Diva Fitness

☀️ Summer Break ☀️

Thought I’d best do a little update as I’ve now started my annual break away from training for the month of August.

This has become an annual ritual of mine to maintain a healthy work/life balance. I’m very grateful to my clients who understand and allow me this space and time - thank you, you know I’ll more than make up for it when you’re back 🙏😉.

For those lined up to start their health and well-being journeys in September, enjoy these next few weeks before we get down to business 😂!!

So I’m ready now to tackle my never-ending “to-do”, both personal & professional. And boy it’s a long one!

This 💯% time, focus & energy allows me to achieve tasks without distraction. Time is something I never take for granted….the years just fly by these days. I can’t believe it will soon be 10 years this autumn since I became a PT and I’ve loved every minute of it💪🏻💜!

This past week, I’ve had a week away to just chillout in Corfu. The temp has been in the mid-30 degs 🥵🇬🇷 but I still managed to build in some movement every day:-

🏋🏻‍♀️ Gym sessions - weights, brisk, gradient treadmill walks
🧘🏻‍♀️ Yoga & pilates - note to self to include more of this lol 😬
🚶🏻‍♀️ Morning hikes along coastal paths
🏊🏻‍♀️ Swimming - lots of - both in the pool and sea

The food choices were divine - I love Mediterranean food and was even impressed by some of the canned drinks on offer whilst out n about on an excursion to Kassiopi, what a beautiful resort that was.

My new chilled water container was a game changer too to maintain my hydration on another level💧🙌🏻.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be finalising my Autumn training schedule. I already have several consultations booked in for this coming week and will post any remaining slots I have in a few weeks time (if I have any left that is…).

For now, time to unpack, look ahead to this weeks sunshine and start with prioritising some overdue garden and allotment jobs first 🌱🍃🌿 👩🏻‍🌾☀️

Love the challenges and rewards of growing my own produce. The beetroot I’ve just dug up so far have been brilliant 🫜✅

I used to think I’d save this kind of venture for retirement when I’d have more time but I’ve also learnt that if something aligns with your goals and purpose, you’ll always MAKE the time 🌱🙌🏻

So good for a little time out just for me 😊

Warm sunny evenings offer the perfect opportunity to socialise with family and an excuse to make a homemade salmon & asparagus quiche 👌🏻☀️😋

Exceptionally early morning walk out today for me ⏰🤦🏻‍♀️!!

Glad I did it though, feeling very accomplished and ready to chill out at a family BBQ later on in this roasting heat ☀️🕶️ 👍🏻

Morning brunch ahead of a morning climb up Frodsham Hill today 🥾….added a good pinch of saffron to my scrambled eggs bought from a local market in Turkey earlier this year.

Spices and herbs are great to pick up when on holiday as they’re so abundantly available and so much cheaper than the UK. Plus take up hardly any space in your case. And knowledge is powerful when it comes to understanding nutritionally dense foods.

Just worth thinking about if you’re heading off somewhere over the summer ☀️🧳

Early start for me as I attended the 10th Elevate fitness show in London but always worth the effort 👍🏻. The expert talks and discussions all contribute to my knowledge which I share with my clients in the mainly different areas of their wellbeing.

Mr Motivator also did his thing on the stage 🤣!!

Here are a few slides which caught my attention in particular, covering subjects such as

☕️ The benefits of green tea & visceral fat (max 80degs hot in case no one ever mentioned it)
😥 The negative effects of over-exercising (and often under eating)
📝 The shift in the key drivers of health goals, rather than just weight loss
🩼 A comparative graph demonstrating the weight regained following the use of GLP-1’s, UNLESS supported by exercise and a focus of nutritionally dense foods.

This last point highlights that the only real way to achieve a long term, sustainable healthy body weight is through behaviour/lifestyle changes, exercise and a nutritionally balanced diet (not that it feels like you’re on a diet if you know your stuff ☝🏻).

Breaking free of old habits is never going to be easy but having a supportive, knowledgeable coach to be held accountable to is a lot better than suffering all the dire side effects these meds are causing. Let alone the overall cost of them 🤔, the muscle loss, bone density issues, gall stones and risk of pancreatitis, etc due to such rapid weight loss 🤦🏻‍♀️….

Finally, sharing a few of my meal choices today which kept my energy high throughout the day 😋

Rounded up my birthday week with a trip to London to watch a 51-piece orchestral version of the Ministry of Sound.

One of my clients mentioned she was going (thanks Nat 😉) and there was one last solo seat available so I booked it! The show was so uplifting, definitely filled my “pot of joy” - something I’m doing more and more of these days ☝🏻.

I found myself appreciating my own physical ability at one point when the tube carriage had to stop and we all had to get off. Given the limited time I had to now walk to the Arena, I chose to run up the (never ending) stairs rather than take the escalator and then run overground 😅!!! Oh well…love to challenge and move myself👌🏻!!

Afterwards enjoyed a lovely amble back through Kensington Gardens and grabbed a healthy chicken salad bowl from M&S 🥗😋.

Blocked off a bit of “me time” in my schedule today (Tuesday) for a blissful 3hr escape to the Doubletree spa for a relaxing pampering session of a massage/facial for my birthday 🥳. Really must do more of that to look after myself more….

I’ve been self-employed now for 20 years 😱!!! That’s such a long time ago on reflection, but going solo was one of the best decisions I ever made to prioritise raising my boys and having quality time with them. Today, it’s about putting in the long hours when needed but also giving myself guilt-free time to look after myself and my own wellbeing when I need/want it.

Back to it tomorrow 👊🏻

Em 🙋🏻‍♀️x