Category: “life coach”

8 Quick Strategies to Overcome Procrastination when it comes to Exercising:

by Fitness Excel, posted in "life coach", adventure education, camino, fitness walking, flow, health, mental health, outdoors learning, Performance, Pilates, Resilience

1. Break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks: Instead of thinking of exercise as one large and daunting task, break it down into smaller, more achievable steps. This could include setting aside time for stretching, going for a short walk, or doing a quick workout video.

2. Make a plan and schedule it: Set a specific time and date for exercise and stick to it. Schedule it into your daily routine so it becomes a habit.

3. Find an accountability partner: Enlist the help of a friend or family member to hold you accountable for your exercise routine. This could include checking in with them regularly or even exercising together.

4. Create an enjoyable experience: Find ways to make exercise more enjoyable, such as combining your exercise in a different environment such as the outdoors, whilst appreciating nature.

5. Reward yourself: Create a reward system for when you complete your exercise routine. This could be anything from treating yourself to a favourite snack or activity to buying a new workout outfit.

6. Use positive self-talk: Use positive self-talk to motivate yourself and overcome negative thought patterns. Focus on the benefits of exercise and remind yourself that it’s a form of self-care that will improve your overall health and well-being.

7. Start small and build up: If you’re just starting out, don’t feel like you have to jump into intense workouts right away. Start small with a few minutes of exercise each day and gradually build up over time.

8. Remember, it’s normal to struggle with procrastination when it comes to exercise, but with some dedication and the right strategies, you can overcome it and make exercise a regular part of your routine.

6 Reasons to Attend a Wellbeing Retreat

by Fitness Excel, posted in "life coach", adventure education, fitness walking, flow, health, mental health, outdoors learning, Pilates
Health & wellbeing in an outdoor environment, connecting both body-mind.

The definition of a retreat is that you travel for a purpose of promoting health and wellbeing through physical, psychological and/or spiritual places where you are able to get away from the stress of daily life to unwind, recharge and relax, this is usually a location by the sea, park, forest surrounded by nature and nice landscapes and can range between 1 day to 1 week or more.  The idea is to improve your health and wellbeing through connection, exercise, take stock and pause, whilst facilitating peace and calm.

Wellbeing retreats have developed over decades, the aim is to help people live a more harmonious life, a typical day of an exercise retreat may involve a group of people taking a walk, incorporating some Pilates, Yoga and breathing, engaging in meaningful conversation and eating healthy.

You don’t have to travel to exotic destinations and undertake 2 weeks, just 1 day in a local environment will allow disconnection from routine, technology and the on-line world, it allows a shift of your perspective and can boost your energy and revitalise you, an exercise retreat is aimed both at addressing both body and mind, the physical and psychological.  You take away the stress of normal life allowing a more mindful, balanced and connected life.

6 Reasons to undertake a Wellbeing Day

  1. Reconnect, bring zest back into your life.
  2. Get outdoors into the fresh air.
  3. Connect with nature, become curious and explore new landscapes and geography.
  4. Switch off from life’s busyness.
  5. Get expert advice from the leaders on the wellbeing day.
  6. Take away and implement strategies learnt and incorporate them into your everyday living.

Key Benefits of Forest Bathing

by Fitness Excel, posted in "life coach", enrichment, fitness instruction, fitness walking, flow, health, mental health, outdoors learning, Pilates, well-being

Forests are an incredible resource. They produce oxygen, purify our water and cleanse the air we breathe; the forest is a truly remarkable resource. In Japan two thirds of the country is forest, it is one of the greenest in the world with a rich diversity of tress and is sometimes referred to as the green archipelago.

Forest bathing known as (Shinrin-Yoku) was first created in Japan, 1982 and refers to the healing techniques which restore both the physical and psychological health of the human body, and when especially exposed to a forest environment which activates the senses smell, vision, touch, taste and hearing. 

Our modern lifestyle is busier than ever with increasing levels of stress which can lead to low mood and poor sleep.  Good quality sleep is essential for our health, well-being and for the functioning of our immune system and forest bathing may be a solution.  Li, (2018) research on participants sleep patterns after spending up to 2 hours walking in a forest environment shows an increase in sleep activity, in addition participants were significantly less anxious.

Further, Wen, et al (2019) studies on Asian adult populations and the health effects, used the forest for physical activity to include interventions such as walking, Pilates, yoga and sight-seeing. The data reveals a significant reduction in blood pressure.  The present research on emotional states such as depression, fatigue and tension anxiety also showed a decrease in negative emotions and an increase in positive emotions when walking in a forest environment.

It is recommended to incorporate more green exercise into our daily lives, even short bouts of outdoor exercise can have a big impact on our mood, feel less tired and tend to have a longer-lasting energy boost.  A brisk walk outdoors is easier than going to the gym or working out on a treadmill, it is both rewarding and more enjoyable.

References

Li, Q. (2018) Shinrin-Yohu; The art and science of forest-bathing, how trees can help you find health and happiness.

Wen, Y. Yan, D, Pan, Y, Gu, X & Liu, Y (2019) Medical empirical research on forest bathing (Shinrin-Yoku): A systematic Review

7 Coaching Tips for Exercise Adherence

by Fitness Excel, posted in "life coach", fitness walking, flow, health, mental health, outdoors learning, Performance, Pilates, Resilience, well-being

How do you motivate yourself for exercise? Below are some 7 quick tips to get started.

1.Make a regular schedule of you daily routine, work, social engagements, appointments, family or managing a home.  Identify where you spend your time.

2. keep a diary and write down exactly when and how you are going to exercise, whether it’s an early morning run or an exercise class, could you fit in a session between work or study and meeting friends in the evening. It is also useful to plan and book ahead your fitness routine that you are going to attend that week, most gyms and leisure centres now have online booking apps.  By scheduling exercise in advance you commit yourself to your exercise programme.

3.It is important to have variety in your exercise routine, for example, change your walking, running programmes by adding different routes, speeds, challenges, incorporate Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi or strength training into the programme.

4.Focus on doing rather than thinking, there are many times we can use excuses to skip an exercise session.  Excuses can range from ‘its too cold’, I’m ‘too busy’ or ‘too tired.  Recognise the inner dialogue which goes on and change this to a positive state. 

5.You can also use visualisation technique of recalling when you felt great after a previous exercise session, anchor and recapture those feelings and thoughts and use the visualisation to imagine yourself feeling energised and fit. 

6.Use a fitness App for tracking your progress, these can be useful for monitoring the amount of steps you walk or miles you run and act as a motivational tool.

7.Use goal setting to determine what you want to achieve, this will help, encourage and motivate you when times get tough. Create new goals regularly to ensure you are on track.

Mindfulness Walking

by Fitness Excel, posted in "life coach", fitness walking, health
The Art of Mindfulness Walking

What is Mindfulness Walking?

Mindfulness is the practice of bringing your attention into the present moment where mindfulness walking is the practice of becoming aware of your surroundings and how your body and mind feel whilst moving. There are many benefits to this by focusing on the present moment you can increase self awareness and develop skills to manage your stress and maybe see a different perspective on any stressful situations in your life. Autumn is a great time to be outdoors, by engaging in the local environment and appreciating nature, mindfulness walking helps you to connect to your senses, releasing stress and anxiety and promoting health and wellbeing. Find out more about our mindfulness walking sessions by visiting http://www.fitness-excel.com

London Marathon – Running Injuries

by Fitness Excel, posted in "life coach", bone health, Endurance, flow, health, Marathon Training, outdoors learning, Performance, Pilates, Resilience, running, strength training, Uncategorized, well-being

plank-fitness-muscular-exercising-163437

Injuries are inevitable when participating in endurance events and can occur as a result of a breakdown in tissue and muscles being overloaded. With just over one week to go until London Marathon 2019, my plantar fasciitis has flared up again.  This condition can causes inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thin layer of tough tissue supporting the arch of the foot.  Rest and ice are the best form of treatment together with a performance based Pilates exercise programme for the core, such as side plank, integrating foot muscle strengthening and flexibility in the lower limbs.

Why Walk The Camino de Santiago de Compostela – Sarria to Santiago April 2018

by Fitness Excel, posted in "life coach", Uncategorized

What better way to set yourself a fitness challenge for 2018 and walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Walk.  During the past decade the number of pilgrims commencing their journey in Sarria has increased rom 39,583 to 58,554.  Pilgrimage is experienced on many different levels.  There is the physical challenge of walking a long distance in a minimum time.  How deep we choose to make the experience, is entirely left to us, by slowing the walking pace and the extended periods of silence allows time for reflection and introspection which can lead to greater insights, change and growth.  Spring is an ideal time for taking up this challenge, the sun is warm, flowers are appearing, it can be windy, but the route is not over crowded.

How long does it take?  It is roughly divided into 5 stages, about 23 km per day.

Preparation – Start to walk and build up your miles.  Invest in a pair of good walking boots.  Pack a light rain jacket, the weather can be unpredictable.  Take a sun hat and sun cream.  April can be very warm.  Your backpack should weigh no more than 10 kilos.  Foot care is essential to avoid blisters, make sure socks are breathable.

To enhance the experience – do not bring.  Your mobile phone, unless you are a solo traveller and you may need this for an emergency.  Your watch – you can learn to navigate and adapt to your natural clock.  Travel light and get rid of  excess clutter.

Language – It is very useful to learn some basic Spanish words.

Pilgrim Passport – This document is a credential of the places you visit along the way.

Food & Drink – A minimum daily intake of 2 litres per day to avoid dehydration.  Isotonic drinks containing sodium and potassium are useful.  Pilgrims should eat high-energy foods (chocolate, dried fruit, figs, flap jacks).

Basic first aid kit – (antiseptic cream, gauze, band aids, sunscreen, adhesive tape, nail scissors, plasters, Vaseline.

 

 

 

What is Life & Health Coaching?

by Fitness Excel, posted in "life coach"

Life coaching has its roots in psychology, it is different to counselling which focus on helping people gain more functionality in their lives.  Contemporary life coaching appears to have emerged from humanistic traditions of psychology, such as Maslow, 1954.  First, life coaching uses approaches linking thinking, feeling, behavioural and the external environment, with similarities in cognitive behavioural approaches.  Second, life coaching is solution focused, focuses on goals rather than the past.  Life coaching usually involves the coach who has a specialised subject knowledge in that area in which the coaching takes a personal, holistic approach to personal change and development. Here the client spends some time examining and evaluating his or her own life and then makes life enhancing changes with the support of the coach.

Some examples of the key issues a client may want to address are work-life balance, dealing with stress or incorporating more fitness and healthy eating into one’s daily routine.  The client will normally have a goal they want to achieve and the role of the life coach is to conduct conversations in which the coach asks direct and sometimes challenging questions which help the client focus on clarifying and exploring ways to achieve their goals.  Some life coaching takes place via skype which has proven successful and is very time efficient or face-to-face sessions.  The first session will focus on a goal.  Research undertaken by Williams and Davis, 2002, suggest clients could focus on one or two goals.  Often, the coach will ask the client to complete a pre-prepared form in detail outlining the benefits and then tailor the session according to the client’s preferences.  After the session, a goal-action plan is designed, together with targets, monitoring and evaluation.