Being kind to yourself!

A few years ago I conducted an experiment – not a scientific one, or in a completely “controlled environment”. But, nevertheless, it was an experiment to see how being nice and nasty has an affect on you.

I wrote a blog post about it on a couple of websites, one of them no longer exists and the other one, well, the post is buried under years of other blog posts, so it’s got lost in the ether of the world wide web.

Having observed the Fuelled By Fun page and the posts people put on - the way people ‘self talk’ and the number of times I read posts that said “I’ve only done…5km/1mile…” Or “It’s just a 10k/5k/400m…” – it occurred to me that this experiment I did, needs to be brought back out of the ether.

The reason this experiment even came to fruition was when I read an article on the Danielle LaPorte website and noticed quite a lot of negative comments on Facebook about her experiment. So, being a bit of a ‘Doubting Thomas’, and wanting to see things for myself – I thought I’d try my own experiment – with some left over rice that we had. Yes, my husband thought I had lost the plot!

I weighed the rice and bagged it up in two separate cling film bags, using two food bag clips to ensure air didn’t get into the bag. The ONLY difference between these two bags of rice is that one of them I ‘spoke’ nicely to and the other one I used words that we tend to use to ourselves a lot (our ‘self-talk’), like “you’re so rubbish” “you just haven’t a clue” etc – you know, that self ‘banter’ that we give ourselves.

First, I had to get past the idea that I was talking to rice – I know, it’s only rice!!! But once I had, I could be quite mean to the rice (sometimes REALLY mean – poor rice!)

Because I wasn’t convinced it would work I didn’t ever take a photo of the rice in it’s younger more positive days – I did sort of think it was me just being a bit random and possibly having a mid-life melt down.

But this is a picture of the bags of rice after a week…

Rice: Week 1

Still not convinced, I figured if one was going mouldy then the other would follow suit quite quickly, but I persevered being nice to one bag and horrible to the other.

After 10 days this is what they looked like…

Rice: 10 Days

And finally 2 weeks later (just before they finally got binned)…

Rice: Week 2

I realise we’re some what more advanced than rice – but at the end of the day, we’re all susceptible to negativity and negative vibrations. We’re all made of atoms – even the rice!!

So please PLEASE be nice to yourself – and to others.

Yes, I realise there are plenty of negative people out there saying that this is a ridiculous experiment, it’s not a scientific experiment blah blah blah all that kind of nonsense. So if you don’t believe it, why don’t you try it for yourself, just as I did. It’s not that difficult to bag up some rice and be nice to one bag and mean to another… or maybe for some of you it is?!

Science is about challenging what we know, or what we think we know. While this isn’t a controlled scientific experiment, it’s an experiment non the less. Everything that we see, touch, hear and feel is related to ‘matter’ – it’s energy, it’s atoms. Just because you can’t see what’s happening to that ‘matter’ doesn’t mean nothing is happening. Just like using derogative comments and being mean to yourself and others may not seem like anything is being affected.

If you think this is all poppy-cock and hokey that’s fine – I don’t care – carry on being mean to yourself and to others, just try not to drag those others down to your mouldy bad rice level please!

The friends you haven’t met yet!

Rebecca’s recent blog about confidence made me smile because I recognised something of myself in it, but bear with me – this is not a repeat of that theme, just a tangent that starts from the same root.

A couple of years back I started Parkrunning -with the same sense of trepidation that Becs felt. I loved it and through Parkrun I met a lovely lady who ‘added me’ to a local running group on Facebook that her friend had started so that I could join likeminded people for social runs. I didn’t do anything for two months after joining this group because I didn’t know these people and I was a little scared that everyone would be faster than me and I would be instantly unpopular by slowing the group down.

How wrong I was!

On 1st May I met Nicola in a car park, in a forest, to go for a run. I didn’t know Nicola and she didn’t know me – it was all a bit “I’ll be wearing a pink carnation” or rather, driving a blue polo! But she was running, and I was running, and I was also running out of excuses not to give it a go! There were a couple of other ladies along as well and we had a super run, chatted about our days at work, the weather, things that annoyed us, all sorts of things. There was none of the opening small talk people employ at dinner parties or bars, just an unspoken assumption that we were all already friends by virtue of being there so we cut straight to the “natter”. It was a brilliant starting point from which many fabulous friendships have blossomed and many more amazing common interests have emerged and been indulged.

Meeting people through common interest or activity is an enriching experience. It may be that we are less anxious about having nothing to talk about, or sufficiently focussed on the common activity that we do not overly concern ourselves with social inhibitions. Whatever the reason, through shared activity, I have met people from entirely different backgrounds and professions that I may never have come across in my day to day life. Not everyone you meet will end up being your best friend but I truly can’t say I have met anyone through this path that I found genuinely disagreeable.
 
Of course, there are safeguarding issues to be considered around the subject of meeting complete strangers and the group I joined is comprised of friends and friends-of-friends so there is a certain amount of vetting involved. Caution and common sense are advisable but (and excuse the cliché) there is a strong chance that the strangers you are wary of meeting are the friends you just hadn’t met.  If you have a local sports or community group that interests you, take the plunge – it could be the best thing you ever do!

The Perception of Confidence

Confidence is an amazing thing don’t you think? How people have it in abundance and it just oozes out of them. Take a local Park Run or race for example; you rock up, hover at the back wondering why you’re there, completely out of your comfort zone, think everyone is staring at you and then everywhere you look you see them – the confident army. With their smiles and laughter and ‘good lucks’ – who are these people? Are they really real?

Those uber confident ‘athletes’ strutting their stuff on your streets, in your pools, on your cycle lanes etc. weren’t always confident. Like an oak tree growing from an acorn, they weren’t always super confident, they became or learnt to be confident…

Me, I’m one of these people. I’m super confident, loud, mouthy northern girl. I’ve never felt more comfortable and confident in my own skin than I do right now. No one likes a show off and that is in no way how I want to be perceived. If I told some of my best friends that rewind ten years and I was the shy girl stuck in the corner too afraid to socialise or even go out in the first place they’d laugh in my face.

I vividly remember my first ‘grown up’ run – ran too fast, felt like death, never again. After my first run I quit for a good six months.  Desperate to get fit I then started stalking a local running group for about three more months until I built up the ‘guts’ to join them on a run. They were the most friendly, lovely bunch of people that I’d ever met AND super-duper confident. So this confused me, how can lovely people be so confident – in my world I had yet to marry the two. So I continued on this journey, returning to the club regularly and I continued to become me – the true me.

Through sport and exercise I have been encouraged and supported to have a go. As my ability has grown so has by self-confidence. But it’s not a direct link, there is a key step in the middle – “exercise buddies”. Sub consciously my exercise buddies over the last ten years have turned me from a shy Susan to a confident Clara. This isn’t a free relationship, what you take out you give back. Not at the same time, just when it’s needed. So this is me giving a little back to you – yes you reading this right now. You’re not alone and what you see as confidence is also friendliness.

Perception intrigues me. What I think may be completely different to what you think and vice versa. So who is right? Both! You see perception is such a personal thing, it’s your voices in your head – how you see the world. I just wanted to point out that whatever we think there is always another side.

At work I’ve often been caught swimming down corridors (stroke practice) and doing exercises in the office – people in this environment aren’t as encouraging. I don’t get a smile suggesting I should continue, more a grimace to suggest I should be in a ‘looney bin’ and that’s not professional behaviour.  It’s not as easy to gain confidence here so my advice to you is fake it until you make it, if you pretend you will become. (Look up Amy Cuddy Ted Talk).

So fake it until you become it – be more oak tree than acorn. Be proactive in the world of exercise buddies – spot the shy one and make them feel at ease, we were all shy and scared once because our perception was different.

I know it’s not as simple as this, but it kinda is. I too shrink back to my unconfident self. After starting back at the pool I had a practice session where I quickly switched form the fast lane to a lane that was too slow for me because the other guy in the lane was a little quicker than me but more importantly not smiley! Although the lady in the next lane was a little slower than me, that’s OK as I paced myself so not to clash and also had a lovely encouraging chat with her (both ways!).

Thanks for taking the time to read and as my late father-in-law always said Keep Smiling, it goes a long way.

What goes through your mind?

I'm not really a big fan of winter - as much as I love swimming in freezing cold lakes and breaking ice to get in them, I just don't like the dark nights. I can't swim as much, I can swim after work, head torches are a constant for running and as for cycling - well, I just have to hope the weekend weather is nice to get out on the bike.

This is the price you pay for long summer days - I know, I get it, but I don't like it.

So I was looking through one of my swimming diaries that I'd been keeping over summer - just to reminisce. I keep diaries/journals/whatever you want to call them, more so I can look back and see when I had a good swim, whereabouts it was, how far I went - nothing to serious - more just to remember and look back on. One particular swim made me chuckle, so I thought I'd share it on here, and see if anyone else has the same kind of thoughts when they're out swimming (whether in a quarry/lake/sea/pool).

I distinctly remember the swim - I had challenged myself to do a minimum of 6 loops and do 7 if I felt good. The weather wasn't particularly great, it was drizzly and windy which made the water a bit choppy. In the quarry there are always "sections" so if you start off and it's mega choppy, you know that by the time you get around to the other side it will be much calmer, and vice versa. On this particular swim it was a choppy first 300/350m and the rest was actually ok.

Lap 1: Oh bugger - I've really got to do 5 more laps in this - why do I do this to myself.... Ok, not too bad around the middle buoy - it might not be too bad!

Lap 2: Actually this feels really good - I feel like I'm swimming quite well - I'll try and catch up to that bloke in the green hat - hmmmmmm no chance, even with a flailing arm like that!!! Why can't I swim that fast!!

Lap 3: Ooh this is half way - brill - still feel quite good. Wonder what we're gonna have for tea - I can't remember what we've got in the freezer.... Ooooh look fish!!

Lap 4: OK, only 2 more laps after this one, not bad, feel like I've been pretty quick, I'll have a look at my watch at the next buoy.... maybe not - don't stop just keep going. I wonder why all the fish are in this corner of the quarry - it's feckin freezin

Lap 5: Shoulder hurts a bit now oh bugger!! Oh well, only one more lap after this - I think Geoff said we have burgers in, I wonder if he'll think to defrost them - if only I was telapathic!!

Lap 6: Yay last lap - I made it - I actually feel like I could do another one, but looking at the kayakers I don't think they'll be too pleased - they look p*** wet through, although it's quite nice swimming in the rain. They might try and drown me if I start off again to do another lap. Yay finished and actually enjoyed that!!

So what goes through your mind whilst your doing a swim, bike or run?

'Tri' another sport...

As kids we never used to ‘play’ at one thing – we’d be out running, getting on our bikes, swinging on rope swings, climbing trees, throwing water bombs – you name it, if meant we didn’t have to sit down and do some school work we would be up and out.

It seems funny when you get to ‘adulthood’ – you survive high school and all the challenges that comes with it – you ‘become’ a runner, a swimmer, a cyclist, a hiker, a mountain biker – you become a label.

I get it, if you want to compete for your country – but most of us here are about enjoying life and getting the most out of it, looking after ourselves and our mental health (whilst – usually – sitting at a desk/computer to do work that pays for the fun stuff).

So why not do 3,4,5 sports? If you’re simply ‘a runner’ – what happens when you get an injury? You end up not being able to do the thing you love – icing, compressing and elevating that injury, all the while feeling bad that you can’t get out and enjoy your thing. If you have several other sports to turn to, you can at least keep some sanity.

It isn’t about being the best or the fastest at something – it’s about looking after yourself and your mental wellbeing. If you haven’t tried another sport and you’re suffering with an injury, just try something else – anything!

If you’re anything like me – I told myself (and everyone else) I hated cycling, it was pointless, dangerous and I just didn’t like it and couldn’t see the point in it. I told myself that for years and years – having had 1 bad experience as an adult (as I child I was never off my bike, but something happens when you go to high school – all confidence gets knocked out of you, but that’s a whole other blog post). So from that one bad experience I decided cycling was a terrible sport.

Until one day (many, many years later), I got on a bike!  Ask me now about cycling and I love it! I always get excited if the weather is forecast to be nice at weekends, because that means a trip out on the bikes. I’ve also just got a spin bike for the house, so I can still cycle through the winter and dark nights!!

Obviously my first love is swimming, but finding something else to share with others – going out on rides (to cafes to eat cake!) with a group or with my other half – you just can’t beat it. I never fail to come back from a bike ride without a smile on my face!

Even if you’ve told yourself you hate any other sport – just have a go – you never know, you might surprise yourself!

London Marathon - Here We Go!!!

Well it’s that time of year again when the London ballot results start to be sent out.

I kind of forgot all about it until all the photos of the commiserations/congratulations magazines started to clog up my time line. This was attempt number 5 for me and with a record number of people applying this year, never for one minute had I even contemplated that I could be one of the lucky ones.

I had to nip out of work to quickly go home and walk the dog, I just scooped all the post off the doormat and plonked it on the coffee table - not giving it a second thought and headed back to work!

I had seen both of the magazines on Facebook and knew Big Ben was on the cover of the congratulations one, in previous years the the magazine could be seen through the clear cellophane and I was always one of the last people in the whole world to find out my fate so I had no idea what I was about to open.

After checking all the other post first I just casually tore open what I was expecting to be junk mail and I actually think my heart stopped momentarily when I saw the top of Big Ben poking out of the ripped plastic and I quickly covered it back up .. not sure why I did that!!!

After a few seconds I had another peek... and yup it was still Big Ben F%!k F%!K F%!k followed quickly by OMFG I had to sit down... I was in full blown shock... “me in the London marathon ... no way” omg omg what do I do now??!!

I know... take a photo of it and send it to my bird & bezzy... literally within seconds of it landing in their inbox’s my phone was ringing... it’s my bezzy screaming down the phone with the now standard omg omg omg!! Of course I replied with exactly the same... obvs 🙄 she’s that pleased for me that I cried and also had a little wee what with the excitement of it all haha!! 

I was overwhelmed when she said she would join me on my journey from the tedious training to being there in London on the day of the run 😀 I say run and not race... as I certainly won’t be racing anyone or for any particular finish time! For me running the London marathon will be one of best but also the hardest experiences of my life and a huge tick off my bucket list 😃 

Of course I will be following a training plan... I might be mad, but not that mad!!! But - and it's a big but - I will not allow it to take over my life! I have a goal and that goal is to enjoy my training runs, finish safely and to enjoy the atmosphere on the day, the time it will take me is totally irrelevant. My training plan will be tailor made for me to get me through the 27 miles .. well 26 miles and 395 yards to be exact!! So in a nutshell my plan will be to stick to a realistic, enjoyable, hard but totally achievable goal 😄

So why am I writing about this??? 

Well the approach I’m choosing to take for my marathon journey has been met with both positive and negative reactions! On a whole the majority of people have been genuinely pleased for me, but I’ve also received a few negative comments and attitudes... mainly about me and my abilities as a runner. The one that really stuck in my head is what someone at work said “it’s people like you that stop people like me getting a place”!!

What does that even mean!! 

Does it mean that just because I’m not super fit or that I’m not super fast that I am less deserving of a place?? 
Does it mean that just because I’m not chasing a PB and just want to enjoy the experience that I shouldn’t be on the start line?? 
Or maybe it’s because I don’t intend for the training to take over my life, that they assume I’m not taking it seriously?? 

So I suppose the point I’m trying to make is no matter how old, or how young, how fit or how fast each you are... everyone deserves the chance to follow their dream! And this is my dream and I know it’s lots of my fellow runners dream too!!! Don’t be put off doing things that other people think you can’t or shouldn’t do. I entered the ballot for a challenge just like everyone else did, I had the same chance of being successful as everyone else had and I know I’m lucky to get this chance... which I will be grabbing with both hands... So just because my approach may not be the traditional approach - or the approach that others think I should take - it’s the one I’m choosing to take and the one I know I will enjoy. 

Nic K 

Stop (over) thinking - start doing!

If you've seen any of my previous posts you'll know I like my swimming/life analogies. This morning was no different!

I've been trying to get my 400m time down. I'm not planning on entering the olympics or anything, it's just something I like to challenge myself on. Like people aim to run 10 minute miles, or 5k under 30 minutes - you do it for the self satisfaction.

So, I started doing a few lengths, trying different speeds - some were comfortable, some were a little uncomfortable and some were, well, close to drowning kind of lengths!!

Yes, I know, get to the point... The thing I found was that the harder I tried, the slower I was. The more I relaxed the quicker I was, I felt I was just gliding through the water with ease (in my head I was like a shark, stealth like. In reality I'm sure it was completely different - but, hey, that's a whole other post!!)

Which got me thinking that sometimes life (and work) is a lot like that, the harder you try at something the more difficult it becomes. All that effort and time you put in to that pitch, and then don't win it. All the research and business planning only to be told it's not viable, or you can't have the funding.

I'm not saying that if you do a pitch, or put in a bid for a business loan that you shouldn't bother. On the contrary, go for it. Just do it without the 'over-thinking', without the 'trying to be someone else'. Answer the brief, answer the questions - there's no hidden meaning in there, be yourself and don't over-think it - often the simplest answers or solutions are the right ones.

Like life in general - it really doesn’t have to be that complicated. It can be fun and swimming, for me, puts the fun into things, and filters all the nonsense that goes on in my head.

For you it might be running or cycling, or skipping or horse riding - whatever it is - get out and do it - don’t over think it, and have fun1

Two Four-Letter Words That Make a Huge difference!

'Just’ and ‘Only’

As some of you know – we’ve been putting up challenges on the Fuelled By Fun facebook group to collectively cycle, run or walk around islands and across the sea.

Adding up everyone’s mileage each week as a ‘team’ we have travelled – virtually – around mainland UK and Ireland and have crossed the Atlantic from Newquay to New York. Encouraging a real mix of people from hard core ironmen to first timers on bikes or newbie runners.

But one thing stood out, that I really feel I wanted to write (and have a little rant) about - people’s use of the words ‘just’ or ‘only’. Making their achievements seem unimportant, irrelevant or not much effort!

Getting out of the front door in the first place is a massive achievement for quite a lot of people. Some of the phrases I've seen when collecting miles of everyone... “Only 5 miles…”, “Just 8 miles…”. Twelve months ago I’d have laughed at you if you told me I’d be able to run or walk 5 miles and as for cycling – well, I used to think cycling was the work of the devil!!

I’m just asking that we all try and change our language – less of the four-letter words (I mean ‘just’ and ‘only’!)

Celebrate  your achievements – whether that’s 1 mile or 100 miles – celebrate the fact you did it, your body was strong enough to do that, you were mentally prepared to get out of the door and go for it.

And make sure you have fun :)

Fuelled By Fun - September Challenge Week 3

The challenge was set back at the beginning of September - members of the Fuelled By Fun Facebook group joined in the Run/Walk Challenge which was to (virtually) run/walk from Newquay to New York!

Collectively we gathered the mileage - whether it was the walk to work, a run/walk or jog around the block.

On week 1 we collected an amazing 1159.43 miles. Week 2 showed no let up for the amount of miles everyone ran and walked. We collected 1332.42 miles of run/walk miles from the fuelled by fun community. An absolutely amazing effort from everyone.

Week 3 proved no less spectacular, making it all the way to NYC we collected 1143.67 miles, which means we made it over to NYC with a week to spare (and some!!)

Now the next challenge is the October virtual triathlon - medals n' goodies! You can join in the virtual triathlon here

If you fancy joining in the fun, join us on Facebook.

Take baby steps and just get moving!

Fresh starts don’t have to be a Monday or January!! I always think that September feels like a fresh start – new pens, new books and new school uniforms!

But we don’t need ‘fresh’ starts – we just need to start! And to start with baby steps!

Small steps are much easier to take, much less daunting and can help to get you going without feeling overwhelmed. A perfect example, is the bike challenge, which started back in July. The challenge was to see if we could collectively cycle around the UK mainland and Ireland. We had no idea how long it would take, or even if we would manage it – as it’s nearly 7000 miles.

Participants gave us a weekly tally of the number of miles they had cycled each week. To our amazement it only took 6 weeks to get all the way around mainland UK and Ireland.

We just asked people to take baby steps, we had ironman triathletes taking part right through to people who had to dig out their bike from the back of the shed and actually get cycling for the first time in years. Then there were those like myself who hated cycling, but had a go and ended up absolutely loving it!! Everyone was contributing – anything from 100 miles to 1 mile.

The point is that people started – they had a go. There was no set mileage that was unrealistic for some and too small for others, it was all about what people could manage.

That’s what Fuelled By Fun is about - getting moving and having fun while you do it. Don’t push yourself so much that you end up hating it. I used to do that! I would decide that I wanted to start running to get fit so I would go out too fast and too far and end up feeling like my throat had been cut and my lungs had burst - not much fun at all!

Start taking baby steps – it doesn’t have to be 10k’s, half marathons, triathlons (although it can be if you want!) – it’s just about getting moving.

Check out the virtual triathlon we have for October and start taking baby steps (and get a bit of bling at the end of October too!)

Fuelled By Fun - September Challenge Week 2

The challenge has been set - members of the Fuelled By Fun Facebook group have joined in the September Run/Walk Challenge which is to (virtually) run/walk from Newquay to New York!

Collectively we're gathering the mileage - whether it's the walk to work, a run/walk or jog around the block

On week 1 we collected a fantastic 1159.43 miles. Week 2 has shown no let up for the amount of miles everyone has ran and walked. We collected 1332.42 miles of run/walk miles from the fuelled by fun community. An absolutely amazing effort from everyone.

If you fancy joining in the fun, join us on Facebook.

Life at the back of the pack!

Have you ever been out running with a group and always seem to find yourself at the back, gasping for air whilst desperately trying to make your legs go faster so you can keep up??? 

Yup me too!!  


Setting off on a group run is great, but a mile or so in, when you're losing sight of your fellow runners as they disappear into the distance... not so great! 

The first thing that takes over your mind is the “why the hell am I doing this”?? Quickly followed by “the OMG I’m hating every minute of it” to the “when will this be all over so I can go home and cry”?? Then there’s the hope!!!!! You spot that your fellow runners have stopped to wait for you... brill a rest at last. Nope as soon as you catch them up then they’re off again 😩 at this point you're red faced, out of breath, have sweat dripping into your eyes and in need of an oxygen cylinder, not only has every ounce of confidence you had disappeared, it has actually destroyed your soul. It’s nobody’s intentions or fault that you feel this way, they're just doing their thing as they should do, and I know if they did know how you felt they would be horrified at the thought... but the fact is life at the back of the pack is hard work!

Fast forward 12 months>>>>>>

Life at the back of the pack now is where I love to be... gone are the feelings of "I’m not good enough", gone are the stresses of trying to keep up... gone has the feeling of it wanting it to be over along with the fear of failure 😁 

Instead they’ve been replaced with, I can do this, I am me and I run at my own 'no pressure' pace, I chat to people and find out about them and their lives. I take in my surroundings and appreciate what’s on our doorstep, I stop for silly photos, and wild wee’s and the only time I cry is with laughter... 

So what’s changed??? 

Me I’ve changed... I no longer focus on my finish times but the finish lines! I no longer focus on how slow I run, just on how much fun I can have along the way, everything and everyone else is the same... It’s just my outlook that has changed and thank goodness it has as it’s brought back my love for running 😊 

What is it they say a “mile is a mile no matter how long it takes you to run it “and it’s so true 😄 

I can officially say I am Fuelled By Fun and now loving every single run 😊 
Nic K 

Fuelled by Fun - September Challenge Week 1

The challenge has been set - members of the Fuelled By Fun Facebook group have joined in the September Run/Walk Challenge which is to (virtually) run/walk from Newquay to New York!

Collectively we're gathering the mileage - whether it's the walk to work, a run/walk or jog around the block

The miles are collated each week and so far on week 1 we've collected a fantastic 1159.43 miles - we're a third of the way there already!!

Amazing effort from everyone. If you fancy joining in the fun, join us on Facebook.

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.