Smashed it!

It is with a huge sigh of relief that my daughter went back to school last week after the six-week summer holidays here in the UK. Phew. It has taken me a moment to fully realise we not only made it but smashed it! Along with the many working parents who were also juggling too, I wanted to acknowledge this huge achievement. Well done to us all.

In terms of the West household, we had the added pressure of both myself and my partner also starting brand-new full-time jobs, eight and four weeks ago respectively, with mine starting the day after the election. So, this summer was not usual in the slightest…

Before embarking on this ‘plate-spinning’ marathon I made a commitment to prioritise my self-care and health (mental, emotional and physical), knowing full well this would be the first thing to slip when the pressure hit home. But also being acutely aware that if it did, all the plates would come tumbling down.

Modern day working has been a blessing for many families fortunate to be able to take advantage of remote/virtual working and fit their busy families lives around their work priorities and vice versa but it also blurs lines and makes it difficult to compartmentalize and excel in each of our personas. Furthermore the huge impact of sedentary working at a desk in front of screens all day plays havoc on your mind, body and soul. Mediocrity and survival are usually success factors in this type of situation but when starting a new job that’s not really ok - especially when trying to create a good impression and when the inevitable wobble of if you made the right decision to shift jobs/sectors kicks in.

So, back to the commitment I made to myself. Without much consideration, I made the call to set myself a daily (primarily) solo fitness/wellbeing challenge (minimum 15 minutes) and to document it on a private Instagram account where my friends' and family's support wavered between – "Good for you!" to "You’re a nutter". Along with repetitive questions of "What are you training for?" and "What’s your end goal?" Which my response was seemingly insufficient in being just: self-care.

We all know exercise is good for you, especially in terms of mental health and wellbeing but it is very easy for it to drop off the to-do list. Although at times I was frustrated with the level of accountability I had set myself, even if no-one else was tracking me, it was the overriding factor than got me not only through the work-life juggle. I have come out the other side stronger again; physically, mentally and emotionally.

42 days of just 15 minutes doing something healthy for yourself may seem easy but I assure you it was tough at times. But a few weeks in, it became a behavioural and social norm, where I started to twitch until I had completed it. The dopamine, endorphins and serotonin boosts pushing me through each day were addictive. And the impact on those around me was palpable, at home and at work. We all know this, but it’s worth saying out loud; looking after yourself, first and foremost, has a ripple effect on all aspects of your life, so don’t neglect it when the pressure hits. Right, now onto a different work/life juggle as work travel kicks in, New York in two weeks and Romania in October…

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For those that are interested here is my daily log:

Day 1: Jogging in nature (30 mins)

Day 2: Home gym workout, including dips, pull ups (30 mins)

Day 3: Outdoor yoga session (30 mins)

Day 4: E-bike ride in countryside (2 hours)

Day 5: Outdoor HIIT workout including squats, down-ups, over body presses, snatches, planks, side-planks, kettle bell swings and crunches (20 mins)

Day 6: Early morning jog and calisthenics against farm gate (30 mins)

Day 7: 6am sunrise bootcamp #1 (30 mins plus warm-up and down time)

Day 8: Midday mindfulness meditation (15 mins)

Day 9: 6am sunrise bootcamp #2; partnership EMOM (every minute on the minute) (30 mins plus warm-up and down time)

Day 10: Early morning walk in countryside with friend (1 hour)

Day 11: Outdoor meditation and shavasana (corpse pose) (15 mins)

Day 12: Colour run/walk with daughter (30 mins)

Day 13: Home workout; freestyle weights (20 mins)

Day 14: 6am sunrise bootcamp #3 (30 mins plus warm-up and down time) followed by 7am board meeting!

Day 15: Lunchtime wellbeing walk to drop daughter at play date via play park and river to pick blackberries and spot ducks (1 hour)

Day 16: 6am sunrise bootcamp #4 (30 mins plus warm-up and down time)

Day 17: 6.30am mindful meditation; grounding, body scanning, box breathing, gratitude and dispelling negative thoughts (15 mins)

Day 18: Morning meditation and stretching (20 mins) before heading into London for work

Day 19: Banana run (i.e. a run to buy a banana) (5 mins run, 15 mins walk) and weights (15 mins)

Day 20: Intermittent spinning and upper body strength training inc. pull ups and dips (20 mins)

Day 21: Outdoor core session; abs, vertical leg and bicycle crunches, leg flutters, sit-ups (15 mins)

Day 22: Flower spotting on morning jog (20 mins) ahead of heading into London again for work

Day 23: ?Hike up local hill (20 mins up, 10 mins down)

Day 24: 3 mile/5km jog around local rivers (50 mins)

Day 25: Mindful meditation (breathing, gratitude, embracing silence) and reading in bath (30 mins)

Day 26: Early morning walk (15 mins)

Day 27: Home gym workout; plank variations – standard, raised, side; plank press ups; kettle bell swings, TRX row and reverse; weighted bench bridge with leg raises and dips (30 mins)

Day 28: 6am sunrise bootcamp #5 (30 mins plus warm-up and down time)

Day 29: Skipping (15 mins)

Day 30: 6am sunrise bootcamp #6 (30 mins plus warm-up and down time)

Day 31: Arm day; single and double arm overhead presses, round the worlds, snatch lifts, weighted crunches (15 mins)

Day 32: Chinese tea ceremony at a wellbeing festival (30 mins)

Day 33: Solo silent disco dancing and gigging (1.5 hours), harnessing restoratives of music

Day 34: Solo festival grounds exploring plus fire meditation (1 hour)

Day 35: 6am sunrise bootcamp #7 (30 mins plus warm-up and down time)

Day 36: 6.30am swing chair intention-setting meditation and bottom of the garden yoga/stretching (15mins) - ahead of work calls throughout the day starting at 0700 spanning the globe from NZ to Michigan whilst facilitating two play dates...

Day 37: 6am sunrise bootcamp #8 (30 mins plus warm-up and down time) - final one!

Day 38: Upper body resistant weight training (20 mins)

Day 39: Mountain climber and exercise bike (20 mins)

Day 40: Jog in castle grounds (20 mins)

Day 41: Yoga/stretching (20 mins)

Day 42: Jog and play in kids’ playground (45 mins)