Meet new people. Try new things. Discover new places
Nearly two months into 2016 and I think it’s a good time to reflect, then plan and look forward to March and a new season. Have you had a productive 2016 so far or have you had a bad case of the January/February blues and can’t wait for Spring to arrive?
Either way, Winter is nearly is over. We can’t have it back and it’s time to move on.
At the beginning of this year I wrote down a number of lists of things I wanted to achieve, places I wanted to go, books I wanted to read and things I wanted to do in 2016. If I don’t write things down and plan, then most of those things just wouldn’t get done. The weeks just seem to fly by and making the most of every day is a big deal for me and that’s just the way I choose to live.
2016 so far…
Books
Anyone who knows me will tell you how impatient I am and when I decide I want something I’m not so good at waiting for it. Living here in Switzerland means it’s just not possible for me to take myself off to Waterstones and buy all the books (and probably more) that I wanted to read so I have no other choice but to order them from Amazon.
Great ‘next day delivery’ they tell me. Well it would be, if they were being delivered to the UK. Alternatively, there will be a 5 week wait! Really? Anyway, I ordered my books and have just received them today on the 22nd February. As it turned out, I was back in the UK last week so I could have got them in a book shop and still had them back before the delivery, but hey, what’s done is done - and I was pushing the hand luggage only rules to the limit as it was. Time to play catch up.
I’ve just finished a book called 10% Human which again, has really made me look at nutrition from another perspective. That’s what happens, you think you have just got to grips with one thing and then it gets thrown out of the water by something else. The subject of health and all its facets is a complicated one, but also highly fascinating.
I’m going to be doing some reviews on the books I’ve been reading and give an insight into the best bits and what I’ve learnt from each one. I think every health, fitness or nutrition book I’ve ever read had caused me to try out a new experiment based on what I have learnt. Now a lot of those things I have tried have become habits and I can’t even remember back to when I didn’t do them.
Fitness
One of my targets for each month was to walk more steps than I did in the same month of 2015 (yes, I have made a note). I did get off to a slow start with the first few days of January spent sitting down or skiing but made up for it later in the month. Not one of my January intentions but I also beat my total steps in one day record of 41,267 steps and it now stands at 45,393. As a result, I’m going to have a day every month where I try to beat it (totally obsessed by my FitBit). As for the January monthly total, I beat that too, by 110,000 steps. That’s only just over 3500 steps a day extra but it just shows how small things add up bit by bit. With seven days left of February, I have 34,952 steps left to do to equal my February 2015 total and still haven’t attempted my record breaking day.
Aim high and even if you fail you will still be higher than if you didn’t try.
A monthly 4000 Reps challenge was something else I planned to do. Really simple and no thought required. It's amazing how much you can do with the odd 10 mins you have free here and there. Just complete 1000 repetitions each of 4 exercises. For January I chose; Burpees, Push ups, Squats and Kettlebell Swings. Again it’s only 33 a day of each which doesn’t seem a lot but if you leave them for a day or two, you can soon fall behind, which I did, with the Kettlebell swings and Burpees at least. By the 20th January I had already completed 1000 Press ups and Squats but unfortunately developed a wrist ganglion cyst and was unable to complete the Kettlebell Swings or Burpees.
February Reps Challenge had to include exercises that didn’t involve using my wrist so I chose Plank Jacks, Squats, Lunges (1000 each leg) and Leg Raises. Once again, I probably overdid it at the beginning of the month and with 7 days still to go, have already completed all of the Squats, Lunges and Plank Jacks. All that’s left is 381 Leg Raises!
Giving up Coffee and getting more Sleep
I’ve already outlined my intentions with regards to coffee and sleep in previous blogs and so far, so good. Day twenty two of no coffee and I’ve almost forgotten what it is. Not quite though, and I still love the smell. Friends have apologetically asked if it’s still ok to drink coffee when they are with me. Fine by me - I’m not tempted at all! Because I am intrinsically motivated to do this, it actually doesn’t require any willpower. The reasons for me wanting to do it are stronger than any desire to give in. I think that’s the important thing when you want to do something. If your reasons are strong enough, you will do it.
I’m sleeping better too. Whether it’s because of less caffeine in my system, my blue light blocking glasses or the ‘Pzizz' sleep app I’ve been using - does it really matter? The outcome is what I was hoping for and at really no extra time or effort. I’m still not so great at sticking to my 10pm curfew but one thing at a time.
Meet New People. Try New Things. Discover New Places.
It’s amazing what happens when you meet someone new. It can really open your mind and allow you to have a better understanding of the world. Having lived in another country other than my own for the last 3 yrs, I have met many people from all over the world, who each have a story to tell. Sometimes the people we meet inspire us to try new things and through conversation we are introduced to unique philosophies and perspectives we may never have looked at.
So far this year I have been lucky enough to meet and join Ellen Sprunger who competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games in Heptathlon for one of her training sessions. She demonstrates an amazing attitude to her sport and the unwillingness to give in despite major injuries which could have ended her career. She has a dream to compete at her second Olympics in Rio 2016 later this year and says she will do everything she can to get there. If she doesn’t qualify, then she knows she could not have worked any harder so no regrets. You can’t fail to be inspired by such drive and determination and she certainly had a big impact on my 10 year old daughter.
Can you imagine all the things we are capable of doing if we just took the chance. If we didn’t fear failure and just went out and tried something new, we could get some interesting results. If we continue to repeat the same things over and over again, how can we expect different outcomes? What new things have you tried this year? Maybe it was just something you've always wanted to try. For me, it was Hot Yoga. I loved it. Something I will definitely be doing again.
Travelling is another thing that inspires me. Everything is new and rather than thinking about mundane things or tasks you might be doing at home, you are trying to take everything in - you are living in the moment and enjoying everything in front of you as it happens. Even my trip back to London, where we lived for 10 yrs before moving to Switzerland is different every time I go back. Things I’ve never seen before. New 'Foodie' and 'Fitness' experiences to try. I love this about travel.
One of my travel and discovery intentions for 2016 is to visit every Canton in Switzerland. There are twenty six and so far we have done five. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Swiss adventure unfolds over the next ten months - French, German and Italian and so diverse for such a small country.
Welcome to Spring
It’s been a busy few months but now it’s time to focus and plan for the remainder of February and March. It’s way more productive than just seeing how things turn out. Although this happens too.
I need to stop putting off my photo books that I create every year (I’m so behind). March has got to be the month when I start (and finish) those. They are so worth the time, effort and frustration involved.
I need four new exercises for the March 4000 Rep Challenge - usually consisting of upper body, lower body, abs and high intensity.
Places to go and people to meet….excited about what’s to come.
Contact me
lifestyle360@outlook.com