Blog Posts

Couch to 5K Challenge – final week

Well here it is at last, the final week of my Couch-to-5k challenge. The weather is doing its level best to thwart me by dumping snow and ice in my path. I will not be stopped! Well, that’s not strictly true… I may be stopped if a blizzard appears. Determined I may be, but daft I most certainly am not!

That said, a blizzard does not look likely this afternoon, and most of the weekend snow has melted, or been blown into the next county! The lunchtime dog walk was a good test of the expected conditions for my run. Blooming freezing easterly winds! Looks like I will need to layer up from head to foot.

Actually, I can’t wait to go out. I have new kit to test out. A bright pink, wind-proof running jacket complete with rear blinking red LED, and long, charcoal, thermal running tights. The combination will turn me into a Liquorice Allsort sweet!

Liquorice Allsort

Blog Posts

My conscious life blueprint – Community & Giving

Blank Gold Medal

At last, the final section of my blueprint! I’ll need to find another source of inspiration for the rest of the month…

This final section starts off with what seems like a very odd question, considering the topic.

“How can I take my yoga practice off the mat and into the world?”

Huh?

I suppose I could view every surface I come into contact with as a potential mat. Forward bends at the photocopier. Sun salutations while I wait for my lunch to heat up in the microwave. Tree pose in the supermarket queue. The possibilities are endless. Maybe this question is not meant to be answered quite so literally. If that’s the case, then I’m stumped. Any ideas?

Next question – “What small upgrades can I make to my lifestyle that will positively impact the world?”

  1. Eat more veggie meals to cut down reliance on greenhouse gas-producing meat sources
  2. Shop local for the meat I choose to eat… fewer food miles and less transport stress for the animals
  3. Eat veggies that are in season instead of relying on imports – again reducing food miles
  4. Keep bees – we need our pollinators

Actually that last one is more of a large upgrade. I’ve been fascinated by bees for as long as I can remember. I love nothing better than when a bumblebee lands on me… I could spend hours watching them. I did just that during the summer – completing bee surveys for the Royal Horticultural Society. I’d love to be a bee keeper. Apart from my love of bees, I always end up smiling at the thought of being covered in bees… one of my favourite Eddie Izzard sketches.

Anyhoo, back to the matter in hand.

“What do I feel passionate about and want to support more openly?”

Menopause! Wouldn’t it be great if women going through perimenopause had a mentor/buddy who could provide support, an experienced listening ear. I wish I’d had a menobuddy when it all started. It would have saved me months of terror, imagining I was about to die of some hitherto undiagnosed medical calamity. Just think of the savings in prescription costs for all those antidepressants.

And finally, “What big community goal could I set for the next 12 months that would greatly help others?”

As I am not a fan of running anywhere (my chest takes on a life of its own, even in the sturdiest of sportswear!), I have made a deal with my daughter that we will run a 5K race for Cancer Research UK next year. I’m not interested in how fast I can run, only in can I complete the race.

Well I guess that concludes the epic blueprint. All that’s left to do is to make it all happen.

 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone x