I have had to dig deep recently as I find ways to work around the pain in my ankles. I have an MRI on my back and ankle at the beginning of August to see what is going on.
It’s been hard having to modify so much of what I would normally do. Somedays it’s ok and other days I struggle to walk without resembling an old lady who has had her Zimmer frame stolen!
Before my two weeks off work I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and this resulted in me eating anything and everything. Not being able to move freely always has a negative impact on my mental health, which in turn effects my food choices, and then my mood and then it all repeats.
I have learnt over the years that I am the only one that can make a positive change, regardless of my ankles. I am the only one that can look for other ways to move my body. I am the only one that chooses what I eat and drink and I am the only one that chooses my thoughts when I wake up in a morning.
I come to the conclusion that when I feel crap, overwhelmed, stressed, low or just a bit shit….me, sitting on the ‘fuck it button’ eating shite, and not moving is only going to MAGNIFY those feelings…so why would I choose that for myself?
So I don’t…instead, I have really made the effort to…
Plan and prepare my food
Eat at least 15 plants a day – we are doing Plant Powered July Challenge in The Tribe!
Drink 3 litres of water – yes I have upped it as I had unusually started to slack and it’s great for flushing out the toxins.
Get lots of sleep – So no I pad in bed, in fact I am deleting Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV. I am also keeping up my efforts of going to bed earlier.
Focusing on movement I can do well instead of wallowing on what I can’t – Discovered a love for Battle Ropes and I’m doing a lot more flexibility, stretching and HIIT, modifying where I need to.
Finding time to be slow and calm – Continuing with focused breathing and stretching most mornings and including meditation at some point in the day. Even if it is just 5 minutes sat in the car!
Allowing myself to be bored and time to daydream and just think. – This is a big one, as I hated how I used to pick my phone out of my pocket at every opportunity…passenger in the car, waiting for the train, on the train, in the queue at Tesco, while my eggs boil, and while waiting for my hospital appointment. I make a point now of NOT doing this. I had a few hospital appointments before our break and I just sat there…waiting, and I even took a book to read!
All these proactive choices really do add up and make a difference.
NO ONE IS GOING TO COME AND MAKE THE CHANGE FOR YOU!
So this email is just a reminder that if you are feeling a bit under the weather, a bit pissed off with yourself, unmotivated or just a bit shit then make a list of all the things, no matter how small, you could start to do or change that would make positive difference.
If, like me, you have an injury, then work around it as there is always something you can do. Get creative, search for solutions, don’t just sit there and accept it waiting for something positive to happen because remember, if you change nothing…nothing changes!
Taking positive action is a win win as you get the physical benefit of that positive action, but each positive action also acts as a little piece of chuffed coal to start fuelling your fire of ‘chuffedness’ (my term for really very pleased with yourself!) which will then ignite your own personal motivation.
Try it and see…it never fails.
Enjoy the process because the very fact that that you have been arsed to read this email to the end, and may just start to take some of the suggested action, will earn you your very first piece of ‘chuffed coal!”
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