motivation

Apr

2023

U-Kandu Inspiration: Daddy Cool

One of the things I am really excited about being able to do on this website, is to celebrate inspirational people. People who embody the philosophy of the U-Kandu Way, and deserve to be celebrated for being such fantastic examples of the human spirit and wellness.

Often, inspiration really does begin at home. My Dad, Sukhwant Singh Kandula, is a perfect model of the U-Kandu Way. In fact, he has inspired it.

Dad was born in 1949 (I’m sure he won’t mind my saying!). He ran his first 10k race in June, 2013. He now runs regularly on the Warwickshire and Midlands circuit, completing 10k, and half marathon events. He has been given honorary member status of a running group that operates in Worcestershire, and attends the Leamington Spa Parkrun, both as a runner and as a volunteer, on a weekly basis. He has just run his 164th race. Not bad for a guy who ran his first distance race at the age of 64.

The most inspiring thing about Dad’s approach is not the distance he runs, or the times he achieves (though I will say he’s shaved a good 5 minutes off his earliest race times!), but his mental approach to his running. He isn’t obsessed with his weight, or his race times, or pushing through his limits. He runs because it feels good for him, keeps him healthy, and most of all, because he ENJOYS it.

I firmly believe that if he were running simply for aesthetic gain, or to prove some kind of point, he wouldn’t still be doing it. Those goals are so short term, and fundamentally unsatisfying, that the time inevitably comes when you will look to something else to bolster your sense of self-esteem. Dad is a wonderful example of sustained progress, because his mental approach is one that is geared towards self-fulfillment and the improvement of his health. He walks regularly, runs regularly, eats well, and is fitter than many people half his age. Plus, he makes it look easy!

Whenever we get together for family events, we all share our aspirations. Often, health and fitness will come up (as they do in many families, I’m sure!). While we natter on about what we will do in the year, months or weeks to come, Dad sits quietly, a knowing smile on his face. He doesn’t need to talk about it. He just gets it done. He represents the health and fitness that many aspire to, and is leading by example.

There are no barriers to leading a healthy lifestyle. Only you and the approach that you choose to take. Dad’s approach is one geared towards health, and gentle, sustained improvement. 4 years and innumerable races later, he is proof that his approach works.

Treat yourself as an individual, take your time, and be kind to yourself. With enough patience and self love, you'll find the approach that works for you too.

Apr

2023

Getting back to exercise after a break

So, you’ve been exercising regularly for months, maybe even years. Then, life somehow takes over and before you know it, it’s been so long since you exercised that you don’t know how or where to start. Getting back to exercise after a break can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be scary! Here are some tips for easing yourself back into the habit.

Accept your starting point

One of those most difficult things about getting back to exercise after a break is the sense that you have fallen so far back that it’s scary to think about getting back to where you were. Or, you put yourself under tremendous pressure to reach the same level you were at previously. This is an unhealthy way to get back into the flow. Be honest with yourself about where you are now, and don’t beat yourself up with where you think you “should” be. The only thing that matters is where you are now. Embrace and accept who you are today, and be willing to work with your body as it is.

Start gently

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when exercising after a long break is going too intense, too quickly. It’s understandable that you want to see results sooner rather than later, but if you haven’t been exercising for a while, you simply won’t be able to do intense exercise with the proper technique and form and will be running the risk of injury. Often, I hear someone complain of a bad knee getting in the way of their return to exercise; when I ask how long their break had been and what exercise they have been doing, they invariably took a long break and jumped into the latest high intensity workout programme to get quick results. Look after your body. It will adapt quickly, but only if you give it the time and space to do so. Work too hard too fast, and you will perform with bad technique and damage your body. It’s not worth it.

Be realistic

There are many reasons why we end up taking breaks from exercise. Work commitments are becoming more and more overwhelming, family life can take over self-care regimes, and sometimes we just feel low on energy and feel too exhausted to look after ourselves. It’s important to understand what caused you to stop exercising in the first place, and to plan your return to exercise with that issue in mind. Unless you’ve made a radical life change, your job may still be time consuming, family life will always be a priority, and emotional ups and downs and low energy periods can come and go – so you’ll need to come up with an exercise plan that can work around the barriers that you face to sticking to it. Working with a trainer will help with this (tips for finding the right trainer here), as they can create a plan for you that deals with these challenges, but the information for a trainer to work with will still come from you. The more self-aware you are, the more you can create and implement strategies to break old patterns.

Stay present

One of the best things about exercise is that it roots you in the present moment. It can be a form of meditation, where you switch off from the stresses of day-to-day life, and the natural chemical reactions that take place when you work out mean that you get that feel good factor too. That said, it’s really easy to think yourself out of that positive experience. When you do those early workouts, don’t let yourself get ahead of where you are, or to travel back to where you were before. Negative self talk about where your fitness level “should” be, or what you “should” be able to do will put your mind in a negative space, and will take the enjoyment out of doing something that is fundamentally wonderful for your body. Let yourself be present, and take each moment as it comes.

Goals, goals, goals

Take some time to consider why you’re getting back into exercise, and what your goals are. Do you want to lose weight? Build muscle? Be able to walk up the stairs without feeling winded? Enjoy clothes shopping again? You need to know WHY you’re committing to exercise, so that when the going gets tough, you have an anchor to keep you on – course. If you need more convincing about why goals are important, read HERE. If you’re raring to go but not sure how, click HERE for a step-by-step guide to setting effective goals. During the goal setting process, you will come across key questions, such as whether you need a trainer to write you an effective, goal oriented session plan. If you find that you need a bit of help getting an exercise plan together, HERE is a guide to finding the right trainer.

Keep showing up

Once you have goals and a plan, you simply need to keep showing up. You just need to follow the plan. You’ve done the mental preparation for making sure that you succeed with this return to a healthy lifestyle, so you just have to stay consistent and stick to it! If your resolve feels shaky, remember your goals and let them motivate you to continue on your journey towards better health, wellbeing, and a loving relationship with your body.

Reward yourself

It’s not always easy getting into a new routine. We all hit bumps in the road, and speaking from personal experience, it can be really hard to get back into something when you have taken a break. Somehow, the pressure feels heightened. When you hit key milestones, be sure to reward yourself. Decide in advance what those rewards will be. A cool new water bottle for your workouts? Some new gym gear? A massage to relax those muscles? It can be as simple as giving yourself an evening off from looking after the kids and planning a soak in the bath with some new bath products and a book. Be sure to treat yourself. When you hit key milestones and achieve goals, you have earned a bit of self-indulgence!

Good luck with coming back and reinstating a healthy lifestyle and relationship with your body – not that you need it! You can do it!

P.S If you need a few tips on getting started on your fitness journey, my e-book, “Getting Started” is free to download. Click HERE to subscribe to my mailing list (no spam, I promise!) and download your free copy 🙂

Mar

2023

How to develop an exercise habit

You’ve decided that you are going to develop an exercise habit. Great! You’re determined to spend an hour at the gym every day, and, riding high on your resolve, you follow through for 2 days. Then, you have a long day at work, you’re exhausted, and you miss a day. Soon, weeks have gone by, your membership card is lost and gathering dust somewhere, and you are feeling rubbish.

This is a common scenario. Not for long! Here are a few ways to develop your exercise habit, stick to it, and handle the inevitable bumps in the road.

Start slowly

Yes, of course, you want to immediately start going to the gym every day, push yourself to the max, and get those results quickly! It’s natural to want some fast results to keep yourself motivated. Unfortunately, more often than not, this tactic doesn’t work.

If you really want to keep the habit going, it’s important to begin gradually, get yourself into a routine of exercise, and make it something that you do for enjoyment and relaxation rather than something that involves extreme amounts of effort. You don’t want to overtrain too quickly. This generally leads to you dragging yourself to the gym and treating it like a chore because you’ve gone too intense too quickly. Worse, you run the risk of injury through poor technique, and may end up having to stop training altogether. It's not worth it. Take your time.

If you try too much too soon, you will burn out. Your body won’t be ready for it, and you will soon find yourself spending guilt ridden evenings in front of Netflix again. Dare to approach it differently! Slow and steady wins the race. You’ll be able to increase the intensity safely in time, and you'll see far better results for it.

Set goals

I know, I go on about this ALL the time, but there is a good reason for it! Goal setting is important! If you don’t know why you are adopting this exercise habit, and what you want to get out of it, you won’t have anything to refer to when you are hitting a bump in the road and need to get yourself motivated. If you’re working towards a goal, you can keep using it to get yourself moving when your mind is telling you that you don’t want to.

Developing a habit requires long-term commitment, and without goals, you won’t have an anchor to keep you on the right path when challenges begin to present themselves. When you have the sense that you are heading in the direction you want to go in, you’ll be motivated to continue with your exercise because you’ll know exactly WHY you are doing it!

If you need more convincing about the importance of goal setting, look no further – click HERE!

Plan, plan, plan

Anyone who exercises regularly plans for it. It’s a slot in the diary that is carefully chosen and is then respected as though it is any other appointment. For me personally, with having a baby and a business to manage, getting my exercise done requires planning not only by me, but also my husband. We have to plan in advance around our work schedules, or our workouts simply don’t happen. It’s important to spend a bit of time considering what will work best for you and those around you and planning accordingly – what times are best? How many times a week would be reasonable? What barriers could get in the way of your sticking to the routine?

Spend some time considering these things, and developing solutions. Being aware of the obstacles you put in front of yourself is a great step towards dealing with them and empowering yourself to stick to your resolve as a result. This awareness and empowerment can be the difference between developing and maintaining the exercise habit, and a missed workout that begins a downward slide.

Be realistic

I can’t stress this one enough. If you have 2 kids, a full time job and a social life to manage, hitting the gym 5 times a week probably isn’t possible. The key to maintaining a long-term habit is to set yourself up to succeed, so take a bit of time to consider what’s actually going to fit in with you and your lifestyle. Perhaps a jog around the local park twice a week is realistic, or getting stuck into a game of football with the kids in the garden after school. You may be able to get 5 sessions a week in at the gym. You may hate the gym, and find that going for long walks on the weekends are just the ticket for you.

It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you’re moving! If you want to develop a habit, spend a bit of time making sure that you are setting yourself up for success, and be realistic from the outset about what will fit in with you and your lifestyle.

Respect your body

If you haven’t exercised for a while, be respectful of where you are in terms of your fitness. Pushing yourself too hard too quickly will hinder you. Your technique will be compromised, which could lead to long-term injury. If it’s been a while, your body has been neglected, and it needs time to adjust to the new routine. Launching yourself into an intense exercise regime after a long break is like jumping behind the wheel of a car before you’ve passed your driving test. It's not smart. Be patient with yourself!

Getting fit is a process. If you haven't exercised for a year, your body isn’t going to suddenly respond well to high intensity training just because you’ve decided that it’s time to get fit. Your body will appreciate that you are exercising, and will begin to adapt to the positive changes that you are making, but be kind to it.

Don’t push too hard too quickly because you want your body to conform to your expectations, or societal expectations immediately. Work with it, and accept your starting point. Your body doesn’t deserve punishment. You don’t deserve punishment. Give your body time, and love, and it will do wonderful things. Push too hard too quickly, and it will burn out.

Enlist an Accountabuddy

We all do better when we know that there is someone around who cares about our success. When the going gets tough, it can be helpful to have someone who you can rely on to check in with you and motivate you to keep going. This can be anyone; a friend, a member of the family, or a trainer – the key is that they are reliable, want you to succeed, and that you are comfortable turning to them in times of need. It may sound like a small thing, but it makes all the difference!

Believe in yourself!

Your self-image plays a huge role in every element of your life. If your self-image is that of someone who follows through on their commitments, who overcomes their limitations, and who doesn’t quit, your actions will reflect that. If this isn’t how you see yourself, it’s time to move away from the negative self – talk and let yourself believe that you can do ANYTHING you put your mind to.

Spend a few minutes every day visualising yourself exercising. Imagine yourself as the physically fit human being you want to be. Visualise yourself achieving your goals. Notice any blocks that get in the way – do you find yourself talking to yourself negatively? What gets in the way of your being able to imagine yourself achieving your goals? Notice them, write them down, and scribble them out. Throw them in the bin. Keep reminding yourself that you are in control, you’re going to do it this time, and nothing is going to stop you.

Believe in yourself. You can do it!

May

2019

Simple tips for a healthier lifestyle (Part Two)

Welcome to part two of this post, giving you simple, easy to implement tips for moving towards a healthier lifestyle.

These are small ideas, but with each small change that you make, you are shifting your self perception, and sending yourself positive messages about who you are, and the lifestyle that you lead.

Remember, slow and steady wins the race. Have a read of these ideas, pick one or two that you feel would help you, and commit to integrating them into your lifestyle. Don't try to do too much at once. There's plenty of time to keep evolving and improving!

Here are a few more tips and ideas for a healthier, happier you.

Commit to 10 minutes of physical activity a day.

This doesn’t have to be a big deal. Don't worry about what exactly it is, or how effective it will be. For a start just decide what you will do (a walk, a jog, yoga, trampolining in the garden, playing with your toddler, anything that you can easily fit in) and get it done every day. When you're starting out and it all seems overwhelming, you can paralyse yourself into inaction. Keeping it light and simple makes it easier to get going.

Give yourself 5 minutes a day of free time.

No phone, laptop, other people. Just five minutes of quiet to relax, breathe, and let yourself travel to your happy place. It's amazing how long it can seem when you haven't done it in a long time. That 5 minutes is important for you. It's down time. No plans, obligations or noise. Just 5 minutes of space.

Reflect on the day.

Before you go to sleep, think of 3 things that you are grateful for. Then think of 3 things that you did on that day that you are proud of.

It's so easy to go through life without noticing or appreciating the small moments that we experience every day. Amazing things are happening in our lives all the time. You're doing amazing things every day. It's important to take a few minutes to notice them.

Eat slowly.

Food is one of the great pleasures in life. Rushing through a meal doesn't allow appreciation of it! Even if it seems odd, slow down and let yourself really taste your food. Make a ritual out of it. It's better for your digestion, will encourage mindful eating, and best of all, you'll enjoy your food even more!

It's the small things, the small steps and changes that really make a difference. Life is too short to rush through, letting those amazing things pass us by. Let yourself take a bit of time to enjoy the tiny details of the day to day - and keep being kind to yourself. With small changes and some patience and compassion, you’ll get to where you need to be.

May

2019

Why exercise?

Apr

2019

Simple tips for a healthier lifestyle (Part One)

Being healthy isn’t about how you look. It’s about how you feel. It's about how well you look after yourself.

Here is part one of this article, filled with simple, easy tips to move towards a healthier lifestyle. The simplicity of them will surprise you!

Drink water.

It's essential! If you are feeling at all grotty, or lethargic, a glass of cold water can work wonders! If you’re going to make one change, this should be it. Just drink more water.

Get more sleep.

This isn't a negotiable item for our functioning. If you sleep enough, and well, you can perform to your peak. You feel good, are energised, and your mind and body can work at their best. If you miss sleep... You get very wired, very quickly. Ask any new parent! There are few things in life that are more important than getting enough sleep.

Be aware of your rhythms.

We are expected to conform to a 9-5 lifestyle. We have to fit into that structure. But let yourself become aware of your own rhythms. Perhaps you're a morning person, but feel low on energy in the afternoons. Perhaps you really start feeling energised towards the evening. Perhaps you have intense bursts of energy on one day, and then feel tired the next day. Let yourself listen to your own body. You can then start to introduce ways of accommodating your unique rhythms in your day to day life.

Make small, gradual changes.

It's important not to feel overwhelmed by the number of changes you are implementing at once, so choose one or two of these tips to incorporate into your lifestyle to begin with. Introduce new things slowly; you are going for long term, sustainable change - it's a marathon, not a sprint!

Part two of this article will have more tips and ideas for how to make small changes that will make all the difference to your lifestyle, so watch this space!

Apr

2019

I never feel like I have enough energy to exercise

Ah, we've all been here. You have the best of intentions, but when your alarm goes off in the morning, your bed is heaven. Or you get home from work, exhausted, and a takeaway and Netflix seems far more therapeutic than a workout.

First things first. If you're feeling low on energy and at all out of sorts, go to the doctor and talk about it. There could be medical reasons for how you're feeling, and the first thing to do is to make sure that it isn't the symptom of a medical ailment.

If you've been to the doctor and there isn't anything medical, and you're struggling to get going, it may be time for a change in perspective on exercise.

The trick is to look at exercise in a new way. It isn’t something that you have to do, that’s hard work and exhausting. It’s a pleasure, good for both mind and body, and it gives you energy.

Easier said than done, I know, but this is the ticket to a healthier lifestyle. Somehow, we have become a society that feel that an evening in front of the telly is better for us than a walk outside. That a bar of chocolate can heal our psychological exhaustion from the trials of day to day life. That exercise is a looming cloud over the day, when in reality, it's the sunshine that gives your body nourishment and energy and just so happens to ensure that you stay in shape.

The first step, is to make an appointment with yourself to do your workout. Mark it in your calendar. Treat it like you would any other appointment. It is like a couples therapy session between you and your body! It's IMPORTANT.

Now keep reminding yourself that you have a workout in your diary. Make sure you know what workout you are doing. Keep reminding yourself that you don't miss workouts. Self-perception has the biggest role to play here - if you perceive yourself as someone who sticks to their workout schedule, that is the person you will become.

Now, I'm not saying that feeling low on energy is an easy one to fix. But if you have been to the doctor, and there isn't a medical reason why you're feeling low on energy, it's worth seeing if working on your self-perception helps.

Don't limit yourself. Believe in yourself. It's important that you look after yourself. Exercise will give you energy. It's a way of showing yourself love. It's a way of reminding yourself that you're worth the effort.

Give it a go and see how you get on. Remember, you don't miss workouts! You are active! You work out, and radiate health and energy! You are the picture of wellness. And every so often, you enjoy a takeaway, Netflix series and bar of chocolate and feel absolutely NO guilt whatsoever, knowing that you look after yourself and your body.

That's a good way to live.

Mar

2019

Feeling low. Give myself a break or fight through?

This happens to everyone. We all have days, even weeks, where our energy levels seem low, and mentally, we just aren't on top form.

The first thing to remember: don't beat yourself up about it. It's perfectly natural. Human beings have lots going on! Your physiology is complex, your emotional life is complex, YOU are complex. So don't worry too much if you're going through a patch where you feel, well, human.

Now, every winter, I go through the same cycle. The cold days and long nights draw in, and my motivation plummets. I find it difficult to get myself out of bed, and the idea of hard physical exercise is enough to make me even less likely to face the day. It's taken me a long time, but I've finally learnt. It's okay that I feel this way. The world isn't going to end if I change my routine to fit the way I'm feeling. My body is telling me that it needs a bit of a break, so that’s what I’ll give it.

That doesn't mean that I sit around all day, devouring Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough, without doing any kind of exercise. I know I’ll feel rubbish if I do that. It won’t help. What it does mean, is that I take a gentler approach. I don't force myself to do anything. I take some time to consider what it is that is really putting me off exercising that day (sometimes it's as simple as not wanting to get changed because it's cold!), and modify my approach. I don't want to get changed, so I decide to do a light,15 minute yoga stretch that doesn't require a change of clothes. More often than not, by the time the stretch is over, I'm warm and ready to go. Getting changed doesn't seem like such a barrier.

There's no need to fight yourself at any point of your fitness journey. Your body isn't an enemy. It communicates with you, and if you can listen, you'll find the right balance and learn to develop a seamless rhythm and connection with it. Your default should always be kindness and compassion towards yourself, so if you're having a particularly difficult day, or week, slow down, listen to your body, and don't be afraid to change things up. Your body always wants to move, it thrives on exercise and movement, but that doesn't always mean intense, extreme routines. Sometimes, your body will be content with a relaxing stretch and some quality downtime with you!

Dec

2018

How do I fit exercise into my busy schedule?

Time. In the modern age, everyone seems to suffer from a lack of Time. And exercise is one of the first casualties of the epidemic.

It can seem very overwhelming, the idea of fitting in exercise when there is so much to do, so many plates to spin, and often, very little time and space to look after yourself. But here's the thing. Looking after your body is literally a matter of life or death. Your body keeps you alive. If you aren't looking after your body, you are reducing its ability to look after you. So, as a society, it might be a good idea for us to bump looking after our bodies up the priority list.

There's a conception that exercise has to be a big deal. That it has to be a regimented thing that you buy special clothes for, go to special places for, or have special equipment for. That's not the case. Exercise is just moving. So you could count walking around the park as exercise. Playing more actively with the kids is exercise. Dancing in your living room is exercise. 10 minutes of moving in a way that gets your heart rate up is exercise. We all have time for that. Try it. Start with 10 minutes a day of something that will get your heart rate up - dance, run around with the kids, take a brisk walk around the block. There's no right or wrong. Just move.

Once that's done, hurrah! You've done a 10 minute workout!

Do that every day, and gradually see if you can build up to 2 active 10 minute sessions a day, then 3. Notice how relaxed you feel after a bit of physical activity. Once you remove the pressure around having to do a long, regimented routine, you'll be able to find ways to incorporate exercise into your life. It will become part of your day, rather than an imposition. Eventually, it will be a habit, you will feel much more connected and confident in your body, and you’ll be getting fitter every day.

Oct

2018

Making Space: The Power of Intention

We all have busy lives. The demands placed on that most valuable commodity – Time – are getting increasingly pressured and unrealistic, and we spend much of our time frantically prioritising the various obligations that we have to fulfil.

Something has to give. If we don’t consciously intend to make space for something, it will be pushed to the bottom of the pile, and eventually forgotten. Often, the things that are pushed to the bottom of the priority pile are the things that are focused on ourselves; the novel we’ve always wanted to write, the art class we’ve wanted to join, the exercise regime we’ve been thinking about...

It’s easy to lose sight of these aspirations in the pace of the daily grind, and without realising it, our lives become a series of obligations. We don’t realise it consciously; we simply carry on, an inexplicable sense of dissatisfaction lingering, until we’ve forgotten what we actually want to do, and can’t quite understand why we’re feeling a bit rubbish.

It’s easy to sail through life without setting intentions. Which is a shame, because when you do, you find yourself making space for the things that you actually WANT to do – the things that are focused on you and your wellbeing. Gradually, that lingering feeling that your life isn’t your own fades. You regain a sense of control over your life.

It’s important to set conscious intentions. Without them, it is almost impossible to sustain any activity, however well intentioned. More pressing, short term obligations will always take precedence, and although you know that your workout will feel good, yield amazing results and most importantly, is time for you, and you alone, you are always likely to fall prey to the many demands that life puts on you, neglecting yourself and your own needs in the process.

The challenge of exercise is, first and foremost, the challenge of adherence. Of making space for it in the landscape of your life. Of prioritising yourself and your own wellbeing. Set the conscious intention to put yourself first, and to make space for exercise. It’s the first step to integrating exercise into your life, and, before you know it, it will be an immovable part of the various components of your lifestyle.

Make the conscious decision to give yourself priority a few times a week to reconnect with your body. Set the intention. Let yourself come first! You’ll be amazed at the progress you make.

U-Kandu Inspiration: Daddy Cool

Getting back to exercise after a break

Accept your starting point

Start gently

Be realistic

Stay present

Goals, goals, goals

Keep showing up

Reward yourself

"Be honest with yourself about where you are now, and don’t beat yourself up with where you think you “should” be. The only thing that matters is where you are now. Embrace and accept who you are today, and be willing to work with your body as it is."

How to develop an exercise habit

Start slowly

Set goals

Plan, plan, plan

Be realistic

Respect your body

Enlist an Accountabuddy

Believe in yourself!

Simple tips for a healthier lifestyle (Part Two)

Commit to 10 minutes of physical activity a day.

Give yourself 5 minutes a day of free time.

Reflect on the day.

Eat slowly.

Why exercise?

"When you are sedentary, you feel lethargic, unmotivated, and mentally drained. This isn't coincidence. This is biology."

Simple tips for a healthier lifestyle (Part One)

Drink water.

Get more sleep.

Be aware of your rhythms.

Make small, gradual changes.

I never feel like I have enough energy to exercise

"The trick is to look at exercise in a new way. It isn’t something that you have to do, that’s hard work and exhausting. It’s a pleasure, good for both mind and body, and it gives you energy."

Feeling low. Give myself a break or fight through?

How do I fit exercise into my busy schedule?

Making Space: The Power of Intention

Categories

Looking for something?