Woody Wonders

Do we ever really fail at anything?   No, I’m not sure we do.   Things may not go to plan, you may be disappointed that you haven’t achieved what you set out to do, but we always learn from our so called ‘failures’ so where does this idea of 'failure' being a ‘bad’ thing come from? In a workout situation you train to ‘failure’ but that never feels like you’ve ‘failed’ does it?   No!   In fact, it makes you feel damn proud that you’ve pushed your body and mind to your absolute limit.   It’s a good thing, you’re growing stronger every time you train to ‘failure’ .  When I run in races, and especially marathons, I take something from each race so I'm stronger and better the next time.  I don't feel like I've failed if things haven't quite gone to plan.  So why do we treat 'failure' so differently in other situations? Two of my most memorable so-called failures were just after I left school and these two events quite literally shaped my whole workin...

I’ve had to have some difficult conversations and make some tough decisions recently. Sadly, Mr Bob has not taken the hint and he’s still here - lol 😆 Joking aside, I have had to make some choices that will change people’s lives, all for the greater good but nevertheless, with day-to-day life to deal with as well, I've felt a bit overwhelmed by everything.  Overwhelmed, the very word overwhelmed makes me feel well ... overwhelmed!  So let's think about it in terms of simply having too much on your plate. I thought this might be a subject worth revisiting due to the sheer volume of it all being 'a bit too much' right now.   When your world has suddenly shrunk to within your own four walls, it can be very easy to feel like things are coming at you from all angles and there’s just no space to breath.   In many cases, you can feel paralysed by procrastination despite knowing things will be better if you just got on with the tasks in hand.  But, that's the whole po...

Don't get me wrong, I love my phone, iPad and laptop. My whole life are on those gadgets for a start, but I've noticed recently that I've not been having much of a break from them and they're permanently by my side and switched on. It's a poor excuse I know, but one of the reasons I haven't had many days without my digital devices over the last year is that I haven't been on holiday.  One of the things I love the most about being on holiday is the fact that I get to have a full on digital detox.  Yes, I might use my phone to take photos but that’s about it.   I take an old fashioned guidebook, notebook and pen with me and there’s nothing I enjoy more at the end of the day than sitting on the decking and jotting down notes about what I've been up to that day whilst enjoying a delicious french wine! Sadly, me and the lovely Mr Bob haven’t had a holiday since December 2019 and, equally as sad, I haven’t had much of a digital detox. Almost from the minute I ...

Noooo, I’m not talking as in mild mannered PA by day and working for the secret intelligence service by night (although if you look on the MI6 website it does sound very interesting)!!   I mean in relation to my side hustle as a hardcore ass kicking fitness instructor.   We’ve all done lots of thinking and reflecting over the last 12 months and some of you may have thought about starting a new business or, like me, simply earning a few extra bob from a hobby that you are passionate about. I absolutely love my other job as a PA so this blog is purely going to focus on the side hustle rather than setting up a full blown business.   The reason I started my side hustle was simply as an outlet to pass on my passion and enthusiasm for fitness to other people and show them a less conventional route than spending hours in the gym.  How a side hustle can help your day job Increase your confidence.  Not only am I now perfectly happy standing in front of 20 people yelling ...

Let’s be honest, since working from home, have your clothes become comfier, baggier, contain a lot more Lycra?   Has your image gone from glam to grim?   Do you now consider walking from the lounge to the kitchen and up the stairs a full-on workout?  Have you become a bit more angry with life? Lockdown: To be honest, I feel I’ve got off quite lightly and that’s down to a number of reasons but mainly keeping myself busy. As we all know, lockdown has affected people in many different ways. What have I changed? We’ve all been negatively affected in some way by lockdown but, unlike most of society these days, I prefer to keep a little mystery in my life.    The longer this drags on, the more creative I’ve become with my time. I’ve come up with new routines for home and exercise. I’ve kept busy plotting evil sessions for my fitness clients.   I talk to the people I need to when I’m having a bad day but no-one else needs to know the minutiae. What can you change?...

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...

Are you in need of some excitement in your life? This is going to sound bonkers I know, but hear me out. It’s only in the last couple of weeks that lockdown has hit me. Yep, I told you it was bonkers. Despite feeling optimistic about this year, I’ve felt quite flat recently. Why, I pondered?   We’ve been in this situation for almost a year so what has suddenly changed.   Then I realised what it was. I’m missing an adrenaline rush of doing something different. Until now I’ve been pre-occupied with other things.   In March we’d just bought a house so had lots of things to plan. When we could eventually move we then had lots of DIY and garden projects. The mornings and evenings were light so I was out walking and running at every opportunity. I was busy getting to grips with moving my fitness sessions to Zoom and trying to see people in person in-between lockdowns. When it got to around October time, my thoughts then turned to Christmas.   Throughout everything I’ve als...