Stress relief techniques

We all deal with stress differently so don’t give yourself a hard time if you are feeling like life is getting on top of you.

Here are some of my tips to help manage stress. Which tip is your favourite? I find meditation so useful!

How to Become a Confident Person

People often believe that confidence is a trait that comes naturally. In reality, developing a healthy confidence level requires consistently taking the right decisions leading to an increased trust in one’s ability to tackle challenges. In this article by Sandhya Coyle, we explore four effective ways to transform yourself into a self-confident individual.

Photo by Marcus Aurelius on Pexels.com

Set Some Goals

The lack of goals is one of the prime causes of demotivation and low self-esteem. Without goals, you are essentially investing time and effort toward activities that provide you with nothing in return. To turn the tide, follow this two-step method:

The first step is to set some goals, which can be as follows:

Health-Based: Planning to develop a toned or more flexible body, learning a new sport, following better eating habits, etc.

Career Oriented: Learning new skills, working towards a promotion, making a career change, and more.

Education-Based: Pursuing a new degree, learning a language, publishing research papers, etc.

Relationship Focused: Develop stronger bonds with family, make new friends, spend more time with your partner, and more.

Next, you need to break down these goals into achievable steps which can be followed daily, such as working out, applying to 10 job applications, and spending time with loved ones.

Learn the Power of Visualisation

Visualisation involves using the power of positive thinking to overcome challenges. It is an effective way to condition your mind to overcome negativity and set yourself up for success.

Here are three effective visualisation techniques to explore:

Visualise Yourself Succeeding: This involves imaging yourself attaining the goal you have set for yourself, such as visualising yourself landing the promotion you have been looking forward to or reaching your desired weight in the coming months.

Visualise Overcoming Challenges: Rather than bowing down to stress, visualise the ways you can overcome the challenges. For example, imagine how you will bring up the conversation for a promotion to your boss. Additionally, prepare answers for all possible questions they may ask.

Visualise a Happy Place: Create an image of a place or situation that provides you peace and comfort, which can be a happy memory, a calm nature setting, etc. Each time you start to feel stressed, imagining being in your happy place will help replace negative emotions with positive ones.

Practice Yoga

Yoga is widely considered one of the best ways to improve confidence and self-esteem. Here are a few reasons why:

Improved Focus: A core aspect of yoga is learning how to control breathing and concentrate on the present. This allows an individual to disassociate from negative thoughts, and gain clarity regarding their needs and wants, leading to effective goal setting.

Reduced Stress: The combination of breathing exercises and poses leads to the release of endorphins also known as feel-good hormones, resulting in a natural upliftment of mood and alleviation of stress.

Increased Empowerment: Yoga involves various poses and techniques which take time to master. However, in the process, you will experience yourself getting physically stronger and gaining mental clarity leading to greater control over your wellbeing.

Pilates is known to provide similar benefits and is a great supplement to your yoga routine. You can find more information on the benefits of these activities here.

Improve your Finances

As reported by The Health Foundation, more than two-thirds of Brits report feeling stressed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the primary reasons for this is uncertainty regarding finances. Here are a few ways to handle financial stress:

Start creating weekly and monthly budgets accounting for every pound earned and spent by your household.

Prioritise income toward savings and paying bills on time.

If you’re a homeowner in need of funds, consider refinancing your mortgage. As reported by Redfin, refinancing involves taking a new mortgage to pay off your existing one. Additionally, you can negotiate lower interest rates and cheaper monthly payments.

A larger mortgage amount can also be approved using your home’s equity. This serves as a reliable and safe method to generate funds to cover expenses or healthcare bills during the pandemic.

The key to becoming a confident individual is embracing the power of positive thinking and making consistent efforts towards achieving your goals.

by Annabelle Harris of elders.center

Have you had enough of your back pain?

Is back pain getting in the way of your favourite activities? or sitting at your desk perhaps? Or just being able to enjoy yourself?

Today, I want to share the good news with you.

It is possible to live the life you deserve. 

I was able to do it. And my client, Nick, is starting to live his life in his own terms too. Let me tell you his story.

Nick felt like an old man in his early 40s.

Nick is only forty years old but already feels like he’s in his 70’s. He has been enduring pain and discomfort on his lower back and at the back of his legs and knees for as long as he can remember.

In the last 3 years, the pain became more regular – putting Nick in constant episodes of pain. He barely plays golf anymore, a sport he loved doing every other day. Then the final straw came when he realised he couldn’t enjoy playing with his two-year-old kid or function properly at work.

Can you relate to this at all?  

If yes, why not try a class out either in Keynsham or on zoom with me?

Back pain

Is back pain getting in the way of your favourite activities? A sport, perhaps? Or just being able to enjoy yourself as a young parent? 

Today, I want to share the good news with you.

It is possible to live the life you deserve. 

I was able to do it. And my client, Nick, is starting to live his life in his own terms too. Let me tell you his story.

Nick felt like an old man in his early 40s.

Nick is only forty years old but already feels like he’s in his 70’s. He has been enduring pain and discomfort on his lower back and at the back of his legs and knees for as long as he can remember.

In the last 3 years, the pain became more regular – putting Nick in constant episodes of pain. He barely plays golf anymore, a sport he loved doing every other day. Then the final straw came when he realised he couldn’t enjoy playing with his two-year-old kid or function properly at work.

Can you relate to this at all?  

If yes, try out a trial session with me today all you need to do is visit my website and click book now.

Pilates for backs

Strengthening your core muscles (the muscles that wrap around your lower torso like a corset) is a game changer for long term support of your back and if you want to reduce your back ache you need to learn how to do this safely.  It gives you a stronger support system for your back and It helps reduce the risk of further injuries and flare ups.

But what is really important is to find exercises that are not too difficult for you to do.

Strengthening your core is one strategy that will give continued support to the back and in most cases is more important than just stretching.

That’s why I recommend this gentle exercise which is suitable for those with lower back ache, slipped/herniated discs, spinal stenosis, Spondylolisthesis, Ankylosing Spondylitis and more.

This exercise is called knee lifts, give it a try and see how long you can hold it for, if under 40 seconds you could benefit from Pilates.

Too old to start exercising?

Do you think you are too old to change

I have a few questions for you today to reflect on

 🤷‍♀️If you think you are too old to change

🤷‍♀️If you think you are too old to learn something new

🤷‍♀️If you think “well what can I expect at my age”

🤷‍♀️If you think it’s too late, i should have started years ago ..

Think again… you are never too old to change or improve your health, fitness and mindset!!

If you are looking to do some short effective movements try out my exercises for older adults: 

Simple shoulder exercises for seniors

Foot exercise for seniors 

5 Important Tips to Improve your Posture at Work

Some of you are enjoying the perks of working from home, I mean, who doesn’t, right?

Whether you are working from home or working physically in the office, this video is perfect for you.  I will be sharing 5 important tips to improve your posture at work.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but being seated for extended periods of time exposes you to bad posture which not only increases feelings of depression, zap your energy and cuts off your circulation but also puts you at risk of chronic pain, musculoskeletal disorders and injuries. But don’t worry as that’s what I am here for today, watch the video to find out my 5 tips to improve posture at work.

 

Hit the subscribe button in YouTube and click the notification bell so you get a front row seat to my fresh and upcoming videos!

How Vicky feels much stronger and mobile

There is one common thing I see with people who are struggling with their lower backs and  I’m going to show you how you can overcome it.

But first, check out one of my clients, Vicky who struggled with becoming more immobile and taking more pain killers for months, wanting and trying to reduce her back pain.

Anytime she thought about trying a Pilates class she felt very scared, so she tried a Yoga video at home but she didn’t have the strength to keep up, it was too hard for her

It just made her so uncomfortable, she managed to injure herself more until she finally decided to stop doing what wasn’t working…

My worries about not being able to keep up were put at ease. Anything I struggled with Sandhya was brilliant giving lots of variations and I feel so much stronger and I’m now more active.”

Vicky struggled not only with lower back pain, but with one of the most common feelings when it comes to exercise:

“I’ve tried everything, how will this be any different??”

And listen, I get it. You’ve tried all the different exercises online, tried going to classes, but they were all too difficult.

All while juggling your already demanding lifestyle.

So OF COURSE it feels like nothing is working.

But one way I help my clients overcome this is by helping them get clear on what their vision is, and what exactly is getting in the way.

Then, focusing on THAT.

Focus on being driven and motivated by your vision for yourself vs. focusing on all the things that haven’t worked.

It comes down to this: LOOKING BACK WILL KEEP YOU STUCK.

So if you want to learn how to create a SOLID and CLEAR game plan that is actually sustainable and fits your needs, as well as the lifestyle you want for yourself…

Then I urge you to contact me to a chat about this

07565 976 129 

The results Vicky got are possible for you too! And with me in your corner, you’ll be unstoppable!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

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Does your back ache from sitting at a desk all day?  Maybe it’s time to take a look at your chair?  In this video below I share with you my tips to finding the best office chair and the importance of a lumbar support.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URm1A9ZMk04&t=2s

If you know someone else who might benefit from this video, share away!

Why sitting all day can lead to chronic pain

Have you ever been sitting down most of the day and then when you stand up.

Your hips and back, shoulders and neck feel soooo locked up …

YIKES!

If this is something that happens on a regular basis, it can land you in a no-win cycle of aches & pains and maybe even injury.

It goes something like this:

  • You get aches & pains because your muscles are tight from not moving.
  • So you end up moving even less, because you have aches & pains.

You can see how over time, this can put some real limits on your lifestyle and even your health!

The good news is that there are some SIMPLE things you can do to break the cycle (and even avoid it in the first place).

  • Move! Every hour stand up and move around for a few minutes. Set a timer to make this happen. If you’re on a road trip, take a little walk during rest stops.
  • Stretch. Your hip flexors can get super tight when you sit a lot. This can cause a chain reaction in your other muscles, making them get tighter or weaker. Keeping them flexible now can help you avoid injury in the future.
  • Be more active. When you’re not sitting, find ways to incorporate movement into your daily routine. Exercise, take regular walks, take the stairs, park farther away, and find excuses to move! Not only will this give those tight muscles a break, it will help keep your metabolism revved!

Try doing these 4 things every day for one week and you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel!

If you want some motivation to get moving join my Pilates or Yoga sessions in Keynsham and on zoom. 

It’s week 4 of quarantine/lockdown, how are you doing?

To be honest, I am starting to feel the stress of home isolation quite a bit. The news we see on TV is not getting any better, the kids are becoming more and more restless, the food is running out – leaving home to buy groceries is also stressful thinking we might bring the virus home.

The anxiety could be overwhelming.

So, for the first time in 3 weeks, I went out of the house to get some air (don’t worry, I stayed as far away from other people as possible!).

I did not go far, just walked around our block to stretch my legs and clear my mind.

And I started to think, I may not be alone in feeling mentally distressed about all these.

Covid-19

Outbreaks are proven to affect our mental health

In a survey done in March 2020, 51% of young people here in the United Kingdom reported that this pandemic and the new social distancing measures have made their mental health a bit worse. (Statista, March 2020)

And this holds true for people of all ages, whether infected or not, front liners or otherwise. This time of crisis is causing a toll on the overall mental health of the population that Mental Health UK has issued psychological first aid guidance on their site.

The uncertainty, our lack of control, the threat it poses to the people and things we love – all of these are new to us.

Feeling anxious right now is normal.

But just because it’s normal doesn’t mean we have to resign ourselves to it.

How to fight COVID-19 Anxiety?

Since the lockdown, the majority of us are working from home or have even lost income opportunities. This is bound to have an impact on our mental health. So, what can we do to help ourselves during this time?

Here are some ideas:

  1. Limit your news and social media time.
  2. Write down your thoughts to keep things in perspective. (this helps me a lot even though I’m not a journal person!).
  3. Focus your energy on things you can control (like keeping the house tidy and sanitised or as much as you can!)
  4. Meditate. Meditate. Meditate.
  5. Keep yourself active with a daily exercise routine.

30-minute exercise each day makes all the differenceExercise to avoid anxiety

Our physical and mental health are undeniably linked. And during this time, staying active matters – yes, even if we don’t feel like it.

By staying at home, it’s simpler to just sit on the sofa all day where it’s comfortable and eat unbalanced meals and junk foods. And with this routine, it’s much easier to fall into anxiety and panic attacks.

Studies have proven that exercising daily, even for just 30-minutes, will boost your mood. Regular exercise helps to ease depression and anxiety by releasing feel-good endorphins and allows you to take your mind off worries.

So, today, I want to share with you an exercise kit to get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts and unhealthy lifestyles.

Let’s get you off the sofa and start moving, shall we?

Contact me to get my FREE Pilates and Yoga kit today.

Here’s what you can expect,

  • Exercises can be done at home, no equipment needed
  • Don’t worry if you have not tried Pilates or Yoga before, routines provided are easy to follow.
  • We will get you started on meditating. Even if you think you can’t meditate!
  • We will build your physical and mental strength to cope with everyday stress.
  • 10 minutes of strengthening exercise focussed on reducing back ache.
  • 10 minute of stretching focussed on stretching out tight muscles from sitting down too much.
  • 10 minutes of meditation practice suitable for the complete beginner!

I know these trying times are hard. And it’s harder when so much happens in the world and none of it is within our control.

But I hope this exercise kit can help ease your worries, even for a bit.

If you’re not sure how you can follow the routines on your own and feel like you need more guidance, feel free to send me a message saying more help please.

I will be happy to guide you through it, just send me an email at info@yogakeynsham.com

I am excited to hear from you.

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