Monday 27 April 2015

Fitness in the Wilderness

I've been quiet here on the blog this past week because Hugo has been home for the first time all year. 

We've spent the week catching up, having coffee at the local shop, doing book work and gardening. 

We went rock climbing, we walked through National Parks and discovered places we've never been before. 

We laughed. A lot.

Usually my week is my own, and I plan it each morning over a cup of tea. I make time for writing, for blogging, for keeping in contact with my friends and for daily excerise. This week, I've gone with the flow. Not planned anything specific and just watched as the days unfolded.

Every single day, I walked over 10 thousand steps, reached my goal of daily exercise and enjoyed every second of it, with ease.  It wasn't a battle, it wasn't a "must do" on my daily To Do List. It was fun, enjoyable, rejuvenating. 

Getting fit and being healthy doesn't always have to mean hard work. I've come to see, over he years, that pushing yourself is often not the way. Being gentle, doing exercise you enjoy, being at one with yourself is the most beautiful way to get healthy. This year I've chosen to give up boot camp, in favour of Zumba. It is in now way as physical, but it makes my heart sing. I feel energised and happy after class. If I have sore muscles, Zumba has a way of relaxing them. I still do weight sessions, but not with the ferocity or comply to the rigid schedule I used to. 

Spending this week bush walking, rock climbing and hanging our in the National Park, has served as a reminder to me, how much energy can be gained by being with nature. Walking along a sandy route on a track unknown, is great fun. Learning about different sites and moments in history along the way invigorate the mind as well. It's much better for the whole of you, than walking 15k on a treadmill in the air conditioning of the gym. 

Sometimes, I too, need a little down time. A time to give thanks, to my legs for carrying me to such amazing places, for my eyes allowing me to see such natural beauty, to my ears to letting me hear the sounds of nature, and my arms for supporting me through the springs and gullies that I roam. 

We climbed to the top of a mountain and located the very best place I have ever seen to meditate. To sit quietly and watch the world, listen to the breeze and the birds and simply breathe. 

Sometimes, we all need to go away, into the bush, and simple BE. 




Tuesday 14 April 2015

Have you ever stopped to think?

What if personal passion was directly responsible for metabolic burn?

Yeah I know, how ridiculous does that sound? 

But what if it's true? 

What if finding your true purpose in life and fueling that fire is all that it takes to ramp up your metabolic burn rate?

What if doing what you love makes you thin and healthy? What if sitting in a job you hate, in a company who's values are opposite to yours, is making you unwell? 

What if your digestion issues are stemmed from the fact that there are "undigested" areas in your life?

What if your extra size is directly attributed to the emotional baggage you cart around?

Holy shit.

I might be onto something. Change your thinking, change your life. 

Trust me.


Saturday 11 April 2015

City Life by a Country Chick

For all kinds of reasons I've been in Brisbane for three weeks out of the last 4. What was once a shopping Mecca to me is evolving into an ever changing exploration. 

Everyday sees me checking MeetUps to see what's happening in this beautiful city. 

Everyday has bought new coffee shops, cafes, bus routes and friends into my world. 

Everyday has seen new exercise opportunities, new walking tracks that lead to all places unknown.

Everyday has seen my pedometer hit more than 15000 steps with ease. 

Finally,  I am feeling like I belong here. I'm finding cafes in bunkers, farmers and artisan markets. I'm finding opportunity abounds here for healthy living. 

I'm sitting in the Qld State Library Cafe, listening to a brass band and people watching. I'm waiting to attend a talk on Book Publishing, accidentally stumbling across this chance on Easter Sunday. 

To me, I'm being led to discover a new world. One full of opportunity and fun. 

The State Library has nooks and crannies to chill out, websurf, read or study. It has ever changing displays of photographs and artefacts, it has people that are walking their own path. 

Sometimes I used to feel like I was just going through the motions of life. Waking, walking, working through my days. No longer. My life is evolving as well. 

I'm more open to the syncronicity of life, to heading to a destination but happy to vary the journey to arrive. To be more aware of my surroundings, to open my eyes and ears and actually 'be' in my space. 
To feel the wind in my hair, to inhale the aroma of fresh baked goods, to smile at strangers and to truly love the world I've been given to experience. 

I feel I'm being given the opportunity to be the 'real me', as "new agey" as that sounds.  I really believe that I'm being led to find my purpose, the truth in my existence.  

How exciting is that? 

Every day, I find more and more ideas and tips that lead my thinking in a different direction. To enhance my point of veiw about all things health related. I find now when I open the internet or a magazine, the information that hits me first is exactly what I need to read. Reinforcing my beliefs in the need to fuel the fires internally as a way of increasing metabolic rate. Feed the fire, not your face.

I'm in the city, I'm seeing opportunity, I'm gathering information, I'm changing the world. Watch me.