Category: Fitness

Healthy Life Balance

Well hello there. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I had about an hour to do some blogging a few weeks ago, but then I couldn’t remember my password. Such is the current state of my brain! Teaching can be a really demanding job (Don’t worry, this isn’t a ‘woe is me, teaching is the hardest profession ever’ post!) but it’s a job that I love. Right now, it’s taking a lot of my time, and it doesn’t leave a lot of time for anything else at the moment.

We have been walking, doing a few stretches of the Thames path, but work has been the main focus of my life. This won’t last forever. As exam season approaches, I will have less classes to plan for and mark, so I will start to have more free time to blog, relax and generally live my life again!

As result, I’m starting to think of how to make my life have a healthier balance. Back at the beginning of the year, I decided to make my diet healthier and eat a more wholefood, plant based diet. When we started eating this way, I had loads of energy, lost some weight and had a good understanding about what was going into my body. But it is a lot of work! While we still eat a generally plant based diet, we aren’t eating as well as we should be. So, over the next few weeks, I’m going to try and make a concerted effort over the next few weeks to get a few more recipes and get back on track. I know I’ll feel brighter when I do, and I’m hoping that it’ll help for when I’m walking.

The ThamesRecently, I’ve being having pain in my knees and back, which means that, funnily, walking Poppy isn’t enough exercise to keep my hypermobility in check. Full disclosure, I’m not even doing my back stretches. So I’ve decided to join a Pilates class, get some strength going in these old bones and maybe, just maybe, it’s time to start going back to the gym. As Poppy goes to daycare a few days a week, she doesn’t need walking when I pick her up. I need to move more. At the moment, I’m getting out breath, walking Poppy while drinking a coffee in my Keep Cup! It’s definitely time to kick things up a notch.

I’ve decided to revamp my work out gear, including getting a new sports bra, and am toying with the idea of getting a FitBit watch, as opposed to the one I wear on my bra, so I can keep track of my fitness and hope that it motivates me to hit the gym. I’m not looking to be an athlete or anything, I just want to make sure that my life has a bit more balance to it. If I can plough half as much energy into being fit and healthy as I have into writing courses for school, then I should be running marathons in no time!

Hydrotherm Massage at Utopia Beautique

For me, there’s nothing more relaxing than a bit of pampering. If I want some ‘me’ time or need to relax, then a back massage is what I go for. I’m a huge fan of Fawsley Hall, but it’s not close to where I live so I need to find somewhere good that is within a walk or short drive from home. Nothing tenses my shoulders up more than traffic! I’ve tried a couple of places in Abingdon, but nothing really suited me. Thinking about where to do, I realised that I’d never been to Utopia Beautique, despite having lived in Abingdon for years. I had a quick look on their website to see if a back massage was on offer, which is was, and contacted them for a suitable appointment during half term and to find out if their products were suitable for vegans. I secured an appointment and the products Utopia use are suitable for vegans. Fantastic!

Utopia beautique Abingdon Hydrotherm massage I’ve had a number of back massages but this was the first time that I lay on my back for my massage. There were two water filled cushions on the table, which I lay on and they were warmed to body temperature. I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first, because I didn’t think it would be possible to apply enough pressure to my back, neck and shoulders if I was lying on my back, but thought I’d give it a go.

I’m glad I did. While it was different and took a little while to get used to, it was a much more gentle approach. I can tell when a masseur gets to my shoulders and feels the humungous knots in them. Usually, they go to town on my shoulders, which in lots of cases, means my shoulders can be painful for a few days after. Not exactly the result you want. However, this did not happen at Utopia. While the masseur could feel the knots, because I was on my back, she dealt with them in a different, more gentle way. It was so relaxing and my shoulders felt relaxed and stress free, without any discomfort. I can heartily recommend it and would definitely go back the next time my shoulders are up around my ears!

The Importance of self care

So I’m back after a bit of a blogging hiatus. Things got pretty busy for a while there, between work, redecorating and getting sick so something had to take a back seat. It wasn’t planned, just unavoidable, and I did let the busyness get to me. I forgot how important it is to take time out for myself. I’ve been down that road before and it didn’t end well. As a result, this post is a little note to myself, a reminder to take care of myself, that’s its just as important as any job or chore that’s on my to do list.

  1. Make time for myself. I know, I know, this sounds ridiculous. How can you ‘make time’ for anything, especially if you’ve got an ever increasing list of things to do, which is probably pretty much everyone I know. But it is important because it can make you feel better, give you a more positive outlook on what’s going on and help you feel more organized and in control, which for me, helps reduce my anxiety. For example, I like to do a diy manicure/pedicure once a week. Nothing fancy, I don’t even have to paint them, though that’s lovely to do too. I used to do this religiously when I was less busy and it was simply part of my routine, but a lot of the time, it’s something that gets pushed down the list and doesn’t get done. It’s not the end of the world, but not doing it often means I don’t feel as in control as I could and I often feel like I’ve myself down a bit. I therefore need to make sure I prioritise this kind of thing and do it on a Friday evening and not leave it until the last moment on a Sunday, when I’m too tired to do it. I need to make sure I’m higher up on my list of priorities.

Self care

  1. Do something I love. I usually try to leave school reasonably promptly on a Friday, just to avoid getting caught up in rush hour traffic, though it doesn’t always work out that I can. A few weeks ago, I managed to do this. There were lots of things that I could’ve done, lots of urgent things on my to do list, but instead, I ran a hot bath, dropped in a gorgeous Lush bath bomb and lounged about in the bath for over an hour, watching Scandal & Grey’s Anatomy on my iPad. It was bliss! It was the perfect antidote to everything that was going on and I felt sooooo much better for it. It didn’t cost much (I always try to have a selection of bath bombs on hand) and it meant that I could put the week behind me and be in my jammies and on the sofa when I was done. It was just what I needed and I must remember to do this more often. I need to get out in the fresh air and walk. I need to veg out in front of my favourite film and do nothing. I need to lay on the sofa reading a decent book. Anything that’s not work or jobs.
  2. Junk food is not my friend. When I get busy and tired, I want to cook less than normal. So instead of healthy home cooked meals from scratch, it’s oven chips and beans or takeaway. Instead of a healthy, vegetable packed lunch made at home, it’s a white bread sandwich with crisps that repeats on me all afternoon. All this means I run on empty, feeling crap, a little heaver and feeling all kinds of guilt. When will I learn? I’m not saying no junk food or takeaways ever, but toast and crisps for lunch for two weeks is not balanced. It’s lazy and a sure fire way to feeling worse. In order to have the energy to keep going and not feel like crap, a balanced diet is essential. Take the time to cook properly (as properly as I can!) and make sure there’s plenty of vegetables.

When I first thought about writing this post, I had no energy whatsoever and was coming down with my first cold in ages. It hit me pretty hard. I knew that I hadn’t been looking after myself properly and felt really guilty. I’m hoping that I learn from this and make sure that I do these things as best as I can, if for no other reason than being worth it.

Merry Christmas?

Christmas used to be my favourite celebration of the year, next to my birthday. I loved every bit about it, from the lights, to the eating and drinking. It was the best time of year. Then I developed depression and the pressure to be happy when all I wanted to do was give in to how I was feeling became overwhelming. Now, any kind of festive or celebratory occasion fills me with dread. There’s so much to do, so much hype, so much pressure on being merry and happy. It can be too much. There’s pressure to have the perfect tree, the perfectly decorated home, Pinterest worthy gift wrapping and a blog post worthy outfit to boot. Add in to the mix the pressure to see people and be ‘on form’, hide how I might be feeling and be full of festive cheer, it makes me all a bit ‘bah humbug’. While I don’t feel that I suffer from depression at the moment, I still have days which can be a chore and Christmas is a time where I feel like I should be overjoyed with Christmas spirit but I’m certainly more like Scrooge than Buddy the Elf! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy spending time off work, with Phil and Poppy, going for long walks, doing the kind of things we enjoy doing, as long as I maintain a routine, I know I’ll be fine and enjoy it in my own way, but it’s still a bit of struggle. Instead, while I’m not going to be inviting the neighbors round to enjoy perfect homemade festive treats, we’ll enjoy our own calmer version of Christmas.

Eco wrapping

Depression isn’t the only issue I have with Christmas. There’s an awful lot of waste and greed exhibited at Christmas. Why do we purge on food and wine during a week or so over Christmas, only to almost starve ourselves in January to detox from all the gluttony? Doesn’t it seem bonkers?! As we’re having Christmas at home this year, we’ve really scaled back on everything food and drinks wise. I really don’t need to eat so much that I need to put my joggers on! But it’s not just the food and drink, it’s all the waste of resources in wrapping presents and sending cards, only for them to be put in recycling at the end of Christmas. I know it really does sound bah humbug, but surely there has to be a better way. To counteract some of the waste this year, I’ve given a few charity donations in place of Christmas presents and because I’ve run out of Christmas cards, stamps and time, I’ve given money to Restore, an Oxford based mental health charity, in place of sending cards to everyone. Phil also came up with a genius eco-friendly gift wrap idea. Instead of spending loads on wasteful wrapping paper, bows and tags, he reused Domino’s flyers, magazines and newsletters to wrap Christmas gifts. I think they look fab. Very festive, colorful and eco-friendly. I’m definitely going to do this next year.

Restore donation

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas, whatever it looks like. And if you are struggling,  the Samaritans are available for anyone who needs them.