Weekly Wrap Up. Week 40. 2024. Excuses, excuses...

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Weekly Wrap Up. Week 40. 2024. Excuses, excuses...

"Are you insane? What time? What on earth made you do that? You're on your own with that one"....

are just a few of the comments I have received this last week. May I point out that no, I have not suggested I attempt to climb Mount Everest wearing nothing but a bikini and flip flops, nor have I proposed I travel from John O Groates to Lands End doing star jumps and cartwheels. No dear gentle reader, I have suggested a little challenge that requires 30 minutes of exercise each weekday morning for one week at 7am.

5 days and a total of 2.5 hours.

I am the Queen of excuses and believe me, I can talk myself into and out of all sorts of things but it also means I can spot an excuse from 20 paces and will try my best to derail it before it gathers too much speed.

While I would never level your feedback/comments as "excuses"..... I thought I would play out a few of the more familiar "reasons" and perhaps suggest a few counter offers and, well if the cap fits, then you can wear it and possibly either reconsider or feel more emboldened/inspired/motivated to join us.

Time - (yawn).... Of course you have time. We all do. If you honestly, honestly don't have time, I challenge you to a different option for 5 days. Every time you use your screen for anything other than work or research related topics (in other words, mindless scrolling), or stare at pointless tv because you can't be bothered to change the channel, or stare into space because you can't be bothered to complete the task in hand..... or any other pointless things that we all do, write it down and how long you spent. Add up all that time at the end of the week - it is really sobering, believe me. That is time that you could/still can use to invest in your health and well-being.

I have to get the family ready for the day - If your children are toddler sized and will eat the toilet cleaner if you turn your back, then I totally hear you. Otherwise - really? How about you bring the kids into the challenge? The night before, put the breakfast things out, get your mat and screen wherever you are going to use them and get ready whatever you are going to wear. Explain to everyone how important this is to you for just one week. I am sure for 5 days they can butter their own toast and pop their plates in the sink, if you let them feel involved in something that matters to you or even join you for a bit of it!

I feel self conscious - will everyone be watching me on screen? - Highly unlikely unless you are taking the class!! That's my problem. I mean, to be honest you can show up in your pyjamas with mad hair (and you do and I love that you do!).

I have to at least be reasonably presentable... Joking aside though, while you are welcome to join in "gallery" mode for the pre class chats, once the class starts, I advise you to put your screen to "speaker", I mute the whole class anyway and as we are recording the 5 days, I will "pin" me which means that you can only see me.

N.b. - I can still see you though just incase you thought once the class has started you can slink off!

I don't do mornings. - Fair enough. I hear you. My challenge is that you try for 5 days. May I just toss a few pointers in your direction though?

Are you a poor sleeper? Are you trying to lose weight? Do you have poor concentration? Mindless snacking happens in the evening, not the morning. Get up earlier, go to bed earlier and you will very, very probably reduce your calorie intake. Going to bed late can play havoc with our circadian rhythms (look it up, don't have time to discuss atm) and there are any number of studies to show that lying in once we are awake can have a negative impact on our mood and energy levels. I can talk for England on this topic but the fact is that if you get up with your alarm, you have already achieved, are being productive and being busy occupies our mind and stops negativity. A short workout will massively improve our mind and energy levels and set us up of the day.

What we do has a FAR bigger impact on how we feel than how we feel impacts what we do. In other words, (and to quote the mighty Arnie Schwawarghvxvxghgtht) "don't overthink it. Prepare the night before and get out of bed, get dressed and start your exercise before you have time to talk yourself out of it." (Please read that last sentence in a strong, fierce American/Austrian accent).

What if I am not fit enough or can't keep up? - Well lying in bed won't make you fitter, will it!! Seriously though, I will always offer layers, adaptations, options and anyway what is the worst that can happen? You skip a few repetitions. That is fine - you are still turning up, getting involved, trying your best and in 30 mins, you have done a lot more than you may otherwise have done and that is so satisfying and such an empowering way to start the day.

p.s. - it is a 30 mins mixed ability mat class. We are not taking part in SAS Who Dares Wins, (which, incidentally is not the same as DIY SOS which I muddled it up with recently although to be fair that is also a marathon of sorts but with hard hats and paintbrushes).

I don't do online - I totally respect that and it is not for everyone but the idea of next week is ease, convenience and a personal push out of the comfort zone. You are not signing your life away. Who knows - you may end up like all my many, many other "I don't do online'ers" who are still with me years later.

My wifi is rubbish- hmmm. Bad luck. Can't help you there. Move house?

When that alarm goes off, you may very well wish you had never agreed (as will I.... ) but I ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEE you, at 7.30am, you will be so pleased with yourself and that sense of achievement is absolutely priceless.

Why not tag on a couple of other options for the week? Try and start every day with a pint of warm water and lemon, ditch the alcohol and/or caffeine for the 5 days? try to eat more fresh veg and step away from sugar? Just a suggestion,... it is only 5 days after all!!

Have you heard the term "drains and radiators"? You may have that friend who, despite how much you may care about them, is a drain. You always come away from spending time with them feeling tired, low, emotionally wrung out and defeated. Then there are the radiators. Friends who warm and nourish you, inspire and motivate you, make you laugh and feel better whenever you are with them.

Exercise is our radiator. Whatever form it takes, it will make us have more energy, feel more positive, lift our mood and help us feel better about ourselves.

Poor diet, alcohol, processed food, lack of exercise - these are all drains that leave us feeling sluggish, low, reduce our self confidence and motivation....

If we are really down about something, or have a huge problem that is causing us angst, then pushing ourselves physically will almost always give our mind a rest from it. We cannot push ourselves running, cycling, lifting weights, burning those abs and still be dwelling on that problem - our brain just can't do it. It has to focus on the physical challenge and then, once we have finished our workout, even if the problem is still there, we have at least had a rest from it and can come back to it with a fresh mind, having had some time out from that nagging.

It is the same principle as ice baths and cold water swimming, where the water is so cold, the brain has to focus on body temperature and managing breath and has to park up all the white noise and monkey chatter, which is why this activity is also recognised for dramatically helping lift our mood and improve mental health but it requires towels, ice and is a bit more faffy than what I propose for next week.

I will freely admit to anyone who is interested that the main reason I exercise is for my mental health. If I have to stop exercising, my mood can start to slide very quickly so as always, I talk from my heart on this one.

Random mention

Do you know why we find bird song so relaxing? There is research around the fact that this is an evolutionary mechanism whereby we feel safe when birds are singing as they will only sing when there is no threat or danger, and when the bird song stops, we will immediately sense the silence and prepare for fight or flight.

Might I suggest your earlier than usual alarm next week is a gentle bird song rather than a shrill bell or honking horn that is far too aggressive a wake up!

While Pilates is at the heart of all my teaching, we have really grown into a variety of different classes.

Tuesday 9am Functional strength with weights and Friday 8am weights and strength are here to stay and I continue to be so blooming thrilled at how hard you are all working and what weight you are lifting.

I have had a few people say that they are very unsure about lifting weights and there is STILL a misunderstanding about why we need strength training in our lives so I will be writing about this next week but just to tickle your taste buds - muscles need energy. Energy is taken in the form of calories therefor muscles burn calories. Fat does not.

Muscles are jumping up and down asking for more calories and gobbling them up as soon as they can. Fat is languishing on the sofa doing nothing but take up space like a useless partner who won't pull their weight around the house... Having done both, I can assure you that shifting fat is a lot easier and much cheaper than shifting a useless partner but both will leave you feeling fabulous!!

Lifting weights and building muscle and maintaining/increasing bone density has SO MANY benefits but you will have to tune in next week as I want to go and have my tea now and I have waffled on enough...

Sat 12th October walk and pub lunch. I have emailed everyone who has replied so if you were hoping to join us and haven't heard from me, please let me know asap as Clare is kindly booking the table and planning the walk. There will be a group doing a shorter walk if that suits better.

And finally…

SLOW DOWN

When you are arguing

When you are making decisions

When you are going for a walk

When you are making your morning coffee

When you need to make a valid point

When you are trying to get somewhere

When you are trying to explain yourself

When you are waiting for the page to load

When you walk through the front door

SLOW DOWN

Have a great weekend warriors, and see you Monday.

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Weekly Wrap up. Week 8. 2025. There's none so easy to delude as oneself....

By juliet • February 20, 2025

Ok, full disclosure. I think it was me that dropped the clanger yesterday morning... those of you who joined me would have seen that I was not at home, and when I arrived at my destination the night before, I realised I didn't have a magic circle with me and went into the 8am class and edited it to avoid the little hiccough and I THINK I may not have saved the changes. I may be wrong as I am in and out of the library ever such a lot but I am going to put my hand up and say it was me. I could probably wing it and get away with it but I have never been very good at lying and dishonesty does not sit well with me. Mind you, I say that..... I remember many moons ago... many, many moons ago when I was 15. My parents had a bar at the side of the lounge - terribly "all the rage" at the time, then terribly naff and I believe, quite the rage again now. Anyway, I was home on my own, I was bored and I started looking for mischief. I took the carefully hidden key ( hidden above the door as we all knew very well) and let myself into the little bar. I worked my way through the optics of many, almost certainly past their sell by date bottles of revolting sticky liquid and tried each and every one. Needless to say it was not long before I thought I was going to die. I staggered out of the back door to find somewhere to hide (and possibly die) and spied my sister's Hillman Minx which I crawled into and gratefully slept. When I woke, the effects were swift and I just managed to wind down the rear window and get my head out before events overtook me. As I was walking slowly back up the garden, my mother and sister arrived home and my sister was horrified at the state of her car. I still, to this day do not know how I did it but without missing a beat, I just informed her that there had been a load of seagulls flying overhead and they must have poo'd down the car door. Im still laughing now, some 42 years later, at how I just came out with that line and that, as I was staggering up the stairs "with the start of a bad cold", I heard my mother and my sister discussing how shocking it was that the seagulls had done that.... dear reader, we lived in Enfield, North London. There is not a coast for a hundred miles. My mother told us stories about when we were little and I recall the story of how my sister furiously denied writing all over the new wallpaper in her bedroom with a crayon. It was the fact that she would not back down and insisted it could not be her that saw her sent to bed. "But how did you know it was me?" she sobbed and my mother told us that the writing was, quite literally on the wall - all around her bedroom in wonky letters read "Louise 4" Yet, as the saying goes, there is none so easy to delude as oneself. I can say for fact that I have on many occasions talked myself into or out of situations, telling myself I could justify that cake because I deserved it, I could have that drink because I had earned it, I could slack off work because I had earned the right to... How many times have you gone to do something and then given yourself permission not to because of the story you came up with? I guess that can go too far and I know more than one or two who have lied for so long that they started to believe their own warped narrative. One such was my ex husband who lied to me about his age... when he asked me once to get his passport from his laptop bag, I flipped to the photo page to see how bad his picture might be, only to be confronted with a date of birth quite different from the one he had told me.. and he admitted that he had been telling me for so long that he had actually convinced himself he was indeed 8 years younger... Mind you, I still married him so who's the fool!! We all tell white lies and we don't want to cause unnecessary discomfort - if someone has just spent a fortune on a new outfit and they are thrilled, would we honestly tell them we didn't like it? ..... on that note though.... when we were teenagers, a friend of mine's mum and her neighbour went down their road to the church to watch the arrival of a bride for her wedding. Maybe it was because they hadn't been invited and were a bit miffed but they were less than complimentary and I can honestly remember this to the word and I am laughing as I write this ..."Crikey, the bride has clapped some weight on, hasn't she? I thought brides were meant to lose weight in the run up - do you think she has already eaten all the wedding cake? I would definitely wear sleeves with those arms" ... "And WHAT is Sheila wearing on HER HEAD? Call that a hat? ".... all this said unfortunately, very close to the videographer, back in the days of wedding videos being very new and with none of today's editing available. Every word was captured and saved.... on their ACTUAL wedding video... I kid you not... Learning to be brutally honest with ourselves is one of life's greatest lessons. One of my favourite books is Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes. Marian is an addict in recovery and weaves addiction of many forms into all her novels (also brilliant - Again Rachel and Grown Up's) and she talks with such candour on the subject of addiction - I have heard her interviewed many times and it is the power to delude ourselves that is so shocking. The lies we can tell ourselves when all around us can see through it. Another great speaker on the subject is the mighty Edith Eger, who I have mentioned before. A holocaust survivor, she continues to lecture as a psychotherapist in her 90's - her books The Choice and The Gift are absolute must reads. She talks about healing without distraction - whether that is alcohol, drugs, food, shopping, exercise, scrolling social media... it takes so many forms but it is only when we remove the many distractions that we can start to sit with ourselves, get to truly know ourselves and then, and only then may we move forward. We know the need to be present, to be still, to be quiet but sometimes it helps to hear it delivered in a different voice or explained around another approach for us to see how it may benefit us. Anyway - my name is Juliet Nicholas. I am 56 and when I was 15, I vomited down the outside of my sister's car. There are no seagulls in Enfield.