EXERCISE IN THE HERE AND NOW

EXERCISE IN THE HERE AND NOW

Life is full of distractions. With technology, social media, deadlines that have to be met or worrying about what you did or said yesterday, we are never really present-in the moment, the here and now!

For me, my daily exercise session is one of a precious few opportunities to be present:-to switch off to the distractions of the world, forget about yesterday and not worry about tomorrow- to get real! This amongst the physical benefits is one of the reasons I feel so good after exercise. Having the opportunity to reconnect with yourself in the moment , is a much under rated benefit of exercise.

So, the next time you exercise, put your mind into neutral. During your warm up, try to clear your mind of all thoughts, and stay in that space. During your session, don’t judge yourself or tell yourself you don’t enjoy this, or you don’t enjoy that, just do it. If you find yourself passing judgement or over thinking, don’t indulge the thoughts, they will pass. Make the most of the time you have with yourself, reconnect, get real! This is where exercise has the power to transform your life.

Ashley Galliard March 16

TO EXERCISE OR NOT TO EXERCISE - THE INTERNAL BATTLE

TO EXERCISE OR NOT TO EXERCISE-THE INTERNAL BATTLE

Believe it or not, I find committing to exercise a challenge. I don’t find it easy, and I certainly don’t go to bed at night at the end of a long week, unable to sleep with excitement, knowing I have to get up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning to hit the trails on my mountain bike.

The truth is, I often wake up to a battle field, an internal war, in which the little devil on my shoulder is telling me to switch my alarm off, roll over, enjoy my cozy bed and get some rest, and that I deserve it. The little angel on the other shoulder is reminding me of the mileage I still need to get in before my stage race in three months, and that it’s good for me! It’s the same battle we all have every day, and the fine line between success and failure comes down to who wins this battle (the little devil and or the little angel).

For me, although the battle is often fierce, the little angel usually wins. The reason is simple, and it comes down to practice and experience. The more often I practice to make the right choice, the more resilience I build up against my little devil (my little angel is now far more buff than my little devil.)

 ). I also know from experience that I have never regretted a workout - exercise always makes me feel better physically, mentally and emotionally. No matter how tired I may feel prior to starting, I know from experience that the tiredness will soon be replaced by greater energy levels and enthusiasm for the day ahead

So, if you don’t always feel like exercising, rest assured, you’re not alone. The best you can do is to keep practicing to make the right choices to build up resilience. Take baby steps and build on them. Be aware of how good you feel and how empowering it is to win over your little devil, and finally, ask for support, (ask your significant other to kick your ass out of bed if necessary) and know that we are always there for you.

Ashley Galliard March 2016

LESS TRYING AND MORE DOING

LESS TRYING AND MORE DOING

When you are challenged to do something you have never done before, for example something tough, like a somersault, you have no frame of reference, no experience to give you confidence in your ability to achieve it. It is perfectly reasonable to say, “I WILL TRY”. You will probably have to try and fail over and over again, until you eventually learn how to do it. Once you can do it, you never have to say, “I WILL TRY” to do a somersault again – you simply do it.

Often when I ask clients to do something, for example, choose a healthy meal from a restaurant menu, or wake up thirty minutes earlier to fit in a training session, their first response is, “I WILL TRY”, as if somehow they completely doubt their ability to achieve what is actually a very doable task.

If you know that something is within your capabilities, even if it’s difficult and may require a bit of effort and planning, don’t doubt your ability to succeed by adopting the “I WILL TRY” mindset. By saying “I WILL TRY” in this instance you are telling yourself you’re weak in the face of a challenge. You’re also giving yourself an escape route by telling yourself it’s okay to fail, as long as I’ve tried, which usually results in giving up (with dignity).

So the message is simple: If you can do something, you don’t have to try, or in any way doubt yourself, JUST DO IT. If you stumble, pick yourself up and start again in the knowledge that you can do it. With this approach, failure is a mere learning experience that will make you stronger not an excuse to give up.

(Ashley Galliard March 2016)