The www. of Wellness

In this week’s (more information-based, and definitely more dry!) blog I’m offering an explanation of Wellness, because I feel like it is a term that is used often but means different things for different people. In the coming weeks we will be doing some deeper (and funnier!) dives into topics that affect your Wellness, and are affected by your Wellness. Stay tuned, but in the meantime…try to make it to the end of this one.

1)    Who is Wellness suitable for?

Literally, everyone. ‘Wellness’ is something that we can all strive for, to live our lives more deeply, fully and in optimum health. I’d like you to think of an athlete that you like…got one in mind? Now - what words come to mind when you think of this individual? Strong, fit, hard-working, disciplined, resilient, mentally aware, driven, connected, powerful, balanced? Pretty inspiring, right. Well, what if I told you that Wellness is the everyday way to turn up for yourself, each and every day, so that you can start to live an inspired – and inspiring – life. I struggled with Wellness when I stopped living the life of an athlete. I didn’t feel inspired, healthy, disciplined or balanced. Making the choice to live a life of Wellness, which I coach in Mindfully, Vicki, has brought me back to my roots and means everyday I choose to live a life of mental, physical, and spiritual fulfilment. 

2)    What is Wellness?

‘Wellness’ might seem like one of those buzz words at the moment. You know, the kind that you’re not totally sure of the meaning, but it sounds like something that might be good to know some more about, especially at a time when being well is so front of mind. Well (pun alert!), you’re right. 

I’m a firm believer in alignment of the body, mind and spirit, which is why I created the Power Pyramid at the bottom of the text. The pillars of the Pyramid are inextricably linked and dependant on one another. What aspects of your wellbeing would you put into each of the pillars?   

 For body, perhaps you’d put in food, exercise, strength and rest. For mind, perhaps career, mindset, emotions, resilience and maybe even finances? For spirit, perhaps you’d include purpose, connection, letting go, or even relationships?

3)    So, Why does Wellness matter?

Since we’re currently fighting a global health pandemic, it’s never been more important to try to be healthy. But Wellness was important before the pandemic -- and it will be vital long after. Wellness tries to get to the root of whatever challenge you might be facing, rather than treating the challenge in isolation. Together, we try to understand the cause of the challenge in terms of your wellbeing, and the effect of the challenge on your wellbeing. For example, if you are struggling with stress levels, we would try to understand why we’re feeling stressed, and how this affecting our wellbeing. The cause of stress could be a job, a health problem, or a state of mind, so prescribing something to fix the stress will only target stress in isolation -- it won’t fix the overall problem. Secondly, we consider what other aspects of your life the stress might be affecting (e.g., a relationship, quality of sleep) to make sure these aspects of your wellbeing can get back into alignment, to Power up your Pyramid again. 

Working to improve your Wellness and get your Power Pyramid back into balance is one of the most effective natural healing methods out there. With its holistic approach, Wellness addresses the whole of you, not just an aspect of you, in an effort to get the whole of you well and thriving. We are well when body, mind and spirit are in harmony, and well is powerful.  

Have a little think about the Wellness of your body, mind and spirit pillars - and how powerful you feel right now. 

I’m off to Power up my Pyramid. Until next time!

Mindfully, Vicki xx

Give yourself some love this Valentine’s Day

Yep, it may be February 14th again and yep, that means it’s Valentine’s Day. But what does that really mean? If you’re thinking chocolate, cupids, and cuddles, you’re not wrong. But how about we switch up the focus for Valentine’s Day this year: as well as celebrating love for other people, how about we show ourselves some good ol’ lockdown lovin’? If you’re thinking self-affirmations in the mirror each morning, that’s one way. But there are also some really meaningful ways to get some more self-love in your life which allow you to rest, reconnect and recharge. At the end of the day, we can love other people more wholly when our own batteries are full! 

Here are my favourite mental and physical ways to show a little self-love in the realms of Rest, Reconnecting & Recharging.  

The First ‘R’ – Rest.

Getting enough rest in our lives is one of the most effective ways to ensure we’re operating at our best, but so often it’s low down on the priority list. Who has time for 8 hours sleep or to sit quietly at the end of class to do nothing for 5 minutes? Truth is, we all do. Truth also is, you’ll perform much better in class if you have had sufficient sleep, and if you can switch your body from performance mode to rest mode effectively. That means holding yourself to high standards when working out but also resting: no skipping the end-of-class Barrecore savasana or rest day! One more thing: do one thing at a time. Focus your undivided attention to one activity at a time – trust me, you’ll feel generally more rested during your day. Think less Netflix & scrolling, more Netflix and less scrolling. Or even better, less Netflix & scrolling, more BarreBreathe classes! 

The Second ‘R’ – Reconnect.

We’re living through long, cold and snowy lockdowns which means we might be feeling more isolated and disconnected than normal – from our friends, our community and the outside world. Remember almost a year ago when we were using Houseparty to stay connected to friends and lockdown was still a novelty? Well, if you’re anything like me, I’ve spent most of this winter lockdown like a bear in hibernation. Don’t get me wrong – hibernation is great for the first R; I’m better rested physically in my bear cave, and I’m mentally rested from being on my phone less and having restorative time to focus on myself. That being said, I have felt disconnected. To change that, I had a 2-hour catch up with an old friend – laughing away reminiscing on old memories, trying (and failing!) to solve each other’s problems, and hearing about each other’s silly lockdown quirks. I felt so energised, lighter and happy after - the smart people would say from a flood of endorphins and oxytocin – that it’s become a weekly self-love (and friend-love!) ritual. Reconnecting doesn’t always have to be external, though. Reconnecting to your body can be one of the most powerful tools – to be able to listen to its signals means you can understand how to nourish your body more effectively, whether with exercise, nutrition or rest. I do a daily body-scan meditation like this one by Headspace - https://youtu.be/QHkXvPq2pQE

Just 10 minutes out of your day can go a long way!

The Third ‘R’ – Recharge.

Once we’ve rested and reconnected, we can shift our focus to recharging. I find the best way to recharge physically and mentally is to reconnect to the little child inside. The little child that used to jump in puddles, sing badly in the car, be excited by trains, and who couldn’t wait to brush her teeth with the Punch & Judy Tutti-Frutti toothpaste. Doing something that is enjoyable and playful brings back that spark and makes you feel a little more alive. This could mean watching a comedy, you know, the tears-down-the-cheeks-cackling-so-much-you-spit-out-your-popcorn kind, or maybe trying out that dance class you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t found time to. No better place to make a fool of yourself than in the comfort of your own living room. (Borrowed from from ‘Sunscreen’ – well worth a listen https://youtu.be/ZxEHGAY7LbY) 

Hey, maybe you’ll even make your housemates spit out their own popcorn. Whatever you choose to do – just make sure you have a ball doing it.

 Show a little love to yourself this Valentine’s Day – or at least, have an online boogie and/or cackle with an old friend.

I’m off to buy that toothpaste. Until next time! 

Mindfully, Vicki xx