Woody Wonders

Breaking news - the world does not stop spinning because you decide to step off for a while and take a break!! How can I possibly take some time out for myself?  Well, the fact is that the world keeps turning and the sun keeps rising regardless, so do yourself (and those around you) a favour by stepping off the treadmill and having a break.   This week's blog is a round-up of my well-deserved break and I can't tell you how good I feel for taking it.   I've had THE most fabulous week off work yet I've not done anything remotely exciting, I've barely strayed across the county border but I've had THE best time. My intention was to 'reset, relax, revitalise' and I put no pressure on myself to achieve anything else.  So instead of having a 'to do' list I used these intentions instead, for example, what do I need to do to reset (learning and self-development), what do I need to do to relax (yoga and meditation), what do I need to do to revitalise (exer...

  Looking forward to a week of reset,  relaxation and revitalisation I know the calm usually comes before the storm but over the last week it's been the other way round in my case and I'm so looking forward to the calm next week. It's been one heck of a week, both physically and mentally.  After writing about needing more thinking time in last week's blog, I really am in desperate need of taking some time out.  The good news is that I'm on holiday from work next week, only the second week in 9 months and one of those was moving house, which was no fun whatsoever!  So I'm very much looking forward to this one where I'll be taking a step back, gathering my thoughts and then coming out refreshed and revitalised for the last quarter of the year - eek! Anyway, back to the storm of last week.  Last Sunday saw me and my running bud taking on the challenge of the virtual Great North Run.  Virtual you say?  And yes, a number of people, including Mr Bob, as...

Life in lockdown, it's probably going  one of two ways right?!  You're either getting fitter, eating healthier, working harder and being more creative than you've ever been  OR you've barely moved from your couch, eating rubbish, drinking more alcohol and have lost all motivation!  There's a happy medium between the two so let's see how we can achieve that. Let's take one thing at a time: Fitness Have you lost motivation?  Are you new to fitness and don't know what to do?  Are you over-exercising because you have more time? If you were a gym bunny or exercised outdoors with a group before lockdown, then you may be struggling with the social aspect of things, it's always more motivating when you're with others.  Don't despair, there are literally hundreds of virtual group classes out there that you can join.  My boot camps used to be in fabulous locations and we often had coffee and breakfast afterwards.  I've now ...

What a wonderful time of year .... right?!! This is an honest, warts and all blog so look away now if you're easily offended. Christmas, a time to show how much you care for your loved ones and spend time with the family.  What could possibly go wrong??  Well in my experience, lots!  I used to get incredibly stressed at this time of year when I was younger, trying to please everyone and rushing round visiting everyone.  Jeez, it's not as if you're never going to see these people again so why do you end up trying to squeeze in visits to 36 people in the space of 3 days.   The fact is that you can't please everyone and it's your time for a break just as much as everyone else's but we don't want to admit that do we, so instead we put our own happiness to one side and focus on everyone else.  Is it any wonder then that by the time Christmas is over we're completely frazzled and burnt out instead of feeling energised and ready to face the New ...