3.12.12 - all dates cancelled until further notice - sorry.

Dates for  your diary Nov  2012 – Jan 2013

Thursday 1^st November - Sikka View Walk - Meet at Sikka Trail Car park 10.30am. Not a power walk just an enjoyable walk in the beautiful countryside – rain or shine!! FREE

9th November - 2nd Meeting London to Rio. 7.15pm East Burton Village Hall.  Cost £2.50 includes tea/coffee.

Speakers on this evening will talk about ‘Coasteering’, ‘Zumba’, ‘Meditation’, and ‘Purbeck Gym Membership’

Thursday 15^th November - Cycle ride around Wareham Forest - Rain or shine - Meet at Sikka Trail Car Park at 10.45am. (Nothing too difficult - promise) FREE.

Friday 16^th November - Group Walk around Wareham Forest meet at Sikka Trail Car Park at 2pm. Rain or shine. FREE.

Thursday 22^nd November  Windspit  Walk - Meet at Worth Matravers Car park  opp the Square and Compass 10.30am. Not if weather dreadful, contact me if unsure on definition of dreadful! FREE

Friday 23^rd November – Circle Dancing Evening – This is a real MUST DO evening! The lovely Sandy Gent who is one of the best teachers EVER will take us through an evening of circle dancing. Ideal for everyone – no experience necessary – no great fitness levels necessary – just a lovely evening with great music and a real FEEL GOOD factor. East Burton Village Hall. Starts at 7.15 Cost £3.50 includes tea/coffee. Finished by 9 ish.

Saturday 1^st December – Bindon Hill Walk, Lulworth.  Meet at Castle Inn Car Park at 10.30am. Big hills on this walk folks but incredible views! May have to postpone if weather dreadful!

Friday 7^th December - Group Walk around Wareham Forest meet at Sikka Trail Car Park at 1.30pm. Rain or shine. FREE.

Thursday 13^th December - Cycle ride around Wareham Forest - Meet at Sikka Trail Car Park at 10.30am. FREE

Thursday 10^th January – Beach Walk, Studland – 10.30am Meeting place to be confirmed.

Friday 11^th January – London to Rio Meeting 7.15pm, East Burton Village Hall, We will be hearing about kayaking, other speakers to be confirmed. £2.50 includes tea/coffee.

 

Photography and geocaching

Don't panic - it's not all about extreme challenges and sports. Just because my mouth runs away with me and I come out with ridiculous plans (for a woman of my age and size) to start abseiling down cliffs or throwing myself off high rocks into cold water. It doesn't mean that this is my way of getting fit. It might be for some people of course. But for me in real life (and when I am not being terrified by my own challenges), fitness is about doing things that you enjoy.

I understand totally that this may be going into a gym for some people, but that doesn't do it for me. I can understand that it may be about running, or spinning (full on exercise bike class!!), but that isn't me either. In my effort to get fitter I do need to challenge myself but on a slow road from total oblivion to fitness it has to start with things that I can manage. For me that meant walking to the end of the road and back if that was all I could manage. It meant starting with the wonderful and health giving Qi Gong, gentle Chinese health exercises which changed the stagnant energy in my body and broke the total inertia. Once I had been doing Qi Gong for a few months I was able to start pilates. That has gradually increased my muscle strength and enabled me after another few months to start walking further distances.

The next question was how to walk those increased distances without feeling like either a) I was exercising or b) I was moaning. Simple, find a hobby that goes with the walking and takes your mind off distance travelled. Now, I can appreciate the scenery and I love being out in it, but sometimes I need a little extra to keep me motivated. Well, I have combined several  hobbies that work a treat.

Firstly, I got a camera. Its ok, I am not going to get technical about this, I still use it on Autofocus. But it is so much fun to record the beauty that is around me. I expect I will get into a little more of the technical stuff later on, but I am slightly lacking the logic gene so maybe not! I have also been shown some wonderful Photoshop techniques and that is great for taking pictures with a view to making up wacky posters when you get home and don't know what to do with yourself for an evening. (I am afraid I don't have the patience for TV. I am currently trying to watch Downton Abbey because it is so good but I may have to wait for the dvd's to come out as the adverts drive me mad with boredom.)

I LOVE my camera. I can highly recommend this as an exercising hobby - you need to get out into the world - and that means walking - you just need to get to another place and round another bend to see what comes next - to get the next photo. It helps that lovely husband is into his wildlife photography so I just follow him while he stalks butterflies and birds and I am like a Japanese tourist snapping away behind him.

I then met a friend who introduced me to the wonderful world of geocaching. What is geocaching? Well if you need to have it explained properly then I recommend going to
https://www.geocaching.com/

If you are happy with the gist then here it is. Geocaching involves using a hand held gps (or phone with appropriate app) to navigate your way to set coordinates and upon reaching them find the hidden cache (no not cash as I had to explain to my disappointed 16 year old son who can now of course no longer see the point of it!!) You then log your geocaching name in a little book (or sometimes a tiny piece of paper if it is a micro cache) and when you get home you go on to the website and log your visit to say that you have found a certain cache and you clock up your number of finds.

What is the point I hear you ask? Well to be honest, for me, it is getting me out to places I would not have otherwise got around to visiting. It makes me walk for miles and hours on end rather than just a quick walk that you and your bored hound have done millions of times. There is often a puzzle to solve or multiple coordinates to find clues which lead you to the final destination and the cache. It has a slight competitive edge if you want it to. It can drive you crazy but it is really loads of fun! Exercise with a little twist to take your mind off the miles that your legs are covering just to clock up one more cache thats 'nearby'!!

 

 

Find what inspires you and get out there - the world around you is an amazing place enjoy it.

Wild Swimming

My otter impression

 

 

Wow - what can I say. Wild Swimming. This is a bit of a break through for me. Firstly, I am a very fair weather person and secondly, since the onset of Lupus, I am also very difficult to part from a hot water bottle or two. I did stop going to bed with them for the month of August but as soon as a dew appeared once again on the grass in the morning I felt the need. I seem to collect warm things. For Christmas I got two hot water bottles, a pair of slippers and a blanket with sleeves, this is how well my family knows me! So - to be swimming in a costume (no wet suit) on the 27th September was a remarkable achievement.

My friend Julia in wetsuit (sensible idea!)

 

 

When I arranged the date with my friend she looked kind of confident - not only was it quite far away but I think she assumed that it would never happen. As the day started nearing and she saw I was serious, she began to get nervous.....bad dreams ... the lot.

 

Brave Tracey

I did start wondering how this mouth of mine opens and stuff comes out and then before I know it I have got myself into hot water again.... or not on this occasion.

 

Brave Karen

It was a beautiful sunny morning after we had been experiencing loads and loads of very cold rain which seems to have been filling the sea up with cold water. But we couldn't have asked for better weather. I kind of assumed that it would be me and Julia, with my hot water loving husband on the shore taking pictures and laughing.
How wrong could I be! Two friends from Swanage bravely turned up and then Julia, her husband, her mother and mother in law. Seven of us! I was amazed.



Drama Queen

Sure, the water was a little on the chilly side. I made a big fuss of getting in and struggled with the plunging into the shoulders bit. I think everyone managed it before me, I have always been a bit of an attention seeking drama queen.
However, on such a stunning morning as this, with the Purbeck hills around us and Old Harry Rocks to one side, and Sandbanks to the other, how could you not be totally enchanted, enlivened, refreshed and oh so glad to be alive. There is nothing like cold water to bring you up into the present moment with a bang. 'The Power of Now' eat your heart out! How wonderful.

 

Swimming against the tide



Once the body got fairly numb the mind seemed to enjoy every second even more. You had to swim fairly hard against the tide to stay in one place. We managed half an hour - yes truly.
I can heartily recommend it. Shall I keep you all posted on the next date?
I think perhaps a full length wetsuit for next time though.

The only downside? I felt so tired afterwards - I kept dozing off in the afternoon and in the end gave in and had a snooze for an hour or so. Yes I do seem to lead a life of luxury don't I!!? I had to plan this free time into the diary just in case.

Onward and upwards - cycling in the forest this week!

p.s. How comes everyone else manages to look glamorous?? I must start trying to find my glamour!

Stress and exercise

These are beautiful bamboo pipes played by the wind in a Quarry in Portland

 

One of the most important aspects of health and well being in my view is dealing with stress. I believe that we all suffer from it in various ways these days as it has become part of the way we live our lives. We can achieve so much in a day that we have learnt to put ourselves under enormous pressure to do this. We are constantly available and if we manage our time effectively we can be almost 'super human' in our daily achievements. We no longer have to worry about having a washing day or a cleaning day, we fit these minor chores in around our busy schedule.

When we are no longer 'in the moment' we are creating stress for ourselves. Our brains, in an attempt to control life, are planning the next moves, reviewing the last ones in order to plan better next time. We try and control every little detail of our lives and we lose the moment that we are in now.

I believe that in order to achieve good health  we need to learn to live in the present moment. This is so easy to say and often so hard to do. Without a doubt life is difficult. I do not think I know anyone who does not have problems of one sort or another. The problems increase with worry and the 'controlling perpective' and decrease with a more philosophical approach. I realise this is simplistic. It is very difficult not to worry excessively when you are waiting for horrible test results from hospital, or cannot afford your mortgage this month.
It is often because of this need to control and this excessive worry that we become obsessed with certain aspects of our lives and ironically enough this can also include exercise.

My philosophy to fitness and health is that if we do not discover our joy in life and find the passions that bring us in the present moment, then we will either find it difficult to stick to an exercise program (this would be my category), or we can just as easily become obsessive about our health and exercise (I have a good friend who falls into this category).

On the surface we tend to admire people who are able to stick to rigorous exercise programs but in all honesty, obsession of any form is not good for your stress levels. The underlying root of their motivation is fear-based and unhealthy,  there can be costs to physical and emotional health. Too much exercise causes the body to break down physically. Bones suffer, as do tendons, ligaments, even muscles. People become more susceptible to colds and flu. Don't forget that rest repairs the body from the wear and tear of exercise and everyday life.

Whilst I need to learn to try and stick to a more regular exercise and be consistent. I do believe that I have a relatively good balance in my life currently, relaxation, mental stimulation, creative stimulation, spiritual exploration, physical exercise and healthy eating. I do believe that this balance is what is important. If you do not try and help each part of yourself then you are either in danger of falling into a depressive state (this is where I have often found myself in the past), or an obsessive state. Both of which are dangerous states for our long term health.

The mind and the body are not separate. They are connected. If you are constantly anxious then your body will be on overdrive, if you are constantly depressed then your body will believe that there is a physical problem and something will be created to fit this pattern.

The hardest thing is to take responsibility for ourselves. We do expect our bodies to carry on regardless of alcohol, junk food, lack of exercise, smoking, caffeine, pollution, chemicals in everything we touch. When it does not do its magic self healing efficiently enough then we go to our doctor and expect them to wave a wand (write a prescription) so that everything can return to 'normal'. Sadly more and more of us are discovering (usually when we a reaching an age when everything is starting to head south and gradually drop off) this is not the case. Our doctors cannot always solve the problems unless we are willing to make drastic changes and take the burden of responsibility.

Sometimes when I am tired, when I am feeling low regardless of how careful I have been with food, exercise etc. I feel exhausted by my efforts to help my Lupus. I wish I could just take a pill and forget about having to take proper care of every little thing. It is tiring being responsible. But mostly I realise that my diet control, exercise and well being program is actually far more effective than any pill the doctor could give me.

Perhaps if they invent a magic rejuvenating pill with absolutely no consequences whatsoever, then I will consider it!!

21 days to a new habit

21 days to change your habits.

 

Apparently it takes twenty one days to form a new habit. I believe that I take slightly longer than that but lets start with the premise that it is true. How it works is this, it takes 21 days of doing something everyday for the neural pathways in your brain to form.

If you try and tell yourself that you are just going to do something for twenty one days then you are less resistant to the thought of change. Your conscious mind thinks "Ok. 21 days, I can handle that, it won't be too bad" By the end of the 21 days you can tell yourself you have the choice to continue or not but actually the 'habit' side of what you are doing has already started to form.

I think it does take slightly longer to break a habit because if it is something you have been doing for a very long time, smoking for example, then the pathways in the brain are very well formed and may never go away. You just have to keep reminding yourself not to follow the old pathway, put up a 'road closed' sign and remember to stick to it.

I have been working with this theory and taking one small step at a time. I can't try to make lots of habits and break lots of habits at once. I just have to go with one at a time which does mean that progress in any real sense is fairly slow, but it is still progress. I have made a chart for the wall which just has 21 days on it. The first habit I am really tying to break is the 'Constant Grazing in the Evening Habit'. Even if I was always snacking on healthy foods, and telling myself that just one more piece of fruit would be fine, or just a couple of rice cakes.... (what can I have next?) I still wanted to stop the habit. It was unnecessary (I wasn't really hungry) and really not good for my waistline eating in the evening too late. I am now on day twenty three and I do think it is starting to feel easier on some nights. Other nights I have had to resort to going to bed early! I have only three crosses where I couldn't help myself and all the other days are ticked as successful.

I just have to keep going on this one but now I am also ready to start the next habit. I am going to add daily meditation for the next twenty one days. I have a list of things I want to change and I think they will take me forever, but then again if we never try to change them, even by one small step at a time, then nothing will actually change. What amazed me was just how quickly that twenty one days passed.

You can also try this website: 21habit.com which will log everything for you! You can even 'play' in committed mode and donate $21 for which you will get a dollar back for everyday you succeed and forfeit a dollar for everyday you fail which the website donates to various charities. I just love this! You can get an app for everything these days.

What would be on your list of habits to break and habits to create?

Small changes

 

Another brief gathering of words to start summing up my story and start charting my progress.
Here is a picture of me on 3rd August 2011.

 

Here is another picture of me in September 2012.

 

Yes, I know there is still some way to go but the journey was never going to be a miracle. In fact it is not just a journey of weight it is also a journey of health and well being.

In the first picture I can barely describe to you how I felt without feeling tearful. I loathed myself for the way I looked but I was also feeling so very ill. I experienced chronic pain everyday and had done for several months. I blamed my weight entirely and so did the doctors until the pain started in my arms which they found more difficult to put down to my weight alone. Every joint seemed to hurt. I was on a huge amount of tablets and often felt that I was taking tablets for the symptoms of other tablets. I had been ill since March 2011 and had gone through numerous tests for a huge array of symptoms.

Every type of blood test. Cameras up, down, around. Scans. And still I felt dreadful and nothing was properly diagnosed.
Finally in September 2011 they discovered Lupus, with Fibromyalgia symptoms (which are also really part of the Lupus) and a blood condition called Antiphospholipid symdrome (APS) which often also goes hand in hand with Lupus.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself in various ways. Some of the symptoms being exhaustion (yes), joint pain (YES), despression (yes), thinning hair (yes), brain fog (yes), skin sensitivity (yes) and insomnia (yes).
I started to make changes. I am still adding a new habit or taking away an old habit, every 21 days. Tiny steps, tiny changes, all with a bit of patience, make the biggest difference.

Here I am in another picture, challenging myself to abseil this year (I am scared of heights!)

Competition Time!

Challenge yourself with the London to Rio Blog Competition!

 

Here is a quickie blog about the London to Rio blog competition. I would like to receive any inspiring stories, either your own, or someone you know (with their permission). Anything that helps to encourage the rest of us and make us feel that it can be done. Please contact me on aprilhomefarm@btinternet.com to email me your story, please put 'London to Rio Competition' in the email title so you don't get the spam treatment!

 

The winning entry will be decided by the end of October and I am giving away a prize of a Reflexology or Reiki Treatment Voucher. Bearing in mind that we are not a huge group yet... you could be the only entry..... lucky you! Don't be deterred if you are on the other side of the world as I can send regular distance reiki or do a specific session for you.

The basic requirements are: Approximately 750 words with 2 pictures. It can be longer if you choose.

 

Good luck! Looking forward to reading those stories.