When people look at my before and current photographs the first thing they notice is the weight loss. Although losing 4 stone has been a significant part of my journey to a healthy lifestyle, it isn’t what I want to focus on here.
Life sends you lemons…
I have suffered from Chronic illness for all my adult life, I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome at 20 and Fibromyalgia just before I hit 40. There have been times when I have felt okay and others when I can’t make it out of bed, but I believe in my heart and soul that these conditions have been given to me for a reason – to learn what I outline below.
The 20/30-year-old me moped around feeling sorry for myself, thinking life isn’t fair, moaning that doctors are useless and there is nothing that can help. (I still believe that there isn’t much that conventional medicine can do for these conditions but that, primarily, is because we still don’t understand them very well)
I studied many holistic approaches and have always been able to use and pass this knowledge on to others, but for myself I just continued eating badly, smoked 20 a day (I stopped 15 years ago) and sat on the sofa watching TV. Why am I not feeling any better???
The turning point…
I know that I have mentioned before that my brother got married 2018. This event spurred me into losing weight but more than that, I really started looking at my health. I had reached a point in my life where I was in so much pain. I was out of breath a lot of the time, my blood pressure was high, I often found walking difficult and don’t even mention climbing stairs (which I have to do a lot in my day job!!!)
Losing the weight was not hard for me. I joined a WW group and found an amazing group of ladies who supported me on my journey. Once I was in the right mindset the weight just came off. Within 9 months I was able to fit in to my dream outfit for my brother’s wedding. I still wasn’t healthy though!!!
It has to be said, I was not a lover of exercise. I walk to work, surely that’s enough…
And then suddenly I wasn’t walking to work anymore… LOCKDOWN!!!
What an opportunity…
When we went into lockdown in 2020, I could have quite easily become a couch potato again, but I made a different choice. The weight needed to stay off and I needed to get healthy.
I created a daily routine – I had to get showered and dressed no matter what, I would exercise everyday just so that I could leave the house (at the time other than to buy food, that was the only reason we could go outside), I would continue with the healthy eating habits I had learned at WW.
I tried several types of exercise, some vigorous but they aggravated the Fibromyalgia and others that I just found boring. And then life threw me a Facebook post… the post showed anatomical pictures of yoga asanas (postures) and I thought I would give them a go. It was not successful – I couldn’t achieve even one of them. Right, I thought, by the end of lockdown I’m going to be able to do those. A bit over optimistic!!!
Yoga magic…
But enter yoga into my life. I started with a pure beginner’s course that I found online https://www.brettlarkin.com/pure-beginner-yoga/ and even though it killed me I kept going. 15 minutes every day just chipping away at it. I would set myself goals. I would choose an asana that I was going to master, no time limit, no pressure, just to be able to do it.
With consistent daily practice (I get on my mat 6 days a week) I started to notice changes in my body, in how it felt and how it looked. I loved it (still do). I wanted to see changes in my face too, so I found a face yoga course and added this to my daily routine.
It is almost 2 years since I started practicing face & body yoga and it has become a fundamental part of my life. I have greater flexibility and I feel stronger but it’s more than that. It is how I feel mentally that has really changed. As I turn 52, I can honestly say that I am, for the first time in my life, happy with who I am.
Yes, the Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia get me down (2021 wasn’t my best year) but I am in a place where I can handle it so much better. I still get on my mat every day even if it is just for Child’s Pose (body) and the Big ‘O’(face).
Take control…
So, the point I am trying to make here is that to be healthy, WE must take control of our own lifestyles. WE must make the changes. No-one is going to do it for us.
YES, to be healthy takes daily, consistent effort but it doesn’t have to take up all your time.
Finding one small thing, like a couple of facial exercises for example, will start you on a journey. You will, with time, see the changes that one little choice makes. It will spur you on to add another, and as that takes root, another. Suddenly, one day, you will wake up realising I am the healthiest I have ever been, I feel fantastic about myself and where I am in my life. I know I certainly do!
If you want to start making small changes to improve your health, why not give 5 minutes of face yoga every day a go? My ‘Face Yoga 101 Starter Kit’ includes a PDF and video that outlines 6 core face yoga postures that you can introduce into your day. Register below for instant access…
Today is the first day of the rest of your life!!!
