Note the way that statement sound confident, assured and matter of fact………………. In reality I am very excited, nervous and slightly daunted.

Nia is such a beautiful practice; I will want to convey this to my students. I feel a huge responsibility about ensuring that my students have a positive experience. Inspiring them to continue with Nia would be a gift.

Regular Classes: where and when

Just to confuse things the first session is always free (with me) and the April sessions do not count as a first session; they are my gift. So when you come along for your initial session (whenever that is) it is free!

The classes at the Koorana Centre start properly on the 01st May (Tuesday) at 10.45. There is another session with me at 09.15 on Wednesdays from the 2nd May. Check the Koorana Calender for more info.

I am also practising at the King Edward Hall in Lindfield, West Sussex on Wednesdays at 2.00 p.m. from 2nd May.

Wednesday’s I am giving two sessions – busy day!

If you want to know more about Nia and see it in action visit nianow.com for videos. I hope to have some of mine up eventually.

On being a teacher of Nia

I shall be sharing the experience of  my own voyage with Nia as I give my classes and learn new routines.

Nia is unlike any other form of movement classed as ‘exercise’ that I have experienced, which of course is why I do it. Whilst there are lots of truly effective disiciplines, Nia is the only one I really enjoy – its FUN! This is what keeps me doing it and now wanting to teach it.

I have developed some health challenges over the last couple of years and yet when I do Nia, I find my body saying  ’thank you’ rather than screaming at me to stop – especially the next day when often I have unable to walk properly after a vigourous session in the gym or an exercise class.

After Nia I feel flexible, loosened, taller and dare I say, sexier. All of my bod seems to be connected and I can feel it move in a freer way.

How good is that!!!

Hopefully I can help others find a way back to their own body; re form this beautiful connection.

Well, I shall have a great time trying!

When the sun is shining, the bills are being paid and all is good in the world, eating healthy food and exercising is undoubtedly an easy thing to do.

However when your world implodes and you feel like you have a big black cross on the top of your head, then that’s when we all tend to head for the chocolate and the sofa.

This is really not helpful, because of course this is exactly when we should be supporting ourselves, nutritionally and physically. The problem with this behaviour is that it compounds the issues. We tend to add guilt to our long list of bad feelings.

We know on an intellectual level why we do it; that’s easy. Because our primitive brain has figured out by eating certain foods we can instantly get a hit from the brain chemicals that give us an ‘up. Sitting on the sofa may be more to do with, being cosy and switching off; going into safe mode, so to speak. And who wants to face the world when they are down?

So how do you stay on track during the tough times?

From personal experience it requires an emotional pincer movement. NLP tells us that each action is preceded by a thought. So getting the thoughts organised is the place to start.

Initially acknowledge where you are. Yep I’m banging the drum again about Awareness. Saying to yourself “you know what, I feel really down”. Then the first supportive thought should be, “I realise that I need help now. How can I get that?”

This thought really shifts your focus away from what you’re not getting to not only what you need but more importantly, how to get it. Another benefit to connecting with this thought is feeling in control – always a good move!

The other pincer thought is “whilst I’m vulnerable, I will choose actions that I do when in a good place; things that make me feel great”.

When you are down in the mouth, you can’t rely on positive feelings, commonly they have shut down, so nothing ‘feels’ good. However you still have the emotional muscle memory of stuff you have done in the past, which did feel great.

You need to evoke the connection to that thought. For example, if you jog regularly, think back to how fabulous it made you feel. Although, you may not want to at the moment, really connecting with the feeling will motivate you to get off the sofa, even if it’s just to go for a walk. Don’t forget before the action, you will need the thought; the one that reminds you of the good feeling!

This approach helps you to delegate your emotional wellbeing to tried and tested solutions; your solutions. It gives you a chance to turn down the agonising that inevitably goes on when you are in a bad place.

So to recap; after acknowledging where you are (in the sad or stressed place), you firstly choose to think: “I need some support, how do I get it”. You follow that with “my body knows how to feel good (I’ve done it before), I will do that again because I know it works”.

This strategy will tie you over until you climb back on top of things. You have all the resources you need (another NLP mantra); during the down times, you just need to be reminded how wonderfully resourceful YOU actually are!

In my line of work, I am aware of the importance of self management as the key to ‘Nirvana’. Yep, the buck stops with me. Although circumstances can throw me a curve ball, it’s my reaction that will determine how I get through or past it. Irritating as it is; the truth is my life experience isn’t down to someone else.

So when I have a consistently bad time of it, I need to stop and review what the hell is going on!

I did this recently by listening to the inner dialogue. We all have that incessant nagging list of criticisms running like irritating music in the lift. Meditation allows the chatter to drift in and out but during the course of the day (and night), it pervades every thought.

Having identified that ‘the lizard on my shoulder’ as Martha Beck calls it, appeared to have gained a sound system equal to Glastonbury, I then picked up on the theme of the dialogue. And there it was; ‘finishing’.

“I’ll just finish this, and then I’ll start that. When that’s finished I’ll begin the other. Having sorted those out, I’ll see what else needs finishing, on my list” and so it went on. Purgatory 101!

Undeniably I am a ‘completed finisher’ however doing all the things I do I can never, ever, ever say I’ve ‘finished’. I have said more than once, jokingly “I shall be lying on my death bed saying, that’s that done, what’s next?”

And there is the nub of my current hard time. By trying to finish all my perceived (it is us who prioritises our own list of things to do) tasks, I am stressing myself to destruction. So, what’s the answer?

As ever, Awareness is the first part of the solution. Now I can see what I’m doing I can catch myself in the moment and change my thoughts, as any of us can do. My commitments won’t go away (I hope!) so I am going to stop seeing them as a huge long list of things that fill my mind all at the same time, intimidating me. For example, next week I have various meetings for which I have to prepare. But, you know what; they are not all at the same time, so I can break them down into chunks that I will allocate time too.

Then I need to concentrate on the one thing at a time. Each task, work and home needs my full attention. By focussing on that and that alone, it all seems so much more achievable. Ironing and sending emails does not work (yes, I’ve tried). Conversely I do know that when cleaning the house, I can only do one room at a time. I need to apply that understanding to all my jobs.

There are obvious issues around time management, making and accepting realistic commitments and curbing any OCD tendencies but that is what being a grown up is all about.

The work ethic can be so strong, that we may perceive our value is only equal to our level of franticness, illustrating to those around us that we are ‘just so busy’ therefore important.  This emotional association makes it hard to drop into a different gear.

Addressing our stress levels and being at peace with our day to day lives is a true expression our ability to thrive in our own skin. This is the truth regarding our value to ourselves and others, especially as we age. There is nothing more inspiring than being with a happy, relaxed soul who leads a full and active life. More importantly, on a personal level, there is nothing more rewarding.

Ageing is a certainty unless the other certainty gets there first. However how we age is not cast in stone, despite what you may believe. If it were, we wouldn’t have the fabulously inspiring individuals who prove otherwise.

An example is the recently departed Jack Lalanne (I didn’t say he was immortal!) who died in January 2011 aged 96. He used to say that dying would be bad for publicity; at 96 I think his publicity had done its job!

Jack refused to conform to the ideas surrounding ageing. He just carried on doing what he had been doing all his life; he ate well and he kept on weight lifting.

And this is what most of us do that is different; we stop ‘doing’ what we have be doing all our lives. When did you stop taking the stairs two at a time? When did you start to ask others to carry something a little on the heavy side? And when did you begin to make different choices because of your age?

When I went for a walk today, I took a route that takes me to a stile. The fence is broken down on one side so most people go around it. I’ve seen children still go over the stile, as if it is the only route. Some even crawl under it, in paratrooper mode. I choose to go through the bars to the side of it. Why? Because I can.

It requires that I become bendy and stay flexible. On the days that I really don’t want to it are the days I do it twice.

And this is what ageing well is all about. Whilst I don’t have any issues about getting old per se I’m not prepared to just lie down and say “take me I’m yours”. I’m employing Awareness in my day to day life. This doesn’t mean pretending to be something I’m not, i.e. 20. It means being ‘present’, as they say, to my body and my needs.

I ‘need’ to be as healthy as I can to carry me through life; with a great marriage, 2 sons and a business to run, I have a lot of living to do. When I hit old age, whatever that means, I want to feel, that I’m going to live every day as well as I can. I need my body on side for that.

So I choose (most of the time) to use functional fitness as my personal coach and look for every opportunity to keep my body moving.

I believe this is a real anti-ageing strategy.

You made big decisions, implemented the first change (whatever it is, it usually involves giving up something) and started a nice new shiny journal to log the ‘journey’. Yep, the goal is in mind and you’re on your way!

For the first few days the excitement of having a new goal gives you a real adrenaline rush and sense of purpose. However when nothing around you seems to change, (no one notices the new motivated you, the weight hasn’t shifted or the Law of Attraction hasn’t kicked in) then what do you do?

It is now that disappointment can be compounded by a sense of failure, making you feel hope-less and probably leading to abandoning the ‘Big Goal’. Followed by a return to the original behaviour you wanted to change but now – with bells on! Yep, your inner critic gives you a really hard time, which is not helpful.

So what will help you?

Firstly take a look at what you were ultimately aiming to achieve. For example, may be you were targeting the loss of a few kilos? In your mind that was it; “by next Saturday, I want to be 2 kilos lighter, and therefore I’m going to eat less”.

What would make the goal real is to say “It is important to me to feel more energetic and wear my size 12 trousers. I aim to do this over 3 weeks and I shall eat smaller meals, avoid daily chocolate (save it for once a week), drink 1 glass of wine at the weekend and eat no later than 7 in the evening. I may lose that weight before then.”

Suddenly your goal becomes real, tangible and very measurable. If the plan doesn’t go well, you can go back to it and identify which bit didn’t work. Your goal needs to be ‘real’; it has to work for your life. Is it practical for you eat before 7? Well no, if you get home usually at 7 and by the time you’ve sat down it’s nearly 8 o’clock!

This goes for any goal you may have. To help you get there it is vitally important to be realistic about what is achievable and nurture yourself through the process. I’ve certainly set myself up with a fair share of unachievable goals in my life and there is no doubt that ‘failure’ really knocks you back.

Equally important is getting to the nitty gritty of what you are aiming to achieve in the first place. Maybe it’s not weight loss, its feeling good about your Self. That will need a different approach.

Really think through a strategy that will work for you. Identify the real obstacles and address these. Finally, journaling is always great as you can look back on what you have done in the past; it’s about what works for YOU and what doesn’t. You are not your friend, neighbour, sister or the smiley celeb on the front cover of the diet book you may choose to follow.

We should never avoid making changes, in fact, whilst sometimes/usually scary they prove we are still alive! However you need to plan a deviation from your life pattern to make it stick. After all, our whole existence can become nothing more than a rerun of yesterday. Who wants to live life looking in the rear view mirror?

What you really need is help identifying that initial step; the real start point that will make a difference. Unfortunately this in itself is commonly the biggest obstacle to moving forward.

When it feels like your whole world is falling apart, you need to drill down and find out which bit in your life is causing you to feel the way you do. Back to the ‘elephant’ metaphor; this is like recognising the disruptive bull elephant in the herd. You can then single it out and start working to resolve it.

For example, although you may have lots of friends, a busy life with heaps going on, a fulfilling job and a roof over your head, you hold your head in your hands and say “my life is a mess”.

Is it? What ALL of it?

Obviously not! So which ‘piece’ is causing you to feel this way?

Defining the parameters of the problem becomes the first step. To do this, identify what you ‘feel’ and I mean, physically and emotionally.  Try not to get lost in what you ‘think’. That will only turn up the volume on the destructive inner chatter that is a symptom of how you feel.

The body and mind are not, I repeat, not separate projects to give your attention too. You need to connect to how your body is functioning and feeling rather than solely relying on your mind to assess your situation.

Back to the herd of elephants of “my life is a mess” becomes the bull elephant of, “underneath it all I feel tired and flat; a bit depressed which makes me feel my life is a mess”.

Then the one piece at a time approach can kick in; you now have something tangible to work with.  For this particular issue, you can examine the obvious things and look at what you are doing practically to affect your energy and state of mind; diet might be one piece, lack of relaxation another and exercise, yet another piece.

So to recap the strategy when you think your life is imploding is to:

• Check out how you are actually ‘feeling’ e.g. worried, stressed, frustrated, angry, empty or sad. Once you have identified the predominant ‘feeling’ then ask yourself, when do I feel this? All the time or only when I am doing/being/seeing/thinking about X?
• Remind yourself which bits of your life are working (the job, etc) and which bits aren’t (e.g. my relationship).
• Isolate the problem from the other areas of your life to you from stop catastrophizing.

The ‘bull elephant’ may turn out to be a financial matter, a family problem or an unhappy relationship colouring your life.

Suddenly you can see what needs attention and then you can draw up a plan to resolve the issue. It isn’t about leading a problem free life; it’s about knowing that you can deal with each challenge one piece at a time.

Studies prove how nutrition alone can help anti aging. Scientists now know that fish oils are good for your heart. Avoiding processed high fat foods is an essential strategy to support cardiovascular health. As for the other end of things, eating high fibre foods help to keep everything ‘regular’ and working like clockwork. This is understood to reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

It is very important to take ownership of the responsibility for your health. This is particularly important as you age. Being proactive in taking steps to become conscious of your body and diet is your insurance policy for the future.

A funny thing about ageing is that we tend to accept the changes that occur over the years. So the very first step is noticing any changes that occur, as these take place over a period of time and rarely spontaneously. Being aware that you are reaching for the antacids at every meal is what I am talking about. Whilst there may be a decline in function of some parts of the body as a result of straight forward wear and tear, you can minimise this.

Obviously, it is important to visit your doctor with any sudden pain or ongoing discomfort. However, once reassured you are okay, make it your mission to find out how you can reduce the symptoms and return to optimal function.

As we age people tend to develop problems with digestion. There are simple steps to try first. Eating smaller, regular meals can help. So does avoiding saturated fats, especially in the evening. Have a high proportion of raw vegetables as these contain enzymes, which aid digestion.

The most youthful thing about someone (apart from their skin) is the way they move. This starts to change usually through pain or stiffness so that mobility and flexibility start to ebb away.

Most people just don’t realise that they are not moving the way they were. Think back; did you let out a little grunt as you stood up or bent down when you were 25? Probably not. So when did you start? Like most of us, unless you have had a significant event, you won’t have noticed.

Some aches and pain are understood to be lessened by the inclusion of ‘good oils’ in the diet.  Not only those found in oily fish but also in cold pressed olive and seed oils. Certain foods are commonly connected to creaky joints such as dairy, wheat and even a group of vegetables which include potatoes, egg plant, peppers and tomatoes.

There are lots of strategies that help to maintain health other than diet and it’s never too late to start. Due to your uniqueness, there are as many options as there are people. It is important to identify what YOU need to build your health for the future.

To make the difference we want to see, give us a nutritional energy boost and feel that true vitality, we need to consistently include these foods on a daily basis. Once a month just won’t do it!

Believe me when I say, I used to find it struggle to eat all the things I know are really good for me. After all, there really is only so much a person can eat in one day! So which foods am I talking about and how do you realistically get them into real life?

Well, here’s how to do it.

To make it easier to understand how to use these foods, let’s put some of the most popular foods into groups. I will call them: Nature’s treasure, Daily super greens and Dynamite extras.

The first are nature’s treasure, which include: Goji Berries, Maca, Camu camu, Purple Corn, and Bee Pollen. You will read about them everywhere but what do you do with them?

The most constant and easy way is Smoothies. These are great for putting everything you need into a blender. Drink it straightaway or put it into a container to take with you. It best to use a thermal flask to keep it cold which helps to maintain the nutritional content of the drink. Blend fresh berries and/or greens with any of nature’s secrets for truly powerful nutrition!

The next two groups can eaten or blended with fruit and lemon. Daily Super Greens include a whole range and all types of leafy green vegetables and salad leaves such us Rocket (Arugula) Watercress, Spinach, Mizuna and Corn Salad. Remember with greens, the darker the better.

Dynamite Extras are the very special foods such as sprouted seeds and greens such as sunflower greens and sprouted seeds such as alfalfa, broccoli, fenugreek and many others. These are regarded as true nutritional powerhouses as they contain readily available protein and high levels of nutrients.

Include as many super green foods as possible for sandwich fillers, hurried suppers and breakfast accompaniments. Yes, you can have chopped up green stuff with your eggs. Why not!

Don’t try to be a rabbit and munch your way through huge leaves. Be creative; shred or chop them and add a mashed up avocado to flavour. Sprinkle in fresh or dried herbs and a glug of flax oil.

Eating on the run is always the biggest challenge to maintaining a high health factor in our food choices. It is important to keep some Pocket foods available. Keep them somewhere you can snack on rather than reaching for the candy. These foods will not spoil easily so are useful to have in a small container in the handbag or briefcase. Goji berries and raw food flavoured Flax crackers will meet the urgent need to snack. Visit a raw food online company and see what other ‘convenience foods’ takes your fancy.

Think about how you can enhance your current meals, making them really, really healthy. Having these foods in your fridge in the first place, will hugely expand your choices. The most difficult part about including these foods is your imagination! Buy them and make a point of using them every time you have a meal at home or need to make a snack. Just get your head around bringing them into your life at every opportunity to see and feel the benefits. Yes, it really is that simple!

Why?

If we didn’t look in the mirror and see these signs, we would merrily carry on treating our body in the same way, year after year. When we spot the first signs, we usually sit up straight and start thinking about how we can start looking after ourselves and slow down the ‘aged’ look.

Getting old is, as they say, “better than the alternative”. And it is not about trying to be something other than what we are. However there is no doubt that a stressful and unhealthy lifestyle shows up on our face, especially as we age. Fact.

Being a mother, I have seen many of my offspring’s friends staggering around on a Sunday morning after the night before. They may feel worse for wear but they still look fresh faced and wonderful! Try that when you are over 40 and someone will ask if you have just been released from hospital.

We mustn’t forget that we can’t see what is happening on the inside. The outward signs will give us a clue. How many smokers do know with a great skin in their late forties, early fifties? An antioxidant rich and hydrating diet is understood to help the skin, yes but is also essential to cardiovascular health. Even with a wrinkle free skin, we all need a healthy heart for our later years.

All the signs of ageing, I believe can be lessened by a great diet and lots of healthy lifestyle choices. Not eradicated (only a resident plastic surgeon can do that for a while!) just slowed down and softened by a healthy glow. There is no doubt; looking great as we age is all about looking (and being) uber healthy, not unrealistically wrinkle free

So as I say, thank goodness for wrinkles, age spots and saggy bits. When you see them peering back at you in the mirror by the morning light, it’s time to question yourself about whether your choices are building the healthiest future possible.

Whilst it is okay to have off days, rather than push them away and dive into another bar of chocolate, it’s always best to take notice of them. Why? Because if you don’t; life has a habit of making itself heard by sending bigger messages. When you feel everything is imploding, you know that life has had to shout pretty loud.

So head all that off at the pass and just listen and ask; “why am I having a bad day?”.

My bad day (today) is made up of lots of little ‘straws’ all tied up nicely in a huge bow of tiredness.

The trick is to ask first, is there a physical reason for why I’m feeling like this? In my case I’m pooped. Busy, busy with clients and my businesses. Visiting family for the weekend; too many late nights and the clocks going forward has just sliced off an hour of my precious sleep time.

So a tick in the box for the physical reason but is that enough to be feeling like I am today?

No, not really. Although I try not to read the papers and immerse myself in the media output, one would have to live in a vacuum to not know what’s been going on in the world at large and the events in London this weekend. No comment on the politics of it all however it is still fairly unsettling. Plus because I’m tired, it all seems worse.

What else? Then there are the challenges in my life at the moment. As if by stealth the excitement of one major challenge suddenly becomes overwhelming when there are too many of them.

The way through this (I have to remind myself) is to identify what challenges you are facing and then decide that you will address maybe only 3 in the next week (this depends on whether is realistic; may one is more than enough). This does work for me. Last week I listed 3 and when I revisited it, I found I had found solutions to all of them. Result!

So in essence, my bad day is because I’m tired and I haven’t acknowledged the various sources of my stresses properly. By having this Awareness, I can address the issues of my bad day so that it doesn’t turn into a bad week!

My plan? An early night (I was going to do the ironing) and identify my challenge list for the week. Keeping it to three makes it manageable. Forgive the cliché, tomorrow is another day.

Ah, I feel better already.