So towards the end of last year, I was asked by Vitality if I would like to be involved in a campaign for encouraging healthy habits in kids – but not only me, my two children would be involved too!
Well, I couldn’t miss this opportunity as not only was it with Vitality, who I thoroughly enjoyed working with on their #WomenInSport campaign, but also Disney – so there wasn’t any way I could say “No” my kids would never forgive me. Also, I think with the ethos of my blog, the idea of encouraging children to develop healthy habits in their childhood, that they will hopefully take into adulthood, couldn’t be more fitting.
For the Crockfit weekend (yes I know it was back in January I went, but I’ve been busy and I promise this post was well worth the wait) we were catered for by the amazingly talented Ceri Jones of Natural Kitchen Adventures – not only were the meals tasty and delicious, they were wholesome and healthy with the right balance of our macronutrients (carbs, fats and protein) and supplying plenty of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) too.
Along with that, it has made me try new things – such as celeriac, which was yummy as a mash and also in the remoulade. It also reintroduced me to vegetables that I tried as a child but didn’t like such as beetroot (the issue there was the colour it turned my pee – and when you’re only about 6 years old, bright red pee is frankly quite terrifying!!!)
It may surprise you, or not, but at this point in my life, nearly mid-30s I’d never been anywhere really on my own – I’ve always gone away with family, friends or my Hubby (and obviously in more recent years the kiddies).
So when, in about Sept 2017, I saw Alex Crockford advertising a fitness weekend it really caught my eye as something I would love to be involved in and attend. I spoke to the Hubby and agreed it would be both my Birthday and Christmas present for that year. So I booked on. I thought it would fit perfectly with the way life is going with regards to my new career path and what I also blog about. It would be amazing to meet like-minded people, gain knowledge from Alex and also learn more about food (which came from the talented Ceri Jones of Natural Kitchen Adventures – watch out for a separate post on that!) and just spend a weekend talking and doing what I love – which is keeping fit and eating well.Read More »
So towards the end of January, I went on a Fitness Weekend being hosted by Alex Crockford, with Replenish You, held in a beautiful manor house in Loughborough. I will share with you soon as to why I did this and all the amazing details covering the exercise and food over various blog posts but before, that I thought I would share some of the photos I took over the weekend to send back to my children – rather fitting as we have just celebrated mother’s day – and just to prove the point that no matter where you are, even when having some me time, you are always a mum!
I was really happy to see this article a few weeks back – Netball: The sport which is seeing a big boom in England, it is fantastic to hear, especially as my niece is an avid (and exceptionally good) netball player and which links nicely with what this post is all about! NETBALL!!!
Towards the end of 2017, I was extremely lucky to spend the entire weekend going back and forth to Stratford and the reason for that being I was attending various netball games and also a netball event day thanks to Vitality as part of their #WomenInSport campaign.
Watching the game on the Friday night, in the wonderful company of Tess, Laura and Lauren, was the first time I’d ever seen a proper netball game and I’ve never witnessed something so fast-paced and compelling I was soon sucked in by the excitement. Seeing the England Roses against the Malawi Queens was phenomenal.
As the saying goes “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be Kind. Always”
I am a face of anxiety.
But you can’t necessarily tell who is battling their inner demons because they conceal it all behind a smiley face, a bouncy bubbly personality, lots of what seems like boundless self-confidence or possibly they keep it all behind closed doors, keeping themselves to themselves, however they deal with it, they are still battling and doing their very best…
Left to Right: Jess, Charlotte, Me, Caroline, Laura
Before I go further into the interesting insights they were able to share with myself and the lovely Charlotte and Amy, as some of the top Women In Sport – I’d just like to let you know how this how amazing campaign has affected me in such a positive way, not just getting to meet new inspiring people and take part in fun activities but also mentally.
***This is not a sponsored post – though I was appreciative of coming home with my own hockey stick, ball, shin pads and bag which was lovely and unexpected. All opinions are my own***
So on Tuesday 7th, November England Hockey announced that Vitality UK is to be their official Wellness Partner, and I was extremely lucky to be part of the launch event along with the lovely Lucy and terrific Tess, which took place at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park!
Lucy, Tess & Me!
I had never played hockey or even held a proper hockey stick until this event, as my secondary school was a lacrosse school, so this was exciting and terrifying in equal measure.
Not only were we getting to learn some hockey skills, they were being taught to us by members of the Women and Men’s England Hockey teams – so not much pressure there then! Lol! But it was just amazing and so much fun, and I was just so relieved that I did manage to hit the ball. We got to meet Laura Unsworth, Giselle Ansley, Sarah Haycroft, Phil Roper, Adam Dixon and Henry Weir.
It was such a pleasure to meet them all and learn some of the basic skills, even though my challenge for #WomenInSport campaign is going to be football, it was a brilliant opportunity to experience another team sport and to see what else is out there, even though it was something I had never done before. Read More »
It won’t stop, it’s absolutely relentless, I try everything in my power to make it halt, but it’s perpetually overwhelming – what is this terrifying thing I talk about? It’s my own mind and my own thoughts…
The only two things you have control of (supposedly);
– Your own thoughts
– Your own actions
But when it comes to anxiety, there is absolutely no controlling those thoughts, they are a neverending tidal wave – they knock you down, and you try to get up, but then another wave comes and knocks you off your feet again and they come again and again and again, ceaseless wave after wave, until you have no strength to get back up and they wash over you, suffocating you, all-encompassing, sapping you of energy and emotion, defeating you.
‘This is not a ‘pity me’ post – or me asking you to say you like me – this is me just sharing how my brain works – hope this makes sense!’
I touched on this a while back on an Instagram post – but that was more about accepting myself physically, this blog post is covering my issues with accepting or liking/loving myself mentally.
You’ll find the original Instagram post HERE – did try and embed it, but the video wouldn’t show!
I know it does seem strange to say this, considering how much of myself I put out there on Social Media, but I do find it really hard to like myself, let alone love myself. I don’t know if this is part of my anxiety disorder or whether it’s just a particularly annoying character flaw – which in turn makes me think “Well if I can’t like myself, how can I expect anyone else too?” I even question the poor Hubby now and then, “Do I annoy you?“, “Do you really love me?” I mean a lot of the time I irritate myself! Read More »
Jog on Mum 