My 2020 Story

Gym Buddies

Today the gyms reopened. The opportunity to workout at a venue seeing people you normally see in they gym. Actual people. Not just zoom ones. Though the same ones I’ve been seeing on Zoom daily were there.

I’m super-grateful for my Zoom gym-buddies. During the while of the last period of gym closure we’ve been turning up on Zoom and getting a workout done. It may not have been at the intensity we’d workout if we were in the room – but we’ve turned up and done it.

I’ve discovered that although I’m quite self motivated it’s so much better when you have people to whom you are accountable. Once you’ve committed to turn up to workout then you feel like you’re not just letting yourself down if you don’t show up, but all your Zoom buddies. And so it is again – those Zoom buddies became my gym buddies.

Love gym buddies.

Risk vs Benefit

There are all sorts of situations where advice is given out on the basis of whatever agenda the person giving the advice is following. I’ll use the example of HRT – Hormone Replacement Therapy – offered to women to relieve symptoms around the menopause years.

The overall opinion is that ‘most women’ enjoy a ‘better quality of life’ – and numerous health benefits are suggested. Conversely some possibility of increased susceptibility to other diseases is suggested but for the pro-HRT’ers these are played down. The overriding advice to women is to use HRT for a smoother transition through your 50’s.

Some contraindications are offered – it would be unwise not to offer these. Again, these are covered with broad ranging statements.

But for you, as an individual, are these broad statements – averages, general overviews applying to the average person – statistics, if you will – are they enough for you? Do you actually owe it to yourself to take your personal state into deeper account?

In every case there is a personal risk vs benefit consideration to be made – and that consideration is your responsibility. You are not average and your health is not a game of roulette.

Why No?

I’m often asked – as is the conversation of the day – have I had ‘my’ vaccine yet? – the Covid-19 one. When I say No – and further say that I won’t be having it I find the questioner is left not wanting to ask Why No?

I’m actually not certain why they don’t ask – perhaps they assume I must be a touch crazy – or maybe they couldn’t answer with certainty if I asked them why they are having it. I’m generally regarded as an intelligent human – with a degree in dentistry I’m no stranger to medical thinking. Perhaps they just don’t want their thinking challenged. Either way – I thought I’d write my reasoning in the form of a blog.

There are 2 main reasons why no – firstly the personal ones. I do all the right things to safeguard my health and keep my immune system in good shape – diet, exercise, sleep, meditation, mindset, supplements. I’m not high risk. If I was to do a personal risk:benefit analysis I have no doubt that for me, No is the correct answer.

Second the technology reasons. These vaccines are ‘new technology’ and are administered under ’emergency licence’- full testing will not be complete until 2023. Long term health risks may not appear for some time afterwards. I’ve seen correlations suggested between vaccination (general) and increased susceptibility to auto-immune disease: I already live with a controlled auto-immune disease – why risk another? Further there is a suggestion of increased chance of hyper-immune response (cytokine storm) when exposed to a coronavirus variant following vaccination. If I was to consider these factors in my personal risk:benefit analysis, then for me, No is the correct answer.

I appreciate everyone is different – their personal risk:benefit analysis may well have driven them to a different conclusion: and that is fine by me. Perhaps they are in a more susceptible group, perhaps their personal exposure to conditions where the virus is prevalent is high, perhaps they just feel safer being vaccinated.

Do what is right for you. For me it’s a No.

In the Open

For Crossfit people ‘The Open’ is a chance to pit your fitness against others worldwide.

What is great about this is that I get to compare myself with ladies of my age – I’m the oldest in my gym by a good 15 years. Age does make a difference.

There are 3 weeks of workouts- one released each week – you do the workout and submit the score. Verification of your score is via a judge in the Crossfit gym where you do the workout – or via submitting a video of the workout. This year has been a little different of course with many more worldwide having to do the workouts in unusual conditions with no access to their regular environments, equipment or support structure.

So this is week 3. So far I’m number 6 in the UK in my age group. I want to be in the top 10% to get to the next round – so far so good.

Today’s workout was thrusters, front squats and toes-to-bar, pullups/ chest to bar. Then a 1RM for a combo of deadlift, clean, hang clean and jerk. All without being on a bar or barbell consistently for the last year. Hey ho.

Overall – not too bad, could maybe have been better. My video has come out in mirrored effect – maybe it’s a sign – redo Monday!!

For more about me and my yoga stuff go here – https://innerstrengthyoga.co.uk

The coughing man

Let me make this clear to begin – when I say ‘running’ it’s more of a slow jog – but the intention is there!

Yesterday I went for a short run. Sunny day, bit of wind, decent conditions. I’m not a big fan so all things have to be in place before I step out of the door.

So running along a country pathway – a bit wider than the one in the picture with no trees. Coming towards me at some distance away there’s a middle aged couple walking towards me with a medium sized dog. As I approached (at maybe 50m away) the woman picked up the dog and turned her back on the pathway – right at the edge. The man, some few metres in front of me, simply glared as I approached – and as I got to about 5m away started his best, loudest, obviously fake cough.

The coughing man needed not say any more. His fear was palpable – stay away oh infected runner his actions screamed. What are we coming to?

If you ‘d like to know more about Inner Strength Yoga then get in touch via my website here – https://innerstrengthyoga.co.uk

Hidden gems

A year of being home – a year of walking around the local area. How many hidden gems have you come across?

Are you noticing the beauty of the changing seasons, the direction of the wind, the songs of the birds? Has the past year brought more than you expected? Or do you yearn for the return of travel to distant shores?

On a recent walk I came across this little gem – a ruined folly hidden on a hill and surrounded by trees. Years of neglect and no doubt some of the stones taken for local builds it as all that remains of a castle built with the sole purpose of hosting a party way back when the local lords lived at the Great Hall.

This area is rich in history – and so many hidden gems lie within. Have you fallen in love with where you live?

Living Now

The past has gone – it’s lessons learned. The future is yet to come – it will be what it is. The present is all we have.

Perhaps obvious – perhaps an impossible dream. Have those lessons from the past actually been learned? If not, in my experience, they tend to repeat and repeat until they have made an impact. Repeating the same patterns and expecting a different outcome is indeed the definition of madness!

The key to not living in the past, harbouring emotions relating to the past, is acknowledging those lessons and letting go of unwanted emotions relating to them. The past is gone – it can’t continue to hurt.

They key to letting to future infold in its own time is a different skill altogether. Our busy mind loves to imagine all possible consequences from whatever scenario we a currently in. Influenced by our own past experiences, whatever is going on in the media around us, our fears, our hopes, our expectations generally. They say we attract what we believe in lost strongly – perhaps we do, perhaps we don’t – perhaps we are travelling a pre-written path.

Letting go of the past and the future is difficult. But recognising that the now – this very moment – is all we actually have: that is where life is.

The ageing athlete

I’ve been reading a few blogs, social media posts and direct emails lately about the subject of the effect of ageing on the body – with particular reference to those who exercise (who we will loosely call athletes). The general theme being that the writers claim to have found the elixir of life and with a prescription of the right sort of exercise have successfully defeated the ageing process in their own bodies.

That’s all very well, of course – because exercise is most certainly one of the keys to a long and healthy life – arguably reversing some of the signs of ageing. My issue with the vast majority of these posts are that the writers are very often in their 30’s at most.

From where I’m standing people who have taken reasonable care of their body into their 30’s are barely in a position to call themselves ‘ageing’ – athletes or otherwise. Maybe they’ve passed their optimal competitive age – but someone in their mid 30’s has barely scratched the surface of the ageing process.

For a coach who wishes to speak with authority about the effects of ageing on an athlete I would prefer if they had lived through a few more decades and were still able to compete or perform at a higher-than-average level. Leading by example. Maybe it’s just perspective of course.

Feels like summer

Isn’t it amazing how much better you feel when the weather warms up and the evenings are a little lighter!

Today was one of those days – a walk into town to meet a friend and a wander to the beach. With the schools now open there are definitely less people on the beaches than over recent weeks.

The coffee shops are open for takeaways – coffee and cake felt just right. The seats overlooking the beach were already occupied – so we headed down to the sand. Shoes off, feet in the sand. Coffee and cake in hand. Sheltered from the breeze. This is more like it.

Today it feels like summer – or at least it’s on the way!

Stranded – In real life

For the last year my yoga classes have streamed from home – the lounge, kitchen and conservatory – even the garden on occasion. We have, for the most part, been stranded in our own homes. In May I’m hosting my first Yoga event in Whitley Bay!

Whenever I’ve been to the beach lately it has felt almost crowded with people taking walks when they would otherwise be out shopping, and cafes or pubs. It has felt like my once-quiet beach is no longer a refuge.

I did manage one Stranded event back in September 2020 when the venue was open with restrictions, and that was a delight. The next one, however, has a different feel.

Stranded – Yoga at the Island will take place on May 20th – a Thursday. The tide covers at 8:30 am and remains covered until 11:30am. So a weekday instead of a Sunday. The joy in anticipation of a few hours with no-one but a few fellow peace-seekers on this lovely island. Some lovely Dru Yoga and relaxation. I don’t even care if it’s just me! I’m so excited to have the prospect of being Stranded in real life!