I never remember this much ’stuff’ happening when I was a kid. I guess I was probably shielded from a lot of it by mum and dad perhaps, as kids generally are.
I get a lot of (well, more than a few) emails from clients and prospective clients who seem to have a lot of reasons why they can’t follow their exercise and healthy eating program or are having trouble committing to a program. The reasons are varied but seemingly endless. I’m not saying they are not good reasons, but when are we going to understand and accept that things do not always go according to plan, and that bad things sometimes happen to good people. Our own health should always be a top priority whether grandma is dying, the kids are sick, we break our arm, or we lose our job (and so on and so forth).
People often like to believe that other people have it easier and so therefore it’s easy for them (me) to say. Well I’m here to tell you, that’s not the case, and never is. Everyone is dealing with some issue or problem, be it family, health, relationship, job and so on. Some of my friends know some of the things I’ve had to deal with over the past, well, probably 18 months especially - there has been a lot of worry and stress for various reasons, but no good reason (there never is) to completely drop the ball and forget about how important my health and wellbeing is. I’m not saying it’s easy or that I always feel like it (far from it), but I can never go too long without exercise or for too long eating food that doesn’t agree with me (food that mosts of the gen pop think and see as normal). I felt (and still feel) so proud of myself for seeing through my comp prep with some massive stress placed upon me right in the middle of it. How easy it would have been to give up, but it was that important to me, to get through and prove that I was indeed a strong woman when I needed to be. The feeling of empowerment I knew I would receive from that achievement would carry me through tough times that will no doubt come at some point. This past week has been one that I will always remember as one where I have felt every emotion under the sun. Today has been tough but I know that tomorrow (and the next day and so on) is a new day and that I will be in a much better frame of mind. I know when I feel ‘weak’ that I can think back to times where I have been strong and pulled through and that keeps me going. In times such as these, it’s a fine line between ’surviving’ and falling into a pit of depression. I know I will not go that way – I’ve been there done that and I won’t, I will be positive through and through. I have that belief in myself and nothing or nobody will ever make me do that, if I have some say in it. This is why that we have to make ourselves a priority when things happen that should not. That doesn’t mean being selfish, it means looking after yourself. What good is it going to do grandma, or anyone, if you curl up in a corner and feel sorry for yourself, stop all exercise and eat yourself into oblivion for weeks or months on end. On top of whatever issues you are already facing, you now have lost respect for yourself and it will be 100 times as difficult to get out of that rut you now find yourself in. Don’t get me wrong, you need to take time off and think/contemplate and sure, this can mean we lose our way a bit with our diet and training while we focus our thoughts on something else that takes priority for the moment. That’s ok. But, in my opinion there is no excuse for this to go on for a long time. YOU are important – get used to it - bad things will happen and we have to deal with it by thinking positively and always remember how important our health (physical and mental) is and move forward.
So now I am sitting here with a glass (or 2 or 3) of red – one I’ve had cellared for 10 years and I figure tonight is a good time to open and savour the taste 
Thank you to all my wonderful friends x
