How did you handle the outage?

I have to admit I had a little moment when I realised that Whatsapp was down yesterday. I use it for all my contacts. It is so useful for my group exercise classes and to keep in touch with family and friends. Once I knew the internet was ok and I could run my classes on zoom I breathed a sigh of relief.  I am relatively new to Instagram and a non-frequent user of Facebook (working on that!) so it did not worry me too much. However, I understand how it must have affected frequent users and lovers of social media. I am developing my business account on Instagram and still very much a beginner. Thank you to Felicity McCarthy (Leavy) for her mentorship and getting me up and running in this space.  I still have a lot to learn!!
Once I accepted that those modes of communication were not available last night, I put my phone down and relaxed into my evening. I actually read Sundays papers and managed to read a few lines of a book. That was a real treat. I began to ask myself ‘Am I am addicted to my phone? Don’t get me wrong, all these modes of communication are fantastic for business and for maintaining connections but how difficult do we find it to pull ourselves away from them?
How did you react when the outage occurred? Do you normally spend your evenings scrolling? Do you take your phone to bed ? Why not learn from this episode and test your relationship with your phone.
Decide on a time and put the phone away. Occupy yourself with something you enjoy doing be it reading, cooking or listening to music. Maybe try a walk without the phone. Give it a go for even 30 minutes and see how it sits with you. Recognise how easy or difficult it is. If it is difficult maybe take that on board and build a habit where you separate yourself from your phone for a time every evening.
#takecontrol#Rest&Relax#Sleepwell#fabtrition

And Breath

Are you getting that feeling of change? …summer drawing to a close, schools are back, transitioning to back to the office. A feeling of busyness, to-do lists, planning and perhaps a little on edge, a little anxious.
One word. BREATH – We probably don’t think about it much. It’s always there in the background. We breathe unconsciously but taking the trouble to direct our conscious focus towards breathing can have profound effects. BREATHE – It is free, it takes a couple of minutes and it is available 24/7. It will help you re-set, sharpen your thoughts, calm your nervous system and reduce feelings of stress. It will invite a more positive and balanced outlook.
Try it.
I would encourage you to start your day with it.  Take 2 minutes – at the side of the bed before you begin your day or maybe stand outside in the fresh air and focus on your breath. There are many ways we can do this but I use the simple 3-4-5 method. Only because it is easy to remember! Breathe in for a count of 3 seconds, hold for a count of 4 and breathe out for a count of 5. Repeat as many times as you have time for. Even one round of breathing settles the mind. Develop this habit by doing it every day you wake up. Repeating this for a few weeks will develop the habit so it becomes part of your day naturally without having to think about it. It can also be impactful if you feel in anyway stressed. Stop, Breath and Reset. It helps you to concentrate on the situation at hand, improves your coping mechanism and allows you to think coherently. I also find it useful at night-time. If I am having trouble sleeping with thoughts shooting around in my head, I employ this breathing mechanism and it works. I nod off after a few repetitions.
Just try it. Support your body and mind. You deserve it. #lovelife#loveyourself#health#breath#smile#positivity#backinaction

Thank you

2020 certainly tested our resolve, our resilience and our way of living. What a year!

 

This is a photo taken of me in Feb 2020 at the top of the fairy castle at ticknock on a hike with friends. I was oblivious to what was ahead.

Many businesses and professionals have struggled to pay the rent, to maintain their businesses and livelihood. Many have had to adapt and be creative during this time of uncertainty. I have been one of the lucky ones.

I launched Fabtrition in November 2018 having no experience in running a business. I quickly realised that there were many hats to be worn – the company accountant, the marketing manager, the creative designer, the planner, the presenter as well as the trainer!  I like to think I have grown with the business, learning, gaining confidence, conquering new skills as I presented myself to the outside world.

I have had to adapt overnight to delivery on-line, both for presentations, live group classes and personal training and technology was never my forte! I have thankfully managed to maintain all my classes and build my client base.

I would say to anyone who is considering a change in career and has a burning passion to launch a business – Just do it. Take the risk, you will not regret it. Even if it does not work out as you might expect, you will have no regrets. Life is short, we need to embrace it and spend it doing what we love to do, with the people we love to be with.

This is a photo taken of me in August 2020 on a family trip to West Cork, at the top of hungry hill. A special place in my heart.

I am passionate about health. I always have been and now I am sharing my knowledge with others and hopefully making a difference to their lives.

I have delivered presentations and written articles in 2020 on many topics including:

  • Nutrition
  • Sleep
  • Menopause
  • Sports Nutrition
  • Exercise
  • Relaxation

To many groups including

  • Travelers
  • Gender Inclusion Network
  • KPMG
  • Logicalis
  • THB group
  • Insurance Institute of Ireland
  • Terenure Swim Club
  • Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland

A positive outlook and a can-do attitude help. Practicing what I preach to family, friends and clients gives me the energy and ambition to keep going – eating well, exercising, sleeping and learning to relax.

Make the most of your life, your mind and your body. I want to thank all those people who have supported me and put their faith in me. I wish you well in your journey.

 

This is a photo taken of me at Killiney beach in September 2020 after my weekly swim/paddle. Loving the waves, the exhilaration. It’s my me-time. Follow your heart and dreams.  

Aerobic activity – your brain will thank you

The Irish times reported today that exercise not only improves heart function and protects us against a variety of diseases (I think most of us were aware of that one) but also….wait for it …improves our mental health. Yes, Yes, Yes!

Its true, research has now shown that aerobic exercise

  • improves your cognitive function,
  • slows down age-related cognitive decline and
  • may prove to be a powerful therapy to slow down the accelerated decline seen in Alzheimer’s disease.

It’s more important now than ever given our Covid-19 restrictions to stay active and aerobically fit. There are plenty of options:

  • Join an on-line class and work out from your home or garden. It’s a great way to stay active with your friends.
  • Walk/run/cycle in your local park or street (within the 2k radius of your home)
  • Skip/Dance/Play
  • Hurl/hockey/football/basketball
  • Garden/Cook/Bake/Clean (only if you have to!)
  • Home based exercises – the WHO have some nice recommendations (WHO stay active)

 

Some tips to cope and stay strong:

Mobilise: Step away from your desk – stretch – break from screens.

Laugh: Socialise with your friends and family on-line or on the phone.

Oxygen: Take in some fresh air – it will boost your body and mind.

Nutrition: Plenty of fruit and veg. Add colour to your plate to strengthen your immune system

Routine: Try to go to bed at the same time during week-days. Start your day well

Positivity: Focus on the positive. Enjoy the family meals, time together, developing new skills.

Sleep soundly: Take a break from the Covid-19 updates before you sleep. Read something different and upbeat, meditate, play some relaxing music.

 

Stay Safe – Protect yourself – Stay healthy.

 

 

Source: Irishtimes April 6 2020

Focus on both

Nutrition and exercise are key to sustaining a healthy life and maintaining a healthy body.

How we feed our body is crucial. Whatever we decide to eat or drink in any given day will have an impact on how our daily systems operate not to mention our energy and mood. This was a real light bulb moment for me when I began to take control of my body and health. Stop and think……if I eat this will it provide me with the nourishment I require in my busy day?  Will my body thank me for it? Or will it have a negative effect on my body and my overall wellbeing?

Every decision you make on your food and liquid intake affects you daily.  Wow!

I completely support the 80/20 rule – diet is the 80% and exercise 20%. Both are crucial to our overall health but what we fuel ourselves with from the inside can have numerous benefits and produce significant results.

Feed our bodies with healthy nutritious food and it will operate efficiently but feed it with rubbish and it will feel sluggish. It will certainly not thank you.

It’s all about changing behaviours and creating lifelong healthy eating habits.

While exercise may play a less important role it still remains vital for our health. We need it for posture, strength, avoiding injury, toning, flexibility and much more. Our bodies were designed to move. Staying active is key to heart health, mental health and general wellbeing.

Diet and exercise go hand in hand if we want our bodies to operate at an optimum level. Working on both, from the inside out and outside in, will reap multiple benefits in your weight management, energy, sleep, self-esteem, prevention of disease, mental stimulation, heart health and physical performance – need I say more??

That is why it was important to me to gain qualifications in both Nutrition and Exercise. All the scientific research points to the necessity of both to achieve optimum health. I want to offer that to my clients.

I run a ‘Health for Life’ programme combining nutrition education and exercise participation which opens again in January. The classes are restricted to four participants as I want to devote individual attention to one and all. The response to date has been tremendous.

 

The programme runs for 5 weeks and participants attend for one hour a week. I talk about nutrition for the first 30 minutes (but it’s not all me, we often have an engaging and interactive discussion!) and then I run a 30-minute Circuit session. Click here for more details

If you wish to join the next programme drop me an e-mail or give me a bell.

Your choices each day affect your health — make a positive choice for you today.