7/6/2024 Not all projects are work!I am very fortunate to be able to spend time in the garden, but it takes a certain type of dedication to allow yourself go out and actually sit and do nothing other than read or watch the bees buzz. All that bending and stretching to reach the weed behind the bush beneath the stone, and the carrying of the watering cans adds to my steps and my watch tells me I have been active all day! Of course I can reward myself with a cup of tea and a book in my reading corner, while watching the my new rose bush come into bud. Physical activity means different things to different people, as does rest and reflection. There is nothing better than watching my class participants grasp a new movement, create pattern, collectively start after the introduction and end together on the same note. Watching your class it is like watching seeds germinate, the shoots peep through the soil and the reward is a huge show stopping flower, and they all know they are show stoppers! Mental awareness week.
This year's theme is 'movement: moving more for our mental health'. I am not going to describe the mental value of getting up off the chair, talking a walk or joining an exercise class- because as in the same way we all have our preferences for a cup of coffee, tea or jam sandwich- we all find remedies for our mental wellbeing in different places and different times depending upon a multitude of factors. I have to explain to people, that while being active helps us mentally- I can not plan a class for mental wellbeing- I can not pencil in the exact time the class will smile, a share a joke or dissolve into laughter - these things happen because we are enjoying a once in a moment 'moment' that can not be replicated! All I can do is be welcoming, smile, pick good tunes and make sure the class isn't boring! Sometimes just sitting in a different spot in the garden is enough, chasing a butterfly with your eyes, or taking out your anger on an ants nest, enjoying your mug of tea at the perfect temperature or people watching. Wherever you may be, in your favourite spot, enjoying an activity or 'moment in time', look after yourself and those near to you. 7/5/2024 Back to classIt has been wonderful to welcome back three ladies, who for a multitude of reasons have been unable to get to class.
Taking the first step to attend a class is brave- but going back is just as nerve racking. Will there be new routines? Will I keep up...and will the teacher be kind? Yes - there were new routines - but with careful teaching they 'got them' first time. They did keep up and adjusting the class to incorporate their favourites (which I remembered) they didn't feel as if they were starting at the very beginning. It was lovely to see them again- and having them back was like welcoming a long lost friend back into the 'gang'. 21/4/2024 Cherry BlossomWhere do I get the inspiration for the stories behind my exercises?
One picture I paint is imagining we are lifting a bough of cherry blossom back up into a tree. On my walk I saw such a heavy branch of blossom and reached out to lift it up out of the way. A daily stretch, the warmth of the sunshine and the springtime promise of summer! 26/3/2024 Thank you!Happy Easter!
The end of term, and a time to reflect. To re think, regroup, rest the muscles and take inspiration from 'somewhere' and sometimes an unexpected compliment puts everything onto perspective. Joining an exercise class isn't always about the exercise, its about the the whole experience. As one participant said 'The music is everything, I love the way you finish every exercise on the last beat of the song'. A very big thank you to my class participants who have positively encouraged me with my new Trustee role. Classes resume the week of Monday 22nd April. 21/2/2024 A new position.In late January I put myself forwards for election as a Trustee at CIMSPA.
CIMSPA is the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, formerly known as the Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, is the professional body for the United Kingdom's sport and physical activity sector. Writing a 200 word nomination 'brief' took 2 weeks, and the weeks waiting for the voting was only made possible by keeping busy! Finally the results were announced, and I was amazed to get an email saying I had been elected. My Board blurb is below, and you can find out more here: https://www.cimspa.co.uk/about-cimspa/cimspa-governance/board-committee-panels/board-of-trustees/ 31/1/2024 An Invitation to 10 Downing St.Walking into a room filled with people from the sports world - and not knowing anyone!
I was privileged to have been nominated by my MP, Theresa Villers, as a Community Sports Champion. It all began when I received an email from 10 Downing Street inviting me, as a nominated Community Sport Champion, to attend a reception hosted by Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport at 10 Downing Street. I emailed back asking if this was a hoax and being assured it wasn’t! I replied, saying I would be delighted to attend. Anyone who knows me knows I like to be early, and I was first in the queue. Passing through security, I saw a deserted Downing Street, and the big black door was shining as only it could. I was told to knock, and so I did. As I removed my hand from the door, it opened, and I was engulfed in a reception room that seemed too big for the front door. We were instructed to turn our mobiles off and leave all devices by the front door. Would we be asked to drop them in a box or a glass bowl? Would they be put it in an envelope with a raffle ticket to claim it back? It was beautifully simple; we were directed towards what might have been a repurposed postal sorting box, and being first, I deposited my phone into a pigeon hole, box number 1. Then, walking as slowly as I could up a flight of stairs, I studied the portraits of each of the Prime Ministers, almost expecting one of them to disappear, as in Harry Potter, and pop up elsewhere. The uniformity of the frames against the pale yellow wallpaper took my breath away, and at the top of the stairs was a Lowry, which took up almost the whole landing wall. I only wished I had more time to stand and stare, but the quick glimpse was magic to the eyes! I entered three empty adjoining rooms that looked out over Horse Guards Parade with a private view of a public tourist attraction. Very slowly, the room filled with volunteers nominated by their MPs for contributions to sport in their communities. Staff negotiated the room and clusters of people with canapes and wine. Not knowing anyone, I mingled and made conversation. We were the people who delivered at the grassroots level, the local clubs, small charities, and volunteers. Everyone had their own story, nominated by their MP as a way of saying thank you for growing and supporting their community. We were finally ushered in one long, slow queue to have our photograph taken with Lucy Frazer, who, like all the MPs, had been held up in a parliamentary vote. As a movement and dance representative and former Chair of the Movement and Dance Division, I have attended many events, but this was the first time I have attended something as a personal thank you from my MP for my contribution to the sector. It was magical, and as I said to a member of staff…’In case I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight’ (Pretty Woman). 15/1/2024 Blue Monday.There are many shades of Blue – my shed is blue, and as I type, the sky is a clear, bright blue.
The third Monday in January is sometimes called 'the most difficult day of the year' because, according to Sky Travel, in 2005, the third Monday in January when happiness levels fell to the lowest levels of the year. Since then, it has become a day for promoting mental health awareness and self-care. Share a cup of tea or coffee with a friend and have a chat, turn the Blue into a Brew, and pop along to Action for Happiness (https://actionforhappiness.org/calendar) for something positive every day! Why did the weather turn so cold this afternoon? Because it was our first class back after the Christmas break.
I got to the hall and the heating was on, and thankfully everyone braved the few fluttering flakes of snow. New moves and combinations for the new year plus old favourites that we all enjoy. One lady, who has recently celebrated her 100th birthday asked if she could still come to class as she was feeling not as nimble as she used to. Of course, I said...the class is designed for youngsters like you! There has been a lot of talk about mental wellbeing and the purpose of exercise, how social prescribing 'makes a difference'. I know the class is a lifeline for some, a hobby for others - but a place where we all meet for ourselves so we can be ourselves! One class down- three more to go! 4/1/2024 21 hours is not a working week!Twenty-one hours is not a full working week!
We all want people to be more active, and good instructors create an active nation. We all have different incentives to exercise – from the scales creeping up to a tight waistband. But how realistic are we in setting goals for our classes? I was enjoying a class - a class for me that I do not need to plan or remember what I am doing next - and the instructor told us, with a cheeky grin, that this exercise was preparing us for the summer…which summer, I asked? 2025? The other class members giggled, but I was serious. Summer (June 2024 ) is only 21 weeks away from today, 4th, January. That’s 21 hours, assuming the class is an hour. 17.5 hours if the class is 50 minutes. That isn’t a full working week! But, if this summer is like previous summers, I may be happy with my winter body under my raincoat. In the meantime, I will enjoy my class for 'me' and be realistic in setting expectations for my classes. |
Exercise With TracyEXTEND Exercise and Medau Movement teacher. Keeping the muscles working, the joints mobile and having fun! Archives
June 2024
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If you fancy trying a class then please get in touch. The first class is free!
Exercise with music at Southgate Methodist Church, Monday 1.30-2.30
Exercise with music at Grange Park Methodist Church Tuesday 10-11 Medau: Cockfosters, Wednesday 10-11 Medau: Potters Bar, Wednesday 2.15-3.45 |
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