable for the body. Performed with the fullness of the breath that elusive state of changed consciousness may be acheived.

Dru yoga is meditation in movement. Happy days.

Saxophone

This saxophone has been lying in my cupboard for more years than I care to mention. A few times I have picked it up with the vague intention to learn to play it. Disheartened by the effort in the face and lips to make the embrasure and the inability to maintain a consistent sound then having to exhale before inhaling mid-tune I have given up an equal number of times!

So out the box it came a few weeks ago – and back into my online course I bought some time ago. Oddly this time seems easier – for sure I remembered many of the notes as I worked through the lessons, I’m managing to blow without distress to my lips and face in general and my breathing has bee totally fine.

Why the change?

I’m attributing it to yoga – lately I’ve been focusing on deep, consistent breathing – using the diaphragm deliberately and fully. No issues with the breath, far better breath control, no dizziness due to holding and forcing out a breath.

So maybe soon I’ll be able to post me playing an actual tune!

Purple tulips

It’s interesting, isn’t it, how you can miss stuff when you’re rushing around from one place to the next. I’m great a buying stuff for the garden – plenty bulbs and seeds to plant. But realistically every year they just get thrown into a pot and forgotten about – never taking the time to watch them grow and admire their beauty as they bloom.

This year it’s different. I’ve watered them and watched them stretch out to the sun, I’ve shielded them from the potential harmful effects of having my son’s basketball land on them. And daily I admire their beauty and form as they sit in the pot in the sunny corner of my garden.

Purple tulips – it’s great to have time to admire their charm.

Broken mode

The car – not me. It’s been on the drive for the last 4 weeks – possibly more, don’t think I used it much before the isolation period.

Yesterday I decided to take the car out for a run – should’ve been fine, you’d think. But apparently not! – within a couple of minutes all the lights are shining and flashing like a Christmas tree. Engine check, get it looked at asap it’s shouting at me! No oomph under the accelerator, just a limp tootling along.

I’m hoping it’s just a bit of dust settled under the glow plugs – or whatever it was the manual suggested the flashing light meant. I’m guessing it will need some sort of computer reset before it will respond to any movement requests.

Lesson – don’t leave the car on the drive too long!!