Mountain or mole-hill?

Following a friend’s twitter feed last week, they mentioned that the amount of work that had to be done was equivalent to the size of Everest. A feeling that most of us have – to-do lists as long as your arm, that a lot of the time, prevents us from getting up and out. We don’t have time to run, swim, walk, climb or whatever it is that makes us feel good – because we’ve got such an overwhelming amount of stuff to do.

This got me looking at lots of amazing, awe inspiring shots of Everest itself, the peaks, the avalanches and the shear scale of this monster mountain. But it also got me thinking… If they were to pan out (ok, when I say “pan out” I mean go up to space) and have a look at Everest from space, would it look as dramatic?

Cue Google Images…

The answer is – No! It doesn’t even look that big a mountain to be honest, when you look at it from space. Don’t get me wrong - I'm not be-littling the immense challenge of actually climbing Everest, or the mammoth to-do lists that we all seem to have. But my point being that sometimes we look at targets and actions that we have to tackle and can make a really big deal about it, as though it really is like climbing Mount Everest. But if we take a step back and look at the bigger picture (I’m not suggesting you book on to Virgin Galactic though!) that “mountain” might not be as big as you originally thought it was.

Images courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

We can over think things to the point where we can put such enormous barriers in front of us that it probably would seem easier to climb Everest – in winter! The exercise element gets put to one side – as though it’s a luxury. It’s not a luxury; it’s a necessity to keep you sane. In fact it can help you put things into perspective and not “sweat the small stuff” (as the saying goes).

Is everything on the to-do list absolutely necessary – if it is, can it be delegated, can it wait, will the world end if it doesn’t get done?

Looking after your mental health should be at the top of your to-do list – and needs to be fuelled by fun stuff.

Swimming fuelled by fun

As I’m sure many of you are aware – I love swimming!!

I couldn’t tell you when it started, I think I’ve always loved swimming. My mum likes to tell the story of when I was about 4 years old and I’d been sent to my room for being naughty and the punishment was that I wasn’t allowed to go swimming, as we always did on a Friday night! So what’s a 4 year old to do with herself on a Friday night when you’ve been grounded!! I rolled up my towel and my cozzie and sneaked out of the house and walked the 1 mile to the swimming baths and went swimming. Needless to say I was in even bigger trouble – but it clearly demonstrated 2 things – 1. My determination and 2. My love of swimming.

It’s only as I’ve got older that I’ve discovered open water swimming – which is seriously even more fun than pool swimming.

There are no lanes – as the Great Swim slogan says – no lanes, no limits. You can swim to your hearts content. No stopping and turning, no one tapping you on the feet to get past, no overheating in water that’s hotter than a bath!! In fact the colder the water, the better!!

There is lots of research into the benefits of swimming in cold water – even to the point where it can replace anti-depressants. It’s pretty much a prescription for mental health and wellbeing (http://www.swimming.org/justswim/swimming-improves-mental-health/)

The cold water teaches the body to deal with stress more effectively, it releases endorphins that you just don’t get from pool swimming, it boosts the immune system and an added bonus of burning more calories.

I have seen seasoned pool swimmers try open water swimming and be converted, I’ve seen complete newbies who wouldn’t even entertain swimming in a pool, let alone open water have a go and absolutely love it.

I realise it may not be for everyone – but if ever you’ve seen the pics posted up on here or the FB page and are even a teeny weeny bit tempted – go for it – I’m quite sure you will love it.

Keep it fun!!

A few weeks ago we were staying in a beautiful holiday cottage in the heart of Wales – 10 minutes from several beaches. Views of mountains and ocean, swimming in the sea, which was crystal clear, I could see crabs scurrying about their business, pods of teeny weeny fishes floating around – ok I’ll shut up!!

So the idea was to chill, it was our wedding anniversary, which obviously requires lots of beer and prosecco (and pizza and chocolate!!!) I was looking forward to this R&R.

Then we met our holiday cottage neighbours. They were so lovely – really friendly, told us about different places to visit – that they had been to… on their bikes!!
We had temporarily moved in next door to the equivalent of Jason and Laura Kenny!! These 2 were MEGA fit, they cycled up hills we needed to take in second gear in the car, then they’d go for a swim, or an evening walk.

My idea of R&R suddenly made me feel like the laziest person on the planet. I went swimming everyday and did a minimum of 800 metres, yet I was feeling totally inadequate – and felt I should hide my bottle(s) of prosecco and packet of mini cheddars!!

Then I gave myself a good talking to!! You can only do what you can do!! We put so much pressure on ourselves with work and family. You don’t want to start putting pressure on yourself to exercise.

Summer holidays are the prime example of people putting pressure on themselves to ensure everyday is filled with something, to makes sure the kids are looked after/have something to do/are entertained.  But at Fuelled By Fun we don’t want you to feel pressure to have to do something every day – sometimes it’s not possible, and sometimes you might not want to.

The point of Fuelled By Fun is exactly what it says on the tin – it has to be fun!

Fuelled By Fun - July/August Challenge - Final Week

The challenge was set for members of the Fuelled By Fun Facebook group to (virtually) cycle around the Mainland UK & Ireland.

Collectively we have been gathering the cycle mileage - whether it's on a spin bike, out on the open road, commute to work or turbo trainer in the kitchen!

The miles have been collated each week and by week 1 we made just outside Cardiff!!

By week 4 the Fuelled By Fun team collated enough miles to make it all the way over to Ireland.

It seemed a shame to stop there, so we carried on the cycle challenge into August, and by week 5 the Fuelled By Fun team took us nearly all the way around Ireland.

We knew the team were pretty amazing - and everyone went above and beyond for Week 6 - which as it turns out is the final week!! We collected a fantastic 1352.72 miles, which has taken us all around the rest of Ireland and back over the sea back to Chester!

It has been a great journey - we've seen everyone dig in and have a go - whether it's seasoned cyclists, newbies or people dusting off their bikes after spending years in the shed.

If you fancy joining us for future challenges (the next one is a run/walk one) just join us on Facebook.

GUEST BLOG: Anything is possible!

Fuelled by fun is the perfect phrase to describe how exercise feels to me. Running is my thing, and I didn't expect to fall in love with it as much as I have done, it's been hard work with plenty of bumps in the road. I’m a single mum with three Autistic children. Running is my saviour, I run off the crazy, I run off the upset, and I run to feel like me again.

Now, I’m not perfect, and I’ve realised mental health is so important. Throughout my years I’ve suffered with depression and anxiety, never quite feeling like “me”. I’ve gone through a lot, always blaming myself and feeling pretty guilty about what I should and could be doing, never feeling I reached my full potential.

I let people walk all over me, made mad decisions, and felt trapped in general. I started to take control, and with the help of clearing my head with exercise, I’m now the full free spirit I always felt was there inside of me.

I started running properly 3 years ago, gave up smoking, and began the best phase of my life so far. All my children were diagnosed within the past few years with ASD, I fought for them, had to give up working, and went through a hell of a journey to get the best support for them all.

Running has helped me keep a level head and showed me that anything is possible. I had a hysterectomy in November last year and had to start my running journey from the beginning again in February. In March I was diagnosed with ADHD, which made everything fall into place for me, and I now understand my behaviour and struggles over the years.

What did I do next? I ran, and ran some more!

I have just completed 75 miles in July, ran a 10 km PB, and I am also fundraising for an autism charity. Absolutely anything is possible. Running is much more than just keeping fit, it’s a way of life for me. It helps me with excess energy, helps me de-stress, has introduced me to some of the most lovely people, and I feel happy and free.

Definitely fuelled by fun :)

Fuelled By Fun - July/August Challenge Week 5

The challenge has been set - members of the Fuelled By Fun Facebook group have joined in the July Challenge which is to (virtually) cycle around the UK & Ireland.

Collectively we're gathering the cycle mileage - whether it's on a spin bike, out on the open road, commute to work or turbo trainer in the kitchen!

The miles have been collated each week and by week 1 we made just outside Cardiff!!

Week 2 proved even more amazing - a collective total of 1070 miles took us all the way around the South coast to Norwich!!

Week 3 just surpassed all expectations with a whopping 2034 miles, which meant we made it around most of mainland Scotland.

Week 4 and the Fuelled By Fun team have not let us down - we collated an amazing 1236 miles, which means we made it all the way over to Ireland.

It seemed a shame to stop there, so we carried on the cycle challenge into August, and this week the Fuelled By Fun team collated an amazing 1089.49 miles, taking us nearly all the way around Ireland.

If you fancy joining in the fun for the remainder of the cycle challenge, join us on Facebook.

There’s no better medicine than exercise!!

The one thing in life we all experience is the death of a loved one, and I’m no exception. July in particular is an emotional time for me, it’s the month in which both my beloved nan & grandad passed away. Now you may be thinking what the heck has this got to do with being fuelled by fun 🤔 well I will tell you .... 

What being active with friends has taught me about life and about death is that there is no better grief counsellor or therapy session that you could ever attend anywhere in the world that is a fact!

I looked after my nan for 5yrs before she passed away, she was my world and my inspiration, she always used to look forward to a Sunday evening and our mini show and tell sessions after either my running, cycling or swimming exploits, she loved looking at the selfies with my friends beaming with pride and there would always be the compulsory marks out of 10 for the medal and T-shirt, she loved the fact that I was fit having fun and most of all happy 😁 So when she passed away I was lost, I become withdrawn, anxious and began suffering from panic attacks, now I know everyone deals with grief in different ways but my way of coping was by exercising and by doing it with friends, the endorphins from the activity coupled with the love, friendship, support and just general chit chat from like minded folk was better than any tablet that any doctor could have ever have prescribed. 

So in a nutshell me keeping active and doing it with friends got me through some of my darkest of days, therefore proving that the benefits of exercise are in fact not just good for your physical fitness but also for your mental health .. FACT 😁 

Nic K