Thank goodness it's Monday

How could you get this week off to a good start?

Monday morning, boot camp. I had seen the ad in the local newsagents over and over again, so decided to give it a try. I also wanted to check out this new phenomenon that seems to have hit the exercise (& celebrity) world in recent months plus do something different from my usual exercise routine.

I was up at 5.30am, eager to sample this military style exercise. All of sudden the nerves kicked in, what happens if I couldn’t do something or came last in any of the exercises.

Then I made myself laugh by remembering a funny moment playing rounders 20 years ago. I was a fielder in one particular game and spent most of it day dreaming. At the end of the game, there was a lot of commotion and all of a sudden people were screaming out my name. Suddenly, out of the sky a ball landed on my head and toppled to the ground. It was a classic moment and not sure I’ve been the same since!

Anyway remembering that funny experience helped my nerves disappear, I then began to get excited about my Boot Camp experience ahead of me.

The personal trainer Jasyn greeted me with a high five, a cheerful South African who was very passionate about exercise and keeping fit. We were then joined by another guy Tim who was also very friendly. So far so good.

Jasyn soon put us at ease and we got into the exercises immediately, running, sprinting, press ups, skipping, weights – you name it, we did it. It took me completely out of my comfort zone and I even surprised myself on how well I did.

I almost skipped back home after we finished, it was only 7.30am and I was all pumped up with loads of energy. It turned out to be one of my most productive days for a while, I felt mentally focussed and alert all day – getting loads done.

So, how could you get Mondays off to a great start? What could you do this week to push yourself out of your comfort zone? It’s amazing how great you feel when you try something new and even better when you achieve the unexpected.

I will be definitely heading back this week, it was a great way to start the week as well as a chance to be pushed over my personal boundaries.

Bring on Mondays, I am ready for them.

(Jasyn runs his own business called Bodies in Action they can be found at http://www.bodiesinaction.co.uk/)

Lessons learnt from pigeon droppings

When do you have your switch off time?

Had a great day at the yoga retreat last weekend, although the 5.30am start was painful. The morning fatigue soon wore off though after a session of meditation, did make me wonder if feeling tired is often in the mind.

The topic of the day was ‘Finding your path in life’. I felt intrigued so went along to find out more.

After a healthy brunch mid morning, I noticed Karma Yoga on the agenda. Great, was looking forward to trying something new!

Little did I know it actual means ‘the act of doing’ which in yoga terms means the path of selfless action and selfless service or in this case helping with the chores. Damn, thought I’d got away with those for the day!

We were allocated tasks, mine was given to me last ‘Rebecca, could you clear up the pigeon droppings in the garden please’ as you could imagine my excitement soon wore off. I tried to see the positive in taking this task on but nothing much was coming to mind.

So reluctantly I prepared myself for the task ahead, being a rare sunny day I suddenly started seeing the benefit, at least my task would be outside for an hour in the sun! Things were looking up.

That hour just flew by, I actually found myself taking pride in sweeping the gorgeous garden and clearing up the unwanted deposits. Above all, it was a great way to ‘switch off’ for an hour. My head felt clearer and lots of new ideas were coming to me. Not sure how I got the inspiration but I did!

Suddenly made me feel guilty about the state of our garden back at home, here I was spending so much time perfecting someone else’s. Surely our garden was worthy of my time too….. I came away feeling inspired to get ours ready for summer.

So, how do you get your switch off time? What helps you to clear your mind? What chores help you to have some contemplation time?

I always wondered why my husband Col spends so much time washing the car (and I thought it was to get away from me!) I feel better now.

Perhaps look at how you can enjoy your household chores more, you might feel inspired now to give the place a spring clean. You never know it might help clear your mind too, it certainly did wonders for mine.

Thank you pigeons for helping me learn some valuable lessons.

Forty eight hours

What are your top priorities in life?

I had a super day at the Vitality show in London last week. I listened to a fellow life coach talk about a subject very close to my heart ‘Making time for yourself’. She posed an interesting question to the group…If we only had 48 hours left how would you spend the time? Blimey, makes you think doesn’t it.

Ideas came rushing into my head immediately, it suddenly became a really fun creative exercise. It would probably be for me something like, wake up early and watch the sun rise with my beloved, organise a fancy dress party with friends and family (always wanted to hire a venue and have a themed fancy dress party), drive to the countryside then have a hot air balloon over some beautiful landscape, eat some of my favourite meals including my mum’s delicious roast dinner followed by lots of pampering and yoga.

Fantastic, feel motivated to organise it right this minute.

So with 48 hours left what would you do? How would you spend your time? How would you make it memorable?

I found it a really great exercise to see what’s truly important in life and where our real priorities lie.

One of my aims for 2011 was to get some balance back in my life again. Although I love my work to bits I also wanted to devote more time to myself and spend more time with my loved ones. It really has paid off, I feel much more connected again and now ready for some exciting new work opportunities.

So, if life is all work and no play, how can you re-balance your priorities? What would you like to be doing more of? What friends would you love to catch up with? A good conversation over coffee, beer (a good English custom!) or dinner is great for putting everything back into perspective.

So get yourself back in the driving seat again (if you fallen into the passenger seat) and enjoy how you spend your time without feeling guilty.

You only live once!