Friday 1st April 2022

Pinch, punch first day of the month and all that jazz…

Woke up with quite a sore knee, to be expected after my physio yesterday but still quite uncomfortable and painful, fingers are crossed it’s only temporary as I’m really missing the gym now after two weeks off!! I’m planning on going back on Sunday for a light workout before I swim.

Woke up to snow on the ground today which was a bit of a shock to the system, I have to admit I love the English weather, especially at this time of year as one minute it is blue skies and sunshine the next it’s snowing and sleeting and that’s what it has been like today, I find it’s a reminder that mother nature is in control of our world most of the time and we are mere dots in it!

Today was the final lecture before the Easter break for the students, most of the academic staff are taking time off too, I’ve got a couple of days booked off from the uni but no days off from the business as I’ve got a big event I’ve got to sort out just after Easter.

Had a quiet evening in front of the tellybox with Sophiecat on my lap, unfortunately, the tiredness has returned the last few days so didn’t feel up to doing anything else.

Got a quiet weekend planned at home with work, housework and gardening to do as well the food shop tomorrow.

Thursday 31st March 2022

One quarter of the year has gone in a blink of an eye!! And I feel a little bit like a broken record on here!

Today was a business day but don’t feel like I’ve been that productive, have managed to sort a few things out, it’s the last day of my financial year so have been frantically doing some admin to ensure it’s all tidied off and ready to start the next one.

I don’t usually set myself financial goals for the business but feel it’s time to start doing this and really putting my focus and energy into it to make it work, this is challenging due to juggling working as a lecturer, keeping my current clients happy and prospecting for new ones as well as run a house and all the other elements that come with being an adult like a social life and staying fit and healthy.

Had a physio session today to see if I could get some answers about my knee, it has been feeling better over the last few days but still doesn’t feel up to running or doing any high impact training/exercises. Thankfully they didn’t think there was anything serious with it and think it probably is a stained tendon/ligament so did some acupuncture, cupping and deep tissue massage on it so it is quite sore this evening but they said that would be normal. PHEW!!

I feel really lucky right now to know some amazing complementary therapy practitioners who are also friends, I’m very particular about the people I trust when it comes to my health and wellbeing, I know how much study and effort I put in to become a qualified nutritionist and continue to keep my knowledge up to date so I only work with others who have the same ethos as me.

I will see how it feels at the weekend and might venture back to the gym to do some light workouts and take it from there.

Wednesday 30th March 2022

Today has come and gone in a bit of a blur if I’m honest. I woke up just after 2am with a banging headache, got up and took some ibuprofen and then tried to get back to sleep, I eventually did but then Sophiecat woke me at 4am to be fed, I managed to resist until about 5.45am, fed her and came back to bed. I haven’t had this type of disturbed sleep for a while so as much as I know I’m really quite tired, I’ve managed to function on the surface as if I’d had a great night’s sleep.

It was a uni day today and I had been asked to go to a local school and do a masterclass about business as part of the uni’s outreach programme to encourage more students to study with us. I got an email during the morning as I was preparing my presentation to say I had 11 students attending my session, so I thought great, nice size group we can have a great discussion. I arrive and there are over 30 students in a tiny very warm room. To say I was a little flustered is an understatement as it was just not what I was expecting but I survived it and they liked the freebies I was giving out so they now all know about our university and hopefully it inspired some of them to think about studying business at university.

Once I got home, the tiredness really kicked in and I’ve simply sat on the sofa with the cat on my lap and watched a couple of programmes I had recorded in the last week or so and now it’s bedtime as I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. Some days are like this where I’m simply just going through the motions of life and not a lot else. It’s the last day of March tomorrow and I really don’t know where the first 3 months of this year have gone and it’s exactly 4 months until my 45th birthday…

Tuesday 29th March 2022

Today was a different Tuesday from normal as I’ve swapped my uni days around this week to fit in with some meetings I had booked for tomorrow.

I got up at my normal time and did some work done early in the morning as I was heading to meet a friend for a walk and catch-up and my drive to meet them was about an hour & half, wanted to get a few bits done before I left so that I could be fully present when I was with them.

Mainly due to the pandemic, it’s about two and a half years since I’ve seen them in person, we’ve kept in touch over that time via messenger etc and it actually didn’t feel like that long ago since we met but it will have been!!

We know each other due to a mutual friend and get on really well so keep in touch regularly and we talked & walked for hours, according to my Fitbit we walked over 15,000 steps and 10km! We also had lunch, coffee and cake. All in all an awesome day.

When I started this blog and transformation 241 days ago I had a clear idea in my head of what I wanted to achieve but as the days, weeks and months are passing I’m realising that some of what I set out to achieve will come as I change my thinking! Not all of it, of course, my fitness, for example, will require me to exercise etc but I often forget that most of the change needs to happen in our heads more than in our bodies and that’s the realisation I’ve had today while spending 3 hours in my car driving as well as singing to the radio at the top of my voice with the music blaring! Slowly but surely my mindset and thinking is changing and my life is changing too. Maybe I’m not as far behind in this transformation as I thought I was…

Monday 28th March 2022

I had been planning on going back to the gym this week as my knee is feeling a lot better, not 100% but thought it might be a good idea to start moving a bit more to see how it feels, however, having seen what the workout was today it meant that I’d have to change pretty much every exercise to fit in with my injury and I just didn’t feel like doing that.

It was a uni day today and the students were in high spirits, mainly because after this week they get a 2 week Easter break from lectures so I also bought them all a mini Lindt chocolate bunny as it was the last time I see them for 3 weeks with the way Easter break works.

I always have to stop and pinch myself with this role as it was beyond my dreams to be able to do it and I never stop being thankful for the opportunity to share my knowledge with the next generation, yes at times they can be challenging but on days like today when they are open to listening to what I have to say and realise I do know a thing or two that will help them achieve a good grade then it’s a real privilege.

My energy levels have dropped a little today but that might be due to my body still catching up with losing an hours sleep over the weekend with the clock going forward but am hoping the herbs are still doing their magic and my energy levels will continue to improve over the coming days and weeks. With the lighter evenings I am also going to try to get out walking around my neighbourhood of an evening, although there isn’t much to see it’s a nice walk and takes about 45 minutes which is an ideal time to just come down from the day and be with my thoughts. I did this a lot over lockdown when we were allowed to and really enjoyed it.

Sunday 27th March 2022

Today has been a glorious day, not just weatherwise but overall!! Sophiecat didn’t wake me up too early considering the clock sprung forward overnight.

I got up, made some coffee and cracked on with my lecturing prep for my sessions tomorrow. I was done by the time I went swimming.

At the lake, the water was just about double figures and the last swim session of the 21/22 winter swim season! For the first time, I’ve swum the whole season without a wetsuit (mainly because I can’t fit into it) but actually really liked the ease of not faffing to get it on and off, not sure if it will stay that way next winter.

Once home from the lake, I had some food and finished off the housework I didn’t get done yesterday. And then wondered what I was going to do for the rest of the day.

It’s been a very long time since I had a free Sunday like this as I’m usually working to catch up with myself before the start of a new working week but having such a clear head the last few days I’ve got on top of everything.

I opted to sit in the garden, listening to music and get some ideas on paper for a day’s training I’ve got to deliver in a few weeks, I wrote a proposal for me back in the autumn and now it’s time to turn this proposal into reality, it was nice to just sit and think and explore options. While working I opened a mini bottle of chilled white wine, hey why not! It was just so lovely and know that I need to do this more over the coming weeks and months, not the wine necessarily but the sitting and thinking bit!

Finished off the day by reading the papers and watching a bit of telly. Overall a fabulous weekend, not felt like that for a while. Time for bed as Monday comes around before you know it.

Saturday 26th March 2022

I decided to turn my alarm off for this morning, I wasn’t going to intervals as my knee is still not 100% and knew that Sophiecat would wake me up at some point. She started meowing around 5.30am and I lasted until about 6.30am before I finally gave in to her demands of food.

Like yesterday I do feel like I have more energy or feel better rested after sleep, not as much as yesterday but more than I have felt in years.

I had a plan today of giving the house the once over, I’ve neglected the housework over the last few weeks as just not had the inclination or motivation to do any but it had got to me a bit this week.

After popping to the shops for a few things I made a start on the house, the list of jobs was a long one but I feel like I managed to get around 75% of it done as well as also mow the lawn.

This evening I’ve been to a friend’s for dinner and coming home back into the house, it smelt so lovely and feels so much nicer when it’s all clean and tidy, will do the 25% left tomorrow and then see if I can keep on top of it after that.

Time for bed now as our clocks here in the UK spring toward tonight as we start British summer time (day light saving) so will lose an hours sleep.

Friday 25th March 2022

Today I woke up at 5.11am and for the first time in what feels like forever I felt like getting up and cracking on with the day instead of wanting to roll over and go back to sleep.

The weight of tiredness felt like it’s been lifted off my shoulders today, now I don’t want to celebrate too soon as this has only been one day and maybe it’s just a fluke but boy does it feel good.

I’ve been taking my herbs and supplements this week as well as eating well so perhaps just this combination is what I need.

I’ve still not exercised as my knee is painful and have been told to rest it apart from biking and swimming. I will go to the lake on Sunday for a swim and back to the gym on Monday and will do all that I can which is non-impact exercises.

Today has been a uni day and I had good sessions with the students, we had a guest speaker, the vice-chancellor of the university, he said that he doesn’t get asked to speak very often in lectures to was honoured to come into my session, this is brownie points for me so feeling good that I had the confidence to ask, finally, after a year of being a lecturer I’m finally finding my feet with it and doing it in my own unique way, it’s probably not the traditional academic lecturing that most people associate with university but then I’m not the traditional academic so I have to be brave and bold enough to furrow my own path and as long as my students are happy and achieving great things who cares!!

Thursday 24th March 2022

Another early wake-up thanks to Sophiecat, fed her and came back to bed but she wasn’t having any of it and meowed again until I got up and then promptly went to sleep on the bed where I was sleeping!!

Anyway, I got up, made some coffee and sat at my desk to do some work.

Today’s been a beautiful day here in England, with glorious blue skies and sunshine – this makes my heart sing, just a shame I didn’t get to enjoy it as much as I would like.

I did get to go for a drive in it though, as had a business networking event about an hour’s drive away so that was lovely, I do a lot of thinking and talking to myself when I drive so do miss driving sometimes now that more meetings are done via zoom or MS teams.

This thinking was especially poignant coming home as the speaker at the event was awe-inspiring and made me really think about what I want my future to look like not just professionally but personally too.

I know I’m guilty of just getting caught up in living each day and just getting by that I forgot to look up and see the bigger picture even with this transformation I’ve kind of got lost in just getting through each day and nowhere near where I’d like to be with it but that’s life I guess and hopefully will still be able to look back over the 12 months to see that I have achieved some progress towards my goals.

Wednesday 23rd March 2022

Today is the first day in about a month where on a weekday I don’t have any appointments/meetings and it felt a bit strange if I’m honest. I got up at my usual time as if I was going to the gym, fed Sophiecat, made some coffee and cracked on with client work from about 5.45am.

Two years ago today was the first day of lockdown here in the UK, I don’t remember today necessarily but I do remember the night before hearing the Prime Minister tells us to stay at home and being upset at the realness of it all and thinking it will only last for a few weeks.

Over the last two years so much has changed, yet so much is still the same. It all feels a bit of a blur but overall for me I got through it pretty unscathed. I’m pretty self-reliant and have been for a very long time and perhaps as much as it is a strength is it also a hindrance, it’s been quite hard for to me ask for help recently especially around my health with my background and knowledge, but glad I have finally reached out and spoken to friends for support.

I started taking the herbs today, finally spoke to someone at my doctor’s, not that they were that helpful really but at least it’s now logged that I’ve had an issue with my knee so if it continues any longer than a month I can go back for another opinion.

With my knee being sore and a bit limited on what I can do, I ordered a weight bench so that I can do more workouts sat down and without putting too much pressure on my knee, I’ve managed to assemble it and will give it a proper go tomorrow when I attempt a workout using the dumbbell and kettlebell I’ve got.