One of the principles of Blue Zone living is to try as far as possible to make the healthy option the eeasy option. I found this tip quite helpful. When you come home with the shopping, wash the fruit and veg, peel and chop and put into small containers in the  fridge - on the middle shellf at the front so that when you feel peckish your healthy snack is instant.
Make it easier to reach than the biscuit tin! You get the idea..

Moving naturally is another principle. I am rather lazy and not sporty and I hate the idea of the gym, but walking a bit before getting on the bus, taking the stairs, stacking logs, gardening most days - the more I move, the easier it is.

One of the recipes from the book - bananas oats apple and choc chips.  Quite nice. I am also planning to have three or four plant based meals each week. Using a smaller plate, stopping eating when you are 80% full - lots of small changes which are easy to make. Every little helps hopefully.

I will soon be tripping along like these two (Thank you Elizabeth!)

The first week has gone really well!


I have followed phase one of the Harcombe diet which I have used before and find enjoyable  - good, real food. As I said before I quickly lose my cravings for sugar and carbs on this healthy sensible eating plan, and have plenty of energy.

I am finding I need fewer painkillers whcih is fantastic as my main goal is to be painfree. I have been doing streatches every day in preparation for next week when I plan to incorporate some of Louise Parker's exercises. This is the difficult bit for me. (Basically I don't like exercise). This is where my friend comes in. We both love the reading/researching/planning stage -actually doing it is harder! A few emails and calls a week encourage us to act, which is the bit that counts....

I rather wish the photographs in Louise Parker's book were not solely of her very beautiful, very tall, slender, sculpted body. I could follw her method to the letter and never ever look like her. Hey ho...

Inspred by Lynn and LizN I have been learning about Imbolc. 

Candlemas too is celebrated today, and I burned a few extra candles at my table to
acknowledge it - part way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, and said to be the first dy of spring, though it certainly doesn't feel like it here. I had another power cut yesterday, this time for 7 hours and today was still very windy.

I mention lovingly because I am determined to do my Fit in February project in a gentle loving  manner. How are you getting on with adventure, slowly, acceptance, finish, fulfilment, fun and any other word you have chosen for 2022? There is still time to choose a word, or to change your mind of course.

I have enjoyed the first day of my project. For the next seven days I am planning to eat the Zoe Harcomb way - real food, and plenty of it. I find that after a few days I lose my craving for sugar and carbohydrates. Will drink lots of water and move more, walking and/or yoga.

I had a good long chat with Maggie today about how we would go about reaching our different goals and tailoring our plans to our own needs and preferences. She is full of ideas and enthusiasm!  Inspirational.

Do you have any February plans?

Of course we can!

Get fit in February that is.

Care to join us?

I am going to stick this motto on my fridge.

First identify the problem. Since my mystery illness last Sptember I have been below par, with muscle aches and stiffness and low energy levels. I am taking painkillers every day, though fewer and less strong than initially.

So February is about getting to the bottom of this and getting healthy and strong again, and off the painkillers.

On the left hand page of my personal  Fit Book I will copy motivational messages from my books. I think I'll also stick them on my fridge.

Here are some from Louise Parker's Think successfully section. She also has Eat Beautifully, Live Well and Exercise Intelligently. All sounds good to me!

The easiest route is the direct route

Assume success

It's not meant to be hard

Start and just don't stop

Keep positive and inspiring company

That last one describes all the wonderful  readers here! That's why I still blog..


What is stuck on your fridge door? And is it actually helpful?

I have finally scoffed the last of the chocolates, cakes and other goodies in the house and am, I tell myself, transitioning to eating better. For seven days I am going to drink five glasses of water a day. I know it is good for me and the full feeling it gives me stops me from snacking.

It's a start..

..for water and for knowledge!

I drink a lot more water if I make up a jugful with a little lemon, cucumber and a splash of tonic and keep it sitting out.

So far I am enjoying reading Michael Singer's The Untethered Soul, The journey Beyond Yourself. (I'm almost half way through.)

Inner strength? Spiritual growth? Maybe a good use of this strange time. I would like to think I can come out of it stronger.

That's how I feel after a six day virtual retreat with The Body Toolkit.

What a week it has been.  We have just had a check in session with Katrina and the wonderful stories of the other participants have been so inspiring. Many people did the retreat while working, while in lockdown, while looking after children and --this is a hard one - while others in the household were eating ordinary meals in front of them. With support from Katrina and other members of the group we all did it!

It's quite a commitment making your own juices and soups (much nicer to go to the Highlands and have them brought to you !) but its very do-able and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I feel full of energy - a nice steady natural kind. I feel calm and positive (and I am not rushing back to news/tv/social media/hype of any kind). I've lost a few pounds and -hurrah - that 'muffin top'.  So I am trying on the cothes I didn't want to wear and thinking 'Yes I can wear that again and feel nice in it'. You know I like clothes :-)

I slept a lot the first few days - naps in the hammock - the weather was lovely and I had headaches for two days and I listened to what Katrina calls Body Messages and  paid attention.

The body's default  setting is to heal. I have come away with new knowledge, and confidence that I can help this happen, suggested transition routines and meals, lots of references to follow up, and a  recovered optimism which I was afraid I was losing. The retreat was as much a mental reset as a physical one for me, and for many of the participants. I'm happy.

I was delighted to hear that Katrina of The Body Toolkit is doing an online 7 day retreat starting at the beginning of May and I signed up straight away!  After all I am not spending much right now or going anywhere any time soon, and to spend some lockdown time on improving our health (and probably losing a few pounds) seems like a very good idea to me. See details here.

Some of you may remember that I went on a health retreat with Katrina in Januray 2017, never having been on amy kind of retreat before. By the end of it, I had noticed a distinct improvement in my eye condition (I have macular degeneration) and am thrilled to be able to say that three years on my condition is stable with even a slight improvement in one eye. I wrote about that experience here and here.

I will be forever grateful to Katrina.

She is lovely - a totally genuine person, passionate and knowledgeable, patient and kind, and I can't wait to experience more of her positivity.

Maybe some of you will do it too?

That would be brilliant.

..of the silvery moon..

I've joined a Pilates class - in a yurt - as part of my efforts to get stronger this year.

Love it!

Run by the excellent Hannah Louise, the setting adds to the pleasure. The yurt is heated by a woodburnr and lit by  candles and last week was so warm Hannah had to open the door even though there was snow on the ground!

I gave up on the last Pilates class I tried because the smell of cleaning fluids was overwhelming and the windows could not be opened, so this is much, much better and is three villages along the shore road, in the grounds of Old Kilmun House.

Here is Hannah's email if you are near enough to join her classes    hannahlouisepilates@outlook.com

Do you think the environment makes a difference to your attitude to exercise? (I have yet to see a gym I want to be in!)

Thank you so much for all your good wishes!

I feel a little bit of a fraud as I truly was only 'under the weather' and not really ill. I am trying to prevent becoming ill as I have been with people in varying stages of unwellness ranging from a bit of a cold threatening (me) to acute bronchitis (one of my best friends).

I have however taken all of the advice you kindly offered, including dipping my feet in the loch as suggested by Laura, wild swimmer extraordinaire - known to break the ice to go into the water! Only my feet so far Laura - and note the thick coat!

I enjoyed getting cosy with the furry cushion and the Christmas throw bought in Stockholm many years ago when I fulfilled a long held ambition to experience Santa Lucia Day in Sweden. Magical.

Had lots of tea, honey and lemon, the odd drinking chocolate, soup and my version of the classic Scottish cold cure - the hot toddy.

Cointreau or amaretto, juice of a tangerine and hot water.

I rested a lot with my feet up, taking it easy. I listened to a wonderful concert by two of my favourite musicians Steven Isserlis and Stephen Hough on Radio 3 on a dark night when the wind was howling and the rain was lashing.

Take it easy?  Put my feet up? I know some of you will be saying Chance would be a fine thing!

I hope you are well and that if you are not, you also get some chance to ease up and try a gentle, more nurturing approach instead of battling on. Not always possible in busy lives with multiple responsibilities and Christmas rushing upon us....

It seems to be working for me and I know how lucky I am, but I will be glad to get back to normal.

Here's to your good health!

What a strange expression!

Just a bit of a sniffle.

..to get fitter!

I went for a paddle at dusk..

Since I took up the Wim Hof method I have come to like the cold!

..but isn't it a good idea to exercise while you make your smoothie?

I could do with one of these.

I so enjoyed all your kiltie memories!

Now promise you won't laugh when you look at this link (okI know you will! I laughed too.).

No, I will not be sitting in the snow half naked any time soon, or anytime ever.

How I came across this I have no idea - things often just find me. Intrigued and super-sceptical I watched a few videos and Ted Talks and eventually thought I'd give the breathing a try. Deep breathing is good for you, right? I felt pretty good after just one round and began to do just one round most mornings. It only took a minute or two and I felt energetic and ready to go after it. This was around the same time I began to finish washing my hair with a cold rinse (which I mentioned a few weeks ago). That perked me up a bit further and seemed innocent enough.

Then one morning after my lovely warm shower I turned it to cold and timidly put my hands and feet under it for a few seconds. It took me about three weeks to stand fully under the cold water and ACTUALLY LIKE IT.

Yes, me.

The wimp.

I love it.


I joined the free mini class then unsubscribed easily and wasn't bombarded with unwanted  emails. I do it on my own in my own time now. A new habit.

Hello those of you who are still with me!

One new hardrive and a considerable amount of stress later I am so happy to be back here after a gap of wh a full week which made me aware of how much this daily blog means to me.

It is like a touchstone in my day, making me take stock of where I am at, and having like-minded  and generously responsive people to share that with.

June days have been full of contrasts. There have been times when I could hardly see the loch..

and days that look just as you wish June to look.

How has your June gone so far? Are you designing and planning your summer?

I have got off to a healthy start with a breathing exercise which makes me feel great in the mornings.

More tomorrow!

..snowdrops usually appear beside this bridge, photographed earlier this month. I hope to go and look tomorrow but the forecast is for sleet and snow so....maybe I'll stay by the fire as I seem to have been doing for most of January apart from a weekly journey to the city. Feeling very lazy but enjoying it, and giving myself perhaps 6  out of 10 for my health and fitness efforts :-(

What mark would you give yourself?

I've just watched a programme called The Truth About Getting Fit in which Dr Michael Mosley describes how to get maximum results with minimum effort.

Along with your encouraging words just what I needed to know! (BBC4 iPlayer and parts can be seen on YouTube.)

Apart from going out to fetch wood I've been lucky enough to have  a cosy day reading by the fire. It's been blowing a gale all day and the noise of the north westerly wind coming down the glen is still very loud although it was forecast to subside by now. I have however done a little bit of (effective) exercise.

Yay!

I'm going to avoid the slippery slopes this year - both actual and metaphorical. The road outside is so icy this  morning - like glass! - that I will stay home again though I'll take a walk to the shore, the grassy path will be safer I hope.

The other slippery slope is the one that finds me eating as if it is Christmas Day from about mid-December. Some people start sooner - as soon as late October when the Christmassy treats start appearing in the shops often at half price to tempt us further!  Of course you eat them before Christmas and then buy more at full price.

I'm not falling for it.

A couple of months of indulgence then a hard time in January trying to lose the weight and regain the hard-won fitness I achieved through the year?  No thanks.

So here's my strategy.

Starting today I will get fit for Christmas. I will drink more water, move more and indulge less for the next 7 days. Then I will feast for 3 days (and by feast I don't mean stuff myself!), live super-healthy for another 5, feast for 2 then get active and eat wisely for all of January because i have a very special plan for February and I want to be fit enough to enjoy it to the full..

Fit for Christmas starts today.  In my head I am already there, in reality I am still in my cosy dressing gown at 10.30am by the woodstove writing this - but I am drinking a big glass of water...and have put the FitBit on charge.

9pm and feeling good!

Went for a walk, drank lots of water, ate lightly but well, stacked wood and did some housework. I think I did about 5000 steps but the FitBit stopped and went back to zero as it wasn't charged up enough. About 4500 steps more than usual though. Will do 15 mins of Louise Parker's exercises (really hard!) then have a hot bath and hopefully a good sleep.

I'm going to enjoy this.

I think.

Well, I enjoyed it today.


NB  Even more folks have said Hello in Friday's comments - what fun it's been.

...but (to paraphrase FlyLady) even imperfect efforts bless your body.

 If you don't look after your body you won't have anything to live in.

,I am so glad I gifted myself six days to concentrate on my health. (It does take time and maybe no-one else is likely to give that to you!) Time to consider what you need to prioritise, to figure out what suits you and how you can fit it into your lifestyle.

It's easy to be overwhelmed by the barrage of health and wellbeing advice, so much of it contradictory, and much of it taking the form of Only 10 minutes a day to.... Only 30 minutes a day to achieve.... Only 40 minutes etc but by the time you factor in work/childcare/household tasks/others' needs - it all adds up to more than 24 hours!

I am feeling lighter, both literally and metaphorically, and more energetic. I have come up with a new weight beyond which I will not go.  I am even more interested in the subject and in finding out more, and am I imagining it, or am I thinking more clearly?

The city again today, but wild and wet. Beetroot and goats cheese tortelloni with sage hit the spot today. How pretty is that? A starter size, eaten slowly, is usually enough.

Tomorrow - the pros and cons (from my very limited experience!) of retreats away or at home

You are a great bunch!

My determination was flagging last night and this morning. I was feeling good, had lost as much weight as I wanted (and more than I expected) and was thinking maybe 6 days is too much to do on my own, maybe I could stop now
but reading Swissrose's comment I began to look at some videos and the pep talk from Dr Jason Fung and the LCHF video by Dr Andreas Eenfeldt - I love the ethics of his approach described in the last 10 minutes of so - gave me just the boost I needed. I reminded myself that part of the plan was to take the time to do some research, lit the fire, made a juice and sat down to listen and learn.

Tomorrow I visit the opthalmologist.  My eyes are the real reason I am doing all this. (See under Simply Seeing - Or Not.)  I'm looking for macular regeneration not degeneration..

I think it helps.

And I am fitter!

Lingering snow on the tops. Here below - mud, but 6349 steps.

 
Lucille's comment yesterday (I immediately went and looked up The 4 Pillars) got me thinking it would be good to take a look at the health and wellbeing books I have found interesting and/or useful over the years.

there has been a huge shift in attitude towards taking responsibility for our own health and wellbeing  - ie self help.

I've read lots of these books and found them fascinating. I've always had a craving for sugar and was cured of a (mild) depression and educated about sugar by Potatoes Not Prozac by Kathleen Desmaisons.. I like the writing of the late David Servan-Schreiber, notably Anti Cancer A New Way of Life and Healing Without Freud Or Prozac. You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay I use as a thought provoking reference book every now and then, and books about gut health have been useful (I am a convert to kefir!) Gut by Julia Enders is the one I have kept. Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers was quite influential at one point. Zoe Harcomb probably changed my eating habits more than anyone and my current favourite is Lean For Life by Louise Parker. Her 4 principles are Think Successfully, Live Well, Eat Beautifully, and Work Out Intelligently - which just about covers it all wouldn't you say?

Do you have favourites?

Day Five has gone well except I seem to be doing fewer steps each day!!

Yorkshire Steam II  :-)

Yorkshire Steam

Day four and all's well.

Skin brushing, water and lemon, morning pages, three juices one soup, two meditation sessions, one short exercise session, 4lbs weight lost, 2079 steps (must do better!), Fly Lady's Home Blessing Hour, some reading, some researching online, and still full of energy. Loving this health week but also planning my next meal...prawn, cucumber and cashew salad I think. Mmm. Looking forward to Friday night.

Thank you for your encouragement for my health week at home efforts! The main thing I realised today was how important company is.

I managed dry skin brushing, morning pages, Three fresh juices and one soup, but only 5,665 steps for which I had to take the bus into town where there were pavements cleared of snow and ice which I could walk on. I had the odd pang for a nice cup of coffee and a slight headache some of the time - probably withdrawal from coffee. But so far so good. Not all easy but not hard either....

Perhaps if you want a tiny try at a health retreat you could substitute fresh green juice, bought or homemade, for  breakfast or lunch for a few days and see how it feels?

Icy fingers over the porch today. Tonight I went and stood out there for a bit, stargazing and listening to some very screechy owls quite close in the forest. Another very hard frost.

I am really intrigued that making a public commitment to something makes (most of) us actually do it. Even something as simple as filling out a new address book or taking up the hem on a pair of trousers. (See this recent post.)

I had thought I wouldn't blog daily during my health retreat week (I am starting tomorrow) but I am realising it may be harder than I think to do it by myself and I may need a little cheering on....

So may I check in with you once a day?

The 10,000 steps every day may be a bit of a challenge as I've become an awful wimp of late...am loving being inside looking out.

From the front door this afternoon.
I love the patterns.

From the sitting room window.10 minutes later.
I love the glow.