Total Mind and Body Wellness

  It's been just over 6-months since 'Fighting Fit Devon' became 'Total Mind and Body Wellness.' I've been sat having a think about what's happened in the last 6-months. Has it gone to plan? Have I achieved all I wanted to? What could I have done better? What did I do right? When you do something like this, you have to be PATIENT - my re-brand was only in November, and I did move my entire business and lost about 2/3rds of it only a year before. I cannot expect too much from myself and the business, but the very nature of me makes me impatient, I want immediate success!  I have had to work so very hard at marketing all over again, even harder than before when my business name and brand was established in South Devon. There are so many social media platforms to post on! It takes ages. And I find some more enjoyable than others. I don't tend to 'hang around' on social media, I tend to get on and get back off fast, except for Twitter (Can't get ...

  SERIOUS topic this week, which I've been putting off, but, with Mental Health Awareness Month upon us, I thought that now, would be appropriate. The topic is - COERCIVE CONTROL. "Continuous patterns of behaviour that are intended to exert power or control over a survivor." Here are some examples...... - Taking control over where you go. - Taking control over people you see, alienating you from friends and family that threaten their dominance over you. - Telling you what to wear, how to dress, how to do your hair and make-up etc. - Influencing body dysmorphia suggesting cosmetic surgery, or following diet and extreme exercise regimes. - Depriving you of support and medical attention. - Humiliating, degrading you and making you feel worthless. - Gaslighting - brainwashing, making you question your own mental stability. - Physical abuse to you, or others you care about, including pets. QUESTION - Why am I writing about this in particular? ANSWER - Because I am generally a ...

  This blog ties in nicely with my 'Mindfulness Monday' post on social media this week. You can find it on my Facebook and Linked In profiles - it's about how getting up just fifteen minutes earlier can make the rest of your day flow better. It's about letting the 'busy' thoughts out of your head for just fifteen minutes at the top of the morning, listen to the birds, breath in fresh air and prepare for the day with a clear mind. I kind of power my way into the day, that's the joy of having excitable spaniels as pets! I'm pretty much up and out of the door just after 6am, headed somewhere scenic with the dogs for their early walk. At the moment I'm finding the dunes and beach at Instow (North Devon) the place to go. The views are stunning, even in the variable English weather conditions, the dogs have a mix of terrains, jumping through the wild grasses in the dunes, then chasing a ball on the beach, swimming in the sea. And when they are happy, so am...

  Some of you may have seen that I'm running a special offer on a new package that I've been working on? (04/05/24 just in case you are reading this 6 years down the line!) I've called it, 'Breaking the habit' because most of what I deal with in fitness and hypnotherapy is straight off the back of bad habits being allowed to run wild. We all have habits, not all bad either, it is possible to create habits, because life, for us is pretty much a cycle of daily habits and weekly habits strung together. Out of necessity I get up before 6am, not a habit, but I have to get up for work, and dog reasons! Once I've walked said dogs (definitely essential and not habit) I return to start my day mixed with habitual activity and clients. I mix up my vitamin drink and greens in a glass, in the same order, so I don't miss anything, I take my supplements, then move on to making my matcha, another habit and so far all good ones. I move on again, pouring water into a jug, mov...

 Thanks Shirley Bassey for this title! People, by nature, can be very judgemental, jealous, envious and down right nasty. That is the nature of some people for you, it's human nature. It doesn't matter what are of life you are talking about, there will always be those that are negative about you. Do you know what I think of those people? That's their problem, not mine! People in the fitness industry are sometimes found strutting, parading, flaunting their muscled bodies, their figures about the place. Showing off their capabilities in this way can lead to envy from others, and in turn, that negative response. I've never been a strutter, not as a PT, not at all really. Yes, I am fit and healthy and I'm proud of that, but I don't flash my guns about at every opportunity saying, 'Ooh look at me!' I do, of course tell people that I've achieved some epic fitness goals, ultra-marathons and challenges over the years. It's an achievement to be proud of, ...