Woody Wonders

As we continue to live in this parallel universe to ‘normality’, I thought that I’d throw in a few ‘bitesize blogs’ along the way.   Blogs that might help with everyday struggles related to work life, home life, health, exercise, nutrition, whatever topics that might pop into my head. This week it’s a topic that has followed me throughout my life in certain work situations and I’m determined to conquer it this year. Following a recent conversation, I had to admit to having an irrational fear of not knowing enough, of looking stupid is what it really boils down to I suppose.   That in itself was painful enough but then having to discuss it in more detail made it sound even more irrational. I’m not entirely sure where this fear came from in the first place. I don’t remember anyone saying to me “how come you don’t know that you stupid little twerp” Unless I’ve blocked it from my mind of course! I’m sure we all have moments of feeling like this, perhaps even more so now that man...

Life is complicated enough so do yourself a favour and simplify your health and fitness routine This week I'm going off-piste from the house dramas because, quite honestly, I'm boring myself so goodness knows what everyone else is feeling like.  Instead, I'm going to be talking about health and fitness, an area I'm quite au fait with and one which you might get more use out of rather than my house escapades! Looking good and feeling great is an ongoing project, it's not something you can dip in and out of when you feel like it.  Our lifestyle choices affect our skin, hair, nails, body image, gut health, sleep patterns, mental health and so the list goes on.  Which is why it's really important to be consistent, not always easy when life gets in the way. Exercise is hugely important but it's also worth reminding yourself that nutrition plays a significant role in your health too.  If this is an area you are neglecting, then along with a decrease in your workou...

March seems a very long time ago When I did my review of Q1 at the end of March, we'd only scraped the surface of what the impact of Covid would be and we were in our first week of lockdown.  We had no idea of what would happen, how quickly and the devastating effect it would have all across the world.  We've seen the absolute best of people but have also witnessed the worst.  There's been lots of not so good things but thankfully a whole heap of positives to take from the situation too. We've made it to the end of Q2 and we're half way through the year.  That means we have a whole other half to turn the ship around and end this year on a high.  What we've learnt over the past few months will help us to achieve just that.  We've become stronger, more resilient and achieved things we never believed were possible.  I've tried to remain as focused as ever and, as always, let's take a quick recap at the 6 areas I'm looking to improve this year and ho...

A lot has happened in the last 3 months  so it's time to reflect and look forward It feels like a lifetime ago since I wrote my blog in January about setting intentions for the year ahead, yet here we are at the end of Q1.  An awful lot of things have happened in the last 3 months which have affected all of us, the whole world, which is difficult to comprehend. My intentions for 2020 were to 'Be Bold, Be Brave, Be Better' .  Certainly over the last few weeks, these have kind of happened anyway as I've been forced into situations I've not had to face before.   As a recap, I set myself 6 key areas to focus on for this year. Blog Fit for It (my business) Nutrition Exercise French Skills So let's take a quick look to see how I've been getting on throughout Q1: Blog  - On the plus side, I've continued to be consistent in my weekly blog which is great.  I'm not progressing as fast as I'd like in terms of tryin...

Boost your energy and  stop the pyjama routine every night I bound through the door at 7pm following a run and discover a friend has called round.  Mavis (name changed to protect her identity!) is yawning and saying she's ready for bed.  This isn't a one-off, it's every single time we see her, she's always tired and always wanting to get home, put on her pyjamas and go to bed.  We all have days when we're tired, of course we do, but it shouldn't be the norm and, if it is, then you need to ask yourself why. I've since discovered that my friend survives on very little water throughout the day and usually ends up having a Mars bar for lunch and leftovers from the children's plates for tea.  Is it any wonder she's tired all the time?!! Fuelling your body with good nutrition has a huge effect on your energy levels so if you're constantly yawning and eager to put on your pyjamas the minute you walk through the door every evening, the...

Your most common questions answered .... As a health & fitness instructor, there's a number of questions that I get asked again and again and again, so in this week's blog I'm going to try and answer these.  By the way, there's no such thing as a stupid question.  Always ask me if you're not sure of something, no matter how stupid you might think it sounds. Q1.  Does muscle turn to fat if you don't workout for a while? It's important to realise that muscle cells and fat cells are completely differently, one will not change into the other.  However, if you don't partake in regular, progressive exercise then your body composition will change.  In other words, you can lose/gain muscle mass and expand/decrease your fat cells. What most of us want to achieve is increase our muscle mass and lose body fat.  This can be done through a combination of training, nutrition and mindset.  Q2.  How long does it take to get visible abs? You ca...