Like a tidal wave gratitude washed over my body

If you are really lucky you will experience a few unexceptional moments in life, that feel exceptional.

Those unsuspecting moments that creep up on you out of nowhere, that send jolts of clarity and waves of happiness through your body.

This morning at 8:16am (I know, because when it hit, I looked at my watch, and made a point to capture the moment).

At 8:16am this morning, waves of gratitude crashed over my body like a tidal wave.

At 8:32 am I sit by the Brisbane River, I eat the yoghurt and banana I had prepared and I try to put into words everything that is bursting from my heart.

As I said, if you are lucky, you will experience these magical moments where you feel exactly where you are meant to be in life.

This morning I dragged my sore, tired body out of bed to teach two people Pilates in the garden. These two people I am helping improve their fitness and strengthen an injury.

This morning before 8am I had positively helped two people, what a beautiful way to start the day.

At lunch I will help 10 more, I will give them a respite from their day in the office, to breathe in the fresh air, to find 45 minutes of peacefulness and calmness in their otherwise hectic day.

Last night I pushed 35 people to their limit and challenged them mentally and physically .

This past month I have had several people cry in class, for the simple reason that for that brief moment in time they had felt the best they had done in a long time. I won’t get into the reasons why, it’s not my place, but to make someone feel good even for a moment is a rare treasure.

There are a lot of people who do amazing things in this world, being a fitness instructor may not be considered one of them, but being involved in improving someone’s state of mind in a positive way for a few moments of their life, feels pretty amazing to me.

I don’t think it matters what you are doing with your life, if you are doing something that makes your life richer, that fills you and or others with joy and happiness then you are doing what you should be doing with your life.

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If you feel gratitude for your life when you wake up, does it matter what life you are living in the eyes of others.

If you are walking along and you get wave after wave of happiness hit you for no particular reason then I feel you are definitely where you are meant to be, doing what you are meant to be doing.

The emotional side of exercise

It has been an oddly emotional week, for myself and others around me. I have had a few people cry in my classes and this of course has made me think more deeply about my life, and my classes.

Emotions are a funny thing, they can be pushed to the background for so long, before all of a sudden they explode when you least expect it.

Exercise releases endorphins we all know about this, it makes sense then that emotions can be released as well.

While you may feel more comfortable crying during relaxation or a hip opening yoga sequence than pumping weights or running on the treadmill, don’t be surprised if halfway mid squat you suddenly feel overcome with emotion.

Here is where all the guys are puffing their chests out saying whatever lady, well guys it happens to you too, I know this, I have seen it.

While you may disguise (or bury) it better than the ladies, it does happen to you as well 🙂

Think about it, when you are exercising, you are away from your life so to speak; no wife, husband, children, work, deadlines, chores before you – just you and your chosen exercise.

Your mind is now focussed, your breathing has most likely changed, without these other external factors what are you left with?

Your thoughts!

Your emotions!

Now for my yoga, pilates, body balance people; relaxation is confrontational, being left quietly alone with yourself and a potential racing mind can be daunting, so I am here to tell you that it is ok to feel whatever it is you are feeling.

It is ok to let some tears flow silently down your cheeks, and if you end up a blubbering puffy face mess then that is ok as well.

We tend to hold a lot of emotion in our hips, so if you are in the midst of a deep hip opening sequence then it is quite natural to start to feel an emotional release during this.

How you feel is how you feel, so recognise this, accept this and embrace it.

Release what needs to be released and I am confident you will feel a million times better for allowing yourself to do this.

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When you can’t be stuffed preparing a fancy meal why not try stuffing a capsicum instead

Do you sometimes crave a meal that is a little different, but the idea of putting thought into a meal just seems too much?

I do; often!

I love cooking, I love creating in the kitchen, but there are times (normally when I am tired or have limited time) that I just can not be bothered.

A few weeks back I was tired, I was hungry, I opened the fridge about 5 times, I opened the cupboard and I repeated this process a few times, stomping around the kitchen sooking to myself that I had nothing to eat, when I decided it was time to stop being an idiot.

I grabbed the two red capsicums from the fridge and pretended I didn’t notice the haggard looking carrots, I willed myself to be creative and before I knew it I was preparing stuffed capsicums and if I may be modest, they were terrific.

Here is what I did.

Cut the capsicums in half take out the middle bit.

Put a little bit of olive oil on the top and  place them under the grill until the top changes colour.

While these are cooking, boil some water and make some couscous.

In a saucepan fry a little bit of garlic, mushroom and tomato chopped into cubes (I add a handful of fresh herbs from my garden) then when almost cooked add a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar.

Mix this all together with your couscous and I add pine nuts as well.

Then take your (hopefully not too chargrilled)  capsicums out from the griller, stuff it with your couscous combo and put a tiny bit of cheese on top.

Place it back under the griller until the cheese melts and goes a little bit brown.

As I type it all out, it seems a little more time-consuming than it actually is, trust me it really doesn’t take long at all.

I did try it with green capsicums the other day, which actually wasn’t as nice as the red ones, green ones take longer to cook and are not as sweet.

Please let me know if you try this and have any other suggestions, additions etc.

Happy stuffing and happy eating.

x

Blissful in Bali

I have just returned from a 5 day mini sabbatical to Bali.

Taking time out of your normal routine while a luxury I believe is also a necessity. Seeing a world outside of your own can only help to change the way you see your own world.

Not only is this energising it helps to change your perspective or confirm for you what you already knew.

If we keep doing what we have always done we will obviously keep getting the same results. If you want to break a habit you need to change.

Bali was blissful, not just for the idyllic scenery, the relaxing massages, but having the time to slow down, the chance to be still and spend some time alone with my thoughts allowed me to contemplate what is working well in my life, and what can be improved.

While taking a 5 day mini overseas trip is not the most achievable way to change this perspective, taking a drive to a different location, or sitting outside in a different room is.

Try new things, give yourself permission to relax, find your own blissful moments within your everyday life.

Isn’t that what life should be about?

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Let’s twist again

Twisting poses not only help you to develop flexibility in the spine, they can increase circulation to your body and help to cleanse the internal organs.

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In order to get more out of your twist, it is all about the breath!

Next time you are in a yoga twist, try taking a deep breath in, as you do this lengthen your spine as though you are lifting up through the crown of the head as though someone has a rope attached to it and is gently pulling you up.

As you exhale slowly start to twist, feel that opening through your chest.

Find your limit – how far you think you can twist, then gently try again, breathing in and as you breathe out start to twist a little bit further.

Twists are not meant to be forced, however you will surprise yourself at just how much further you can twist when you really connect with your breath.

Step outside your comfort zone

Sometimes to get the most out of your exercise routine, diet or just life in general you need to step out of your comfort zone. Try a new form of exercise, a new way of eating, a new hobby.

Quite often even though the choices we have made are working for us, if we don’t try new things we can become complacent and bored. When we become complacent we are not performing at optimum level.

To get the most out of your exercise routine try mixing it up every now and then, I trust you will notice the difference.

Try varying your diet to keep your taste buds alive and stop the bad cravings.

As for life well stepping outside your comfort zone can only ever be a good thing; if you try and fail you can take pride in the lessons learnt from the experience, the satisfaction of being brave and the huge rewards you can feel for achieving and conquering a new goal.

A dessert that’s sweet & healthy – what a delightful treat!

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Today I made the most delicious treat to take to a dinner with friends tonight.

A treat that not only is sweet and delicious it is actually good for you.

If this sounds too good to be true, then check out the recipe below.

Mango Honey Mouse

Ingredients

Serves: 6

2 mangoes, peeled, stone removed and cubed
1 banana
2/3 cup (160ml) low fat natural yoghurt
2 teaspoons honey
6 cubes ice
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Directions

Preparation:5min › Extra time:3hours chilling › Ready in:3hours5min

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Pour into individual dishes and serve.

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Wallah – another quick and easy recipe.

Enjoy!

Balance and harmony

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Finding the perfect balance in life isn’t always easy.

Balancing work, kids, exercise, hobbies, it seems as though time is often against us.

When we have balance we find harmony, when our lives are in harmony we find fulfillment and isn’t that what we are all striving for?

Something I have found helpful lately is compiling a list of how I spend my time.

While I feel a little silly doing it and admitting this publicly, it has been such a useful exercise to find more balance and harmony in my life.

If you are being totally honest with yourself (as I was) you will be shocked just how much time you spend on Facebook and other social media platforms.

If this brings you great joy then I say continue, if you however are not enjoying this, or feeling time poor, then I say it may be time to re-evaluate as I did.

Spend the time doing what makes you feel good any chance you get.

Spend less time (outside of work/family commitments) doing things that make you feel bad.

It seems so obvious when I say it, but often so hard to actually do.

Find balance and create harmony.

The key to success starts with what is happening in your head

It doesn’t matter what your diet plan is, which fitness or life goal you have set, if you are not in the right head space mentally your chances of success are low.

If you are not 100% committed to achieve, or are already telling yourself you are going to fail then perhaps you are not ready to start.

While this all may sound very negative, it doesn’t need to.

The key to all of this is YOU and what is currently happening in your head.

It isn’t easy to change patterns of thought and behaviors that you may have held on to for years.

It isn’t easy but it is possible and achievable.

If someone tells me I am going to fail, I have two choices; I believe them and fail or I prove them wrong and succeed.

I know which person I would rather be.

Which person do you want to be?

The key to your success starts with what is happening inside your head.

Get out there and be fabulous!