Running, Fitness and Health Blog for your Mind, Body and Soul
Do you ever have times when you should be “doing something”, but you find yourself scrolling through Facebook or Instagram?
The scrolling and the “likes” give you a dopamine hit. Dopamine controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centres. It also gets blamed for addiction. Continue reading “Running from your discomfort – try reflecting on it”
You think to yourself
I’m not really progressing with my running. What do I need? I need some new running shoes!
The shoes arrive. They look all funky and super and you can’t wait to try them out. After a few runs, the glow of the shoes wears off.
It’s getting cold and dark now. I need a fancy running jacket so there’s no excuse not to go out running. Continue reading “I need just one more thing! Take the right step.”
I recently went for a weekend away in Berlin, carried on (a small 22 litres backpack) and took as little as possible. I still ended up not wearing my smart shirt (just in case of possible nice restaurant outing) or my long sleeved t-shirt (just in case of cold weather). The Kindle was not touched once.
Whilst travelling, I‘m always intrigued by how some seem to make it a real effort and jealous of how some have it sorted and stay so calm. Continue reading “Travelling – healthy, comfortably and thoughtfully”
In my post about the 2017 Ealing Half marathon, I explained a little about the challenges of running. Even though I had the physical side covered, the mental side got to me.
Whenever I have struggles, be it running, cycling or BMF (especially BMF) I think of the phrase –
“It doesn’t get easier, you just get faster”
The guy who was leading the Ealing Half (heading in the opposite direction) who started 30 seconds before me but finished 35 minutes ahead (he was at mile 9, and I was at mile 6) looked like he was finding it challenging. If we flip places when I was at mile 9, the runners going the other way looked to be having their own battles, but also lots of fun.
Running can be humbling. Continue reading “Coming back stronger”
The other day I came across this quote –
“For the past three years, I have been playing not to lose. After yesterday, now I am playing to win”.
It can from another excellent post by Peter Bromka. It was a text from his Dad to him before the Chicago marathon.
His Dad had heart surgery three years ago, and the day before the marathon he had been taken back into hospital for further surgery. Continue reading “Playing to win, or playing not to lose?”
Although running and cycling are my main pastimes, my favourite team sport is Rugby.
Currently down in New Zealand the British and Irish Lions are preparing for the First Test match on Saturday against the back to back World Champions.
To the uninitiated, every 4 years a squad of rugby players are selected from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to go on a 7-8 week tour to either Australia, South Africa or New Zealand. They play a number of matches against club and regional sides and culminates in 3 Tests against the hosts. Most rugby players see being picked to be in a Lions squad and playing a test match as the pinnacle of their career. Continue reading “Living with Lions – Find your Motivation”
Next time you’re on a train. Look around you. Everyone’s on their phones. It’s a bit eerie!
That pocket-sized supercomputer that contains your life. 1,270 times faster than the Apollo 11 guidance computer that guided man to the moon in 1969.
I often say –
“What the hell did we do before mobile phones?”
It’s difficult to remember. You had to make arrangements to meet someone and stick to it. Actually turn up on time. You had to use a map or ask for directions. You carried a separate camera. Continue reading “Phones – Weapons of Mass Distraction”
Why do you do something? When you’re trying or aiming to start a new habit or setting yourself a new goal, plenty of advice on the subject will ask-
“What is your Why?”
This is the big underlying reason why you want to do what you want to do.
It could be that you’ve had some chest pain and a tingling sensation in your arm. Continue reading “Why I run? Why do you run?”
Over the last 2 or so years, I’ve been trying to get rid of stuff. Some of this has come about due to house moves and mainly due to two people moving into a flat together that has no storage. As someone once said to me –
“Storage. That’s what garages, basements and attics are for”
Well, I have none of these, but what I do have is a spare room. However, I can now no longer go into the room due to the anxiety I get as soon as I enter. Continue reading “Minimalism – Declutter your life”
I listen to plenty of podcasts. Many are about health, fitness, business and entrepreneurship. When people on these podcasts are asked – “What’s the one thing that made a profound change in your life?” The answer is often meditation.
After hearing this answer so many times I had to see what the panacea for a successful (1), wholesome life was! I downloaded the free Headspace app and tried the Take 10 (Ten 10 minutes guided introductory sessions) pack. I liked it and following that, I became a fully paid up subscriber and have now been meditating (on and off) for around a year. (2)
Continue reading “Meditation – What is it? What does it do?”