You CAN find joy within your workout, as long as you find the right workout for you.
Getting fitter and staying fit has many positive benefits, it’s the starting that can be the tricky thing if you’ve had a break for a while.
The key thing for me is that I have to do something I love and feel a real connection with the people I’m training with.
After all, life is short and if you don’t enjoy a workout maybe, you’ve just not found the right one yet??
Having qualified as a PT, founded and ran my own fitness and lifestyle business for almost a decade, I know just how much benefit you can get from a good workout, mentally, physically and emotionally. It’s also magical to see your clients feel the same.
The winter often has a negative impact on people’s schedules for keeping fit. The cold weather and dark nights can demoralise the best of us and have us snuggled up on the couch next to the fire indoors, however I’m going to share some tips on springing back into action and getting back into your exercise routine.
Whether you are starting again or continuing on with your activities, now is a great time to increase your fitness activities. If you are training outdoors the fresh air will do you good and re-energise your winter lull.
It is fantastic now the mornings are brighter and the evenings are longer, it certainly makes a huge difference being outside in the open air. If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I love my early morning stomp in the Devon Lanes.
The Digme Studio Experience – Anytime. Anywhere.
March 2020 and as if you need reminding, Lockdown happened. We were all working and working out from home and became spoilt for choice with instructors taking their business online. Digme On Demand has kept me going since then, with over 100 Live classes & On Demand workouts each week, including Cycle, HIIT, Strength, Run, Yoga, Breathwork, Walk classes with their world class instructors.
I found Digme Fitness with huge thanks to Mr Ben Shepherd and his instagram live workouts he was doing with Ben Davies. Ben is the head coach at Digme and I loved joining in with their Challenges each week during that crazy Spring / Summer of 2020. Thank you Mr Shephard! So much fun and banter – I miss it!
I discovered that within 48 hours of the UK going into National Lockdown, the Digme crew and their incredible instructors turned their business entirely online. Hurrah! Living in Devon, it’s not possible to travel to their London Studios but it IS possible to feel apart of the Digme Family.
There are fabulous motivational challenges with that extra power boost that only the Digme community can bring, so whatever your schedule and whatever your health and fitness goals, you’ll certainly be catered for. These challenges are certainly helping me on my Mission 50 for DKMS; my Mission to raise £50,000 for the blood cancer charity DKMS. during my 50th year.
At Digme there really is something for everyone..
From the studio to online so there are no excuses you really can do something for your kind and body at any time of day.
Workouts I love:
Ride (Spin)
Meta HiTT
Yoga
Breath Work
Run Club
If you’re thinking, right enough is enough, it’s time to start moving more, then I totally recommend Digme Fitness.
How to get the spring back into your step, so you find the joy in your workout..
Start with easy short-term goals, but keep it fun, otherwise you risk quick burnout. Ease into your training if it has been a while because your body and mind need some time to adjust.
It doesn’t matter what you are into whether it’s running, yoga, spin, boxing or just a walk around the block or a bike ride with the children – the most important thing is getting back out there and enjoying the lighter nights.
Start with small bursts and increase your training every week. Choose challenging activities that will give you a buzz and as you progress each week you will soon start looking and feeling better.
Whatever you choose in order to move more, your mind and body really will thank you for it. I hope these tips help you find the joy in your workout and that I’ll see you in a Digme class soon!
On the day that traditionally is the Monday in January when people feel more sad, I’m sharing my simple and effective ways to stop the Blues. Do you have the Blues this January? It’s not uncommon.
Some people call today Blue Monday but this year it seems it’s taking some of us longer to get over the January blues.
Why is that?
Christmas and all the festivities that come with it is over..
New Year has been celebrated and the Champagne corks have been tidied along with several trips to the bottle bank!!
You may still even be finding pine needles!
Normality (whatever that is!) has resumed!
It’s cold and dark and although we’ve had a dry winter, summer seems a long way off. Oh and then to top it all off your friendly postie arrives with some bills!
No more ‘happy” post filling our letter boxes but those hideous brown envelopes informing us we need to pay the bills.
Darn it – everything was happy and smiley and we forgot reality for a while. Yes this week is a week when many of us feel a bit blue!
‘No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world’
robin williams
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a recognised condition. It’s also known as Winter Depression, winter blues, summer depression, summer blues or seasonal depression.. a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms during the winter or summer…
So no, you are not going mad if you feel a bit blue this week..
Join in the conversation on Instagram or Facebook and link in with this weeks Mission to help combat those blues.
What’s your plan of attack this January..?
Are you feeling overwhelmed, not sure where to start?
Maybe you’ve had so many big ideas this New Year that this year was going to be different to last year and maybe the year before that, but it’s all fallen a bit flat?
If you’d like a helping hand with your Missions this year, I’d love to help. Visit my Instagram or join my free Facebook Group “Mission HQ” for this weeks Mission and where you can join the conversation.
‘Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look’
Jodi picoult
Here are my top tips to stop the Blues this January and help you feeling a little bit brighter again.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s OK to have a good cry or feel a bit rubbish sometimes, it’s how you deal with it that counts.
Talk to loved ones and good friends, it’s OK to be vulnerable and share how you are feeling.
Be kind to yourself, holistically. Self care goes a long way especially at this time of year.
My Free Consistency Checklist is a tool to help you keep track of your progress each day. Be consistent with your actions; stay hydrated, eat fresh foods and make sure you get plenty of sleep and you’ll be amazed with the difference it makes.
Get outside in the fresh air..
You might be reading this when there is possibly a howling gale going on outside and snow might even be forecast but wear the right clothes are you will feel better for it. Honest, even if it’s a quick trip around the block!
Get some Vitamin D in you!
We all know that vitamin D is essential for maintenance of teeth and bone health. It does this by supporting the incorporation of calcium and reducing the loss of calcium from the teeth and bone structure. But did you know that if your vitamin D levels are low, you can feel blue?
A way to boost your vitamin D and your immune system, especially in winter when there is not much sun around is to do so with a Vitamin D supplement. I love these ones.
Light Therapy.
Light helps relieve the blue feeling also, although there is not much light around at the moment. Something else you can try is an investment in a Dawn Alarm Clock..
There are lots on the market, with lots of different price tags! However, they have been proved to be very effective and an 85% better response than using bright light therapies.
They work by waking you up with a gradual brightening light – helping you feel alert and energised all day. The light cues your body to produce more cortisol, setting a sleep and wake cycle which aids early mornings and beating those winter blues.
* A study in 2012 showed that patents who used dawn alarm clock experienced improvement during the first week and increased results throughout several weeks.
Most studies have found the dawn alarm clocks most effective seasonally as opposed to all year round, until frequent natural light exposure is naturally obtained. i.e. the clocks go back and spring has sprung!
Avery D.
Interesting don’t you think?
Finally, if the blues don’t seem to be going away, please don’t be afraid of seeking professional help, You don’t have to deal with them on your own.
The moon and the sun this evening at The RingFeeder – a view that always makes me smile. The beautiful South Hams, Devon at it’s best.
Before I go, here’s a quick fix you can do right now, so stop what you’re doing and give these a try!
* Scribble a list of all the things that make you smile.. * Stick on a top tune and dance around the kitchen. Feel free to check out my playlists on Spotify * Look through a photo album of a fun summer holidays and plan another. * Release those feel-good endorphins!
Whatever your Mission this year, this January, be sure that by trying these quick little tips, will help do a little something to keep the Blues this January at bay. .
Escaping into a beautiful book – bliss.
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ll know that my “go to” treat to cheer me up is a walk in the great outdoors, flowers, candles and of course hugs from my family too.. Guaranteed to make me smile every time and they are calorie free too 😉
I’d love top know what you are doing to stop the blues this January. Let me know in the comments.
Wishing you a very Happy Monday,
PS Remember you can find some free organisational tools that will help reduce overwhelm and help you feel more in control.
* (Avery, D. H.; Eder, D. N.; Bolte, M. A.; Hellekson, C. J.; Dunner, D. L.; Vitiello, M. V.; Prinz, P. N. (2001). “Dawn simulation and bright light in the treatment of SAD: A controlled study”.Biological psychiatry 50 (3): 205“216) (The Can-SAD Study: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of Light Therapy and Fluoxetine in Patients with Winter Seasonal Affective Disorder”.American Journal of Psychiatry163 (5): 805“812.
** Woman on a Mission will occasionally contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase from an affiliate site, then I may make a very small commission from that purchase but this will not cost you anything additional at all. Any sponsored posts will be noted as such but as always I only include products that I truly love and I will always be 100% authentic.
It’s January 2022. How are you reflecting on the last 12 months? It’s certainly been a turbulent time – many highs and lows. The week between Christmas and New Year is often a time where we sit and reflect on the year. However for me, this is best done when the decorations are down, teens have gone back to school and there is a little space to breathe.
I’d love you to make time to sit and reflect in a cosy spot this week with a mug of something lovely and your favourite journal or notebook. I’ll be guiding you through a simple yet powerful way to reflect in order to feel empowered moving into this next year.
Firstly, before we delve in, I really want to share my gratitude to each and everyone of you who have subscribed and read my blog, followed along on my instagram and social channels. Every comment and message has been fabulous. I’m excited to be sharing more with you over the next year. I truly believe 2022 is going to been to remember don’t you?
“Life’s not about expecting, hoping and wishing, it’s about doing, being and becoming.”
There are two main questions I’d love you to consider whilst reading this post.
What is the biggest thing you have learned about yourself this year?
What will you be reflecting on this time next year?
Don’t worry; you won’t need to answer them right now!
Things are different today. Uncertain.
We have woken up every day for almost two years trying to digest the enormity of what is happening in the world around us..
We’ve baked, created, home schooled, worked out in the garden, worked from home, even finished jigsaws and so much more but have we actually taken the time to scribe and put on down paper how this decade has affected us to date?
If us grown-ups find it hard to comprehend, how do our children even begin to take it all in..?
I’ve always been a big fan of journaling – it helps free the mind, especially at the end of the year, as we start a brand new one. Taking the time to reflect, acknowledge what you’ve achieved and how you feel about everything is key. It’s often as we do this, we appreciate there are probably way more successes that you first imagined.
“Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions.”
tony robbins
I’m going to invite you to journal about last year…
Sounds scary – it’s not trust me. I’m sharing a format with you I’ve used for years with my coaching clients and also with my children. It’s simple but effective. Grab a comfy spot and let’s dig in!
WINS – what have been the highlights of your year
I wonder if you’ve taken time to celebrate each Win as it’s happened, without flying onto the next thing?
It’s easy to forget all that comes with a win, the lead up, the effort taken to get there.
At times a BIG win can be an anticlimax so it’s important to STOP and take a moment to celebrate! Write each win down and if you’ve not celebrate yet… take a moment to consider how you will acknowledge your achievements of last year, no matter how big or how small. A win is a win!
STRUGGLES – what been you been struggling with..
There have been so many struggles we’ve had to deal with individually and as a Nation over the last year. each one of us has a different experience. But you’re here, you got through it and are that much stronger because of it.
Use this time to journal your reflection on what exactly you struggled specifically with and with that in mind, what you might need to let go of this forthcoming year.
LESSONS – what have you learned from the wins and struggles..
Putting the Wins and Struggles together..
Often we can put emotion into an event or a time line but when able to reflect back this way, you’ll always be able to see there will be something you can take forward.
Looking back without emotion, we can see events clearer, enabling us to learn from any event or even a whole year.
“It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.”
paulo coelho
Wherever you decide to journal and document your review or thoughts about last year, make sure you’re warm, cosy and have a drink to hand xx
Remember those questions I asked you to consider whilst reading this post?
What is the biggest thing you have learned about yourself this year?
Finally, how can you plan to make this forthcoming day and year even better?
What will you be reflecting on this time next year?
I love this quote from Judy Garland and think it would be wonderful if we all lived by it, don’t you?
“Well, we have a whole new year ahead of us. And wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all be a little more gentle with each other, a little more loving, and have a little more empathy, and maybe, next year at this time we’d like each other a little more.”
judy garland
Let me know how you get on with the Reflection. You may even want to do this with your family and friends.
Please share this post with anyone you think would love it too..
This blog is all about you! Let’s explore how to make your dreams come true by answering some simple questions.
Let’s discover what’s holding you back and how you can make that first move to unlocking the life you want.
If not now, then when? Grab a cuppa, your journal and a comfy spot – let’s go in!
If you were to write a list right now about what you would like your life to look like, what would be on it?
Take 5 minutes (or as long as you wish) to write down in your journal or notebook, everything you’d LOVE to be doing.
Don’t over think it.
Consider it almost like a wish list. You don’t need to think how it will happen, just simply what you would like your life to look like..
Sounds simple doesn’t it?
‘Rather than stifling enterprise, the pandemic has led to entrepreneurs creating new businesses in response to the crisis’
Dylan Jones-Evans, Business Live
These last 20 months have thrown our worlds upside down and inside out. The way we live, work and travel have all changed.
Face to face interviews for jobs became a 10 minute video submission to the panel sharing what you could bring to the company.
We worked from home, our childrens classrooms became the dining room table and we spent more time than ever online, connecting, communicating and evolving.
More than ever, we have become a world where we have had to adapt and craete a new way of living.
For many people I’ve had spoken to, it has bought a conversation of what has worked well for them during these strange times.
People have shared with me that they’ve felt that working from home has been better for them as the commuting times are non existant, therefore improving their quality of life. For some, it’s given them the nudge they needed to create their dream business or structure their home life balance a little better.
With this in mind what’s on your wishlist?
Maybe you’d like to start your own business.
Adopt.
Move the the country.
Write a book.
Overcome your biggest fear.
Find your body confidence..
Renovate a room in your home or maybe build your own home.
Whatever made your wish list, NOW is the time.
ASK YOURSELF: What’s holding you back from making your dreams a reality?
You may already know.
Perhaps you are thinking “nothing is holding me back” but don’t have exact clarity on where to start.
That’s OK.
Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.
Imagine..
Imagine the thermometer in your home.
Set it to 21 degrees, guess what? Your home becomes a gorgeous 21 degrees – no more, no less.
Imagine if you set your personal thermometer to HIGH. You removed all the worry, self limiting beliefs and behaved that your wish had already become true.
What would you be doing?
What would your day look like?
What would you be wearing, feeling, saying?
Once you know the answers to these simple questions, you can start to make your dreams become true.
Really knowing what you’d like your life to look like and actually visualise, right down to the nitty gritty, what it would look like, that’s when the magic starts to happen1
Be bold, be brave and go for it!
”Happiness Is Not Something Readymade. It Comes From Your Own Actions.”
Dalai lama
More than anything, these last couple of years have taught us that nothing is certain and whilst that can be really scary. In some form it’s exciting..
Now really is the time to go for it.. make that jump, live that dream, because if not now – when?
It’s OK to make YOU a priority and create the live you wish to have.
I’d love to know how your attitudes and passions have changed. Please do join me on Instagram, where the conversation continues, with inspirational weekly mini missions which help you make life changes so your dreams come true.
Today, I am going ask you to set a reminder to yourself to take one positive action a day and give yourself permission to check in on yourself each day – take just a few moments maybe whilst the kettle is boiling or whilst you clean your teeth…
There’s no doubt these last few months have been very strange, stressful, heartbreaking, unsettling and so much more.. I was delighted to have been asked by Nicky at InsideOut recently to share some thoughts about bringing a little positivity your way as part of her blog series, and so I thought I would share them with you too.
Firstly, how are you? Really?
We ask this question all the time but do we listen, truly and wholeheartedly to the answer? Both when we ask ourselves and when we ask others?
Do you ask yourself how you are and have regular checkins with yourself?
Charlie Mackesy has captured the nations hearts during the Pandemic, putting into words and images what many of us have felt..
I can almost hear you say, “I barely have time to catch my breath, let alone ask myself how I am and act on it!” It’s only natural to feel overwhelm, anxiety and utter distress, when we are faced with difficult situations; illness, job loss, financial difficulties – it’s exhausting, becomes your every thought and it’s possible to feel like you’re going to be stuck feeling like this forever..
What you are feeling, it WILL get better.
With some self nurturing and support from others, we can gradually change our thought patterns and in turn, slowly but surely, start to feel a little better..
“Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest.”
Beatrix Potter
How can we start to shift that mindset? Lockdown, working from home, home schooling (or emergency schooling as I heard someone call it last week!) isn’t easy – we all know that – it’s busy! So I’m going to suggest focusing on achieving just ONE positive action a day.. just one.
Why?
By doing this, in turn, you’ll feel brighter, have more energy, sleep better and more importantly, feel better about yourself and the situation we are all in.. I’m not promising that by tomorrow morning, you’ll feel on top of the world, but day by day, step by step, small but intentional, positive actions will shift those patterns of thinking and overwhelm.
When you’re thinking about which positive actions to do, break it down into little areas and ask;
What one positive action can I take for my health today?
What one positive action can I take for my family, partner, children, work colleague or neighbour today?
What one positive action can I do for my garden today?
What one positive action can I do for my home today?
What one positive action can do I for ME today?
Mark Twain that said, “Dance like nobody’s watching; love like you’ve never been hurt. Sing like nobody’s listening; live like it’s heaven on earth.
Mark Twain
Some ideas:
Put on your favourite track and turn it up loud! Sounds crazy I know, but music, can lift the mood and make us feel uplifted.
Plant some bulbs in a pot and enjoy watching them grow on your window sill. My snowdrops started peaking through a week or so ago and it really does make me feel that spring and lighter, warmer days are on the horizon.
Find a new walk where you live that you haven’t done before and commit to doing it at least once a week, rain or shine.
Do you have a room in your house that needs attention and despite Lockdown, you close the door and put off doing anything about it? (or is that just me!) Why not try a #powerofanhour or half an hour and get started? It’s not always fun to start, but often getting started is the hardest right? Read more about how beneficial the #powerofanhour is here.
When our bodies are stressed, the last thing it needs sometimes is additional stress, yet exercise can really help those feel good endorphins rise and that “YES! I did it!” factor of a workout (afterwards!) is great.. However, it’s not all about getting a “sweat on”, yoga, pilates or simply stretching for 10 minutes can also have great benefits too.
Journal – there are days that are fabulous and there are days that aren’t so, but try documenting down three things each day that you are grateful for. No matter how bad things are, there will always be something within your day that you can be grateful for (I don’t mean that patronisingly at all) Trust me I’ve had some pretty low days in my time and sometimes it’s only too easy to get stuck in a rut of negativity. Try this for a week, you’ll shift your state of mind and refocus your purpose.
There are hundreds of apps out there that can help you too including Headspace, Mind Detox and Gaia are all favourites of mine.
“Your now is not your forever”
I love this quote, its a reminder that the rubbish times and also the good times won’t last forever and that the way you are feeling right now shall also pass too.
I really hope these tips for bringing a little positivity to the situation we find ourselves in help you.
I’ve created some planners which I find really useful in keeping me focused and organised which you can find right here.
I hope they will give you a little inspiration so that you can create a feeling of being more in control and less overwhelmed so that you can concentrate on the things that are most important to you. I’d love to know which one is your favourite and which ones you’ll be trying out.
Feel free to share in the comments your thoughts and also what has helped you during the last 12 months.
Start with easy short-term goals, but keep it fun, otherwise you risk quick burnout. Ease into your training if it has been a while because your body and mind need some time to adjust. 
