Today the muscles on my upper arm and upper thighs are telling me ( loudly) they exist and greeted me on awakening. I am one day into this health and fitness journey and I have congratulated myself.
TODAY:
- I will meditate. This morning while I took 15 minutes to breathe and stop, I felt the concept of mindlessness rise to the surface of my mind. Mindlessness is being totally aware and present in each moment, sot hat evey ativity – from eating, or driving, or chatting on the phone with Mum or a friend – becomes an opportunity to be fully awake and alive. I am paying attention to the world around me, noticing how it all makes me feel; the air as it slides like silk down my bare shoulders, the feel of the air moving into my lungs and filling me with energy and life, the quiet like a cloak that wraps itself – well worn around my soul and fits so comfortably. As I flow through my day, I willr emidn myself to stay present ine ach and every moment.
- I will write in my journal. Just write, anything and everything and spill it all out somewhere to clear my mind of all the minutiae. Any niggles, frustrations, worries or concerns that pile up I will lay them within here and resist the temptation to pick them back up and carry them all around. Again. I will do this for 15 minutes before I go to sleep so I ma have a clear mind when i lay myself down. I will not explore, analyse or overthink what I write. I will, just write.
- Pondering de-stressing. Tension may begin in the mind but it lodges in my body adding to the physical stress load even when I am feeling mentally at ease. I will take some time to scan my body and be aware of all parts of it and pinpoint where I am holding tension so I have the option to let go of this. I will sit down comfortably and close my eyes. I will breathe in and out, aware of each breath and focusing on these. While continuing to breathe deeply, I will focus on the top of my head and forehead, sensing if tension resides there and giving it permission to go. I will likewise move progressively down my body, sensing ANY tension and letting it go.
- YOGA - I will do 15 minutes of Salutations to the Sun
- I will walk for 35 minutes in the croquet field across the road and breath the morning in before anyone else here awakes.
- I will do 40 minutes of stretching and strength work
- I will put on daggy happy music and dance madly with the girls until we all run out of breath laughing.
I WILL EAT:
- ON WAKING: A glass of hot water with a squeeze of lemon juice.
- BREAKFAST:1 sliced banana mixed with 110ml no fat natural yoghurt mixed with 1 tsp freshly grated ginger, 1 tsp sliced almonds and 1 tbs steel cut oats.
- LUNCH: CHICKPEA SALAD WITH CITRUS DRESSING (200gm cooked chickpeas mixed with two chopped celery stalks, half a cucumber cut in cubes, 1 medium tomato chopped and some fresh chopped coriander leaves drizzled with a combo of lime juice, orange juice a slurp of virgin olive oil and sea salt and ground black pepper.)
- DINNER: Grilled ginger kind prawns with courgettes
- TREAT:t A baked apple with brown sugar and cinnamon.
INDULGENCE:
I will mash and avocado with 1 tablespoon of honey and ply to my face and leave it there for 15 minutes, then rinsing with warm water.
