I am quite aware that people secretly think I'm a 'crazy guinea pig/rabbit lady' and if there's any bunny or piggy memes on Facebook or Instagram, I know who's going to get tagged in them!  Like many of you out there, my pets are family to me. Ever since I was tiny, there's always been a pet of some kind on the house - guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, hamsters, chicken, ducks, fish - even had a pony as a kid but obviously, that didn't live in the house!  Before you think it, no I haven't/don't live on a farm either! Aside from all the wonderful aspects of their personalities and the hilarious things they do, my pets are a way of helping manage my mental health.  Knowing that there is a small creature that is completely reliant upon you to get up every day and ensure its basic needs are met, is a great way to keep yourself motivated and on track.  The companionship and unconditional love you get from a pet is also invaluable; they don't c...

Last night, I addressed the theme of  ' ahimsa ' in my yoga class. Ahimsa is derived from Sanskrit and essentially means "not to injure" and to behave with "compassion".  Whilst most of us (me included) are very good at being compassionate to others, we often fail to accord ourselves with that same level of compassion and love (again, me included). I had a very frank conversation with someone this week about their perception of me and how it differs from my own.  I feel that I am a very independent person - self-reliant, resourceful etc. - but they said that whilst that is the case, there is also a side of me that does tend to ignore or discredit my need to be nurtured.  It wasn't the easiest conversation I've ever had but it was certainly one that I am finally ready to hear and to accept. Acting in accordance to the principle of ahimsa means allowing compassion and nurturing into all areas of our lives. It could mean living in a way that is ...

It's been quite a while since I posted about running and in all honesty, I think it's because I didn't have any races in the pipeline so I was feeling like I'd lost my running mojo. I was still running but instead of going out 3 or 4 times a week and following a strict plan, I was just running as and when I felt like it.  I have to say, I am definitely one of those people who needs a goal or something to focus on.  I really like have a training plan as it means that I can quite literally tick off my training and get a sense of accomplishment from that...I do love a list! After all the marathon training, I was genuinely worried that I might lose my love for running.  I had heard horror stories of other marathoners who, after accomplishing the marathon, just completely fell out of love with running and stopped completely. I went out on the Sunday after the marathon to run the 3.7 miles for Matt Campbell, the man who sadly died in this year's London Marathon. ...

It's July now, which means we are half way through the year.  No better time to stop and review your goals and aims from the start of the year... It's easy to make resolutions on January 1st because that is what's expected of us.  What's also pretty much expected, is that we'll probably have ditched most, if not all, of those goals before the first week of January has finished.  If you have managed to continue thus far with your goals for 2018, then now really is the time to stop and take stock of how far you have come. Often we berate ourselves for not smashing our targets and goals within a relatively unrealistic time period - be honest, how many of you have spent the week eating healthily and going to the gym and then expected to be a dress size smaller by Friday night...only to discover you've not dropped a single pound, and subsequently given up?  Yep, me too!  Let's face it, that's just not realistic and completely screws with your motivatio...

Ok so when you start yoga, people are ready to tell you all the positives - that it'll change your life, that you'll become more flexible/stronger/balanced - and all the negatives - there *may* be involuntary passing of gas, you might fall over when you try and balance, people might see your pants through your leggings - etc. etc. etc.  However, what they fail to mention is that probably the hardest thing to do is actually to pluck up the courage, book a class and walk through the doors. In a world where we spend copious amounts of our day to day life behind a computer screen, going out into the 'real' world and interacting with 'real' people is not always easy.  Especially if you're worried that those people are going to be toned gods and goddesses who weave their own clothes from yak's milk and discuss in great detail how to power up their root chakras.  Yes, yoga is a spiritual practice and to be honest, it is one of my bugbears when people just...

Finding space to relax in our busy lives never feels particularly easy.  Here's 5 simple ways you can add a little bit more 'chill time' into your day... Meditate .  You don't have to attend a meditation class (although they are a great way to learn and meet like-minded people), you can instead download apps onto your phone, listen to YouTube or even buy a guided meditation CD. Move . Yes you read that right!  One of my favourite ways to relax and chill out is to actually get moving.  I see running as an active form of meditation and love getting out of the house into nature, allowing the focus on physical movement to help deal with any mental or emotion stresses or anxieties. Yoga .  Another form of 'active chill', yoga asanas (movements) are performed with mindfulness and class finish with a lovely savasana (relaxation) session, where you get to lie on the floor and feel your whole mind and body relax.  You could try Restorative Yoga, which is d...

We've all been there....you're training for a specific even and at some point you just think 'what the hell am I doing?' and want to jack it all in... This week has probably been my hardest week in terms of staying motivated throughout my marathon training.  I've felt knackered every day and all I've wanted to do is eat and sleep.  It's made me question how much I'm putting my body through.  However, coming out of the other side of this mindset, it has also made me very grateful and proud of just how much my body is capable of. I have had IBS since I was 18 and when it flares up, which it does and often unpredictably, it can be incredibly painful - inconvenient at best and debilitating at worse.  It gets worse when I'm tired or stressed or not sleeping well.  As I've been suffering from all three of those triggers the last couple of weeks, its not been great. However, rather than giving into it, it's got me thinking about how to sta...

Today is the Spring Equinox where, theoretically, we experience equal hours of daylight and darkness. It is a wonderful time to ditch the things in your life that no longer serve you.  Consider the notion of spring cleaning; traditionally, this is a time to sweep away the clutter and accumulated 'stuff' from the dark, winter months in readiness to welcome the lighter days and warmer weather. This notion of cleaning could, and should, be extended to our bodies and emotions. By removing the habits, thought processes and behaviours that are no longer working for us, we make way for those that do. We often hear people talking about going on a detox diet and, whilst it is very important to consider what we are putting into our bodies, this is something that we shouldn't see as a short term fix - a week of following a juicing diet will not miraculously solve all your problems!  Being more mindful about what we eat, what we think and what we do is a more realistic and hea...

"How's your marathon training progressing?" That's a question I get asked on a regular basis.  I'd definitely say its going well but it's been somewhat hindered over the last few days with the arrival of the 'Beast from the East' and all its wintery havoc.  We should, by rights, be moving into Spring now; I have definitely seen crocuses poking their little heads up although I'm guessing that they're now completely smothered in about 4 inches of snow! It's also probably worth mentioning that I HATE snow: it's cold, it's wet and it's very slippery!  Yes, like everyone else I coo at the pretty snowflakes when they first start to fall on Christmas Eve but after that, I'm done! Training outdoors for a Spring marathon has been an absolute nightmare this year for me.  My circulation isn't great and I've come home on a number of occasions from long runs barely able to feel my legs let alone my fingers!  I have invested...