Every year for as long as I can remember, I’ve watched the London Marathon with the deepest of admiration for all those people running 26.2 miles (40K) for their personal charities, and thinking what a worthwhile goal to achieve. I make no apologies for admitting that running is not my thing. However, I love walking and really wanted a new personal challenge to take on. 

Whilst browsing the various challenges online I noticed Discover Adventure London Marathon Walk 2017. Perfect! So back in February I booked myself up for my first ever London Marathon Walk, which ran on Saturday 23rd September. 

As this was my first Marathon I didn’t really know what to expect. I’d never really tested my fitness nor my trainers to this level before. I wasn’t with a group, I was striking out on my own, I wasn’t sure what the weather would throw at me or how much sponsorship I would get. The fact is I could have worried about so many things and talked myself out of it a million times over. This really isn’t my style though.  I’m a great believer in ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’ which enables me to turn my fears into my personal achievements and more often than not greatest successes.

Remaining positive gave me the opportunity stay fit and active, raise awareness and vital funds for my charity, as well as achieving a lifetime goal, with the prospect of making some new positive like-minded friends along the way. It's all to do with your perspective. The fear of the unknown was always going to lose badly when so much can be gained with an optimistic outlook.

On the day the weather was perfect for walking. I met up with two other amazing ladies (Susan and Sheila) before we started out, each of which were solo walkers and first-timers to the London Marathon. Susan navigated the course, Sheila was our official photographer and I was the pace setter. We completed the London Marathon in just over 9 hours. We were a great team on the day, dubbing ourselves ‘The Marathon Queens’. We raised around £3,500 for our personal charities between us, as well as becoming firm friends.  Yes we all had our own aches and pains to deal with from the day, which are temporary, but in a weird way the discomfort enables you to understand just a little of what our charities receivers go through every day of their lives. 
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I would like to extend a huge thank you to Discover Adventure for making the day so much fun, setting up such an interesting course and making sure we had plenty of water and snacks to keep our energy levels maintained.

Words of wisdom;
‘Erase your fears and your world becomes a limitless adventure’.

Here are some photos from the day, courtesy of Sheila.
Enjoy life!
Julia – Asteria Life Coaching

I would love to hear your feedback on this blog. Perhaps you have some experience yourself of running or walking a Marathon or tips that you’d like to share with me. Please like and retweet this article on Twitter @AsterlifeC

If you want to discover your star potential, meet your lifetime goals and think I may be able to help you, then please call me on 07752565740

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In my previous blog I wrote about 10 activities to help you make the most of your summer break and increase your study success and employability prospects. I promised that I would follow it up by writing a blog on activities to do this summer that challenge, relax and enlighten you, so here it is!
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You’ve worked hard all academic year. Study and research for assignments and exams are all behind you, and the summer is finally here. We are kind of like an engine in a car, and in order to make that engine run well we need to ensure that we maintain it well and fill it with the right fuel. So just like a car we need to restore our mind and body from all the hard work it’s been doing. It’s time to give yourself a break and recharge your batteries. Here are my top ten activities to help relax, challenge and hopefully enlighten you.

​1.       Read a book that teaches you something new – It’s always nice to know you’ve put some time aside to relax and read a book over the summer, so why not make it a book that will teach you something new. This can be fiction or factual, it’s really up to you. There are countless book reviews online that give you heaps of suggestions for great reads this summer.

2.       Challenge your fears – Often the things that seem the greatest challenges to us are the most rewarding. We don’t grow when things are easy, we grow when we’re facing challenges, something that takes us out of our comfort zone and into our learning zone. So take this opportunity for some personal growth this summer and set yourself a personal goal. Nothing too big that will take all your free time to complete. It should be a challenge that you are slightly apprehensive to do, but will give you confidence and raise your self-esteem. I recently took my mother on a four hour deep sea fishing trip. She was a little hesitant about doing at first, but she explained it would be such a different experience to anything she had ever done before that she wanted to give it a go. When we returned to the harbour she couldn’t stop talking about how great the experience was. She was so proud of herself, especially as she caught several fish, one an absolute whopper. It lifted her confidence and she admitted it was one of the most rewarding things she’d ever done. So you see it’s never too late to try something new. So why not give it a go, what do you have to lose?

3.       Creative therapy – It has long been acknowledged by academics and health professionals that creative activities boost our emotional health and mental wellbeing. Creative pursuits allow us the time to explore our feelings, process information at our leisure, reduce our anxieties, relax our minds and allows us to express our unique individualism. Self-expression in a creative art form gives us an abundant sense of joy and happiness by creating something that that has value to us, and gives us a sense of achievement.  The most recent study conducted by Genevieve Dingle at the University of Queensland’s School of Psychiatry, published this July by the British Journal of Clinical Psychology reveals that singing in a choir or creative writing enhances emotional regulation. This is irrespective of whether you’re a healthy adult or suffering emotional or mental health issues.

​Emotional regulation is the ability to consciously manage our emotions and behaviour in any given situation. Whatever creative activity you choose, try something that best suits your authentic self, something that makes you feel good about doing or creating something. It doesn’t have to be a great art masterpiece. Perhaps you could join a choir or indulge in some arts and crafts or maybe write poems or a blog. If you just want to create something for your own pleasure and reward don’t feel that you have to share your creation with others, this is for your pleasure and joy, no one else.

4.       Take regular exercise – All of us know how important regular exercise is for our health but a routine walk in the park or an early morning swim can really set you up for the day. The NHS recommends low impact, easy exercises such as yoga, fast walking, cycling, dancing, swimming and indoor exercises as a way of getting fit and improve overall wellness. Low impact exercises are particularly good for you as they put far less stress on your joints and contributes to lowering the risk of heart disease.

5.       Dance and sing – Pump up the volume on your headphones and dance and sing your heart out. My grandma always used to say “Sing and dance like nobody’s watching”. How right she was. The feeling of sheer joy and exhilaration you get from doing this can’t be measured. It can also reduce muscle tension. You need to tuck your ego away for a while and just experience the pure joy of it. It’s like dancing in the rain. If you’re a little more reserved then why not take yourself off somewhere quiet or do this while you’re do the housework. Have you noticed how everyone has other things going on when you mention the word housework! They’ll disappear quicker than a Lamborghini on a race track, leaving you with the home all to yourself.
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6.       Spend some time outdoors –   In the UK and the United States, we are reported to spend between 90-92% of our time indoors. Evolution has not designed us to live this way. So it’s no surprise that stress and anxiety are on the increase. The great outdoors is not called the great outdoors by chance. Being exposed to the outdoors increases our microbial diversity and general health. Being exposed to natural bacteria found outdoors is good for the gut. Studies are now starting to suggest that spending more time outdoors can actually reduce the effects of allergies and Asthma, when not in areas with poor air quality. I encourage you, if you don’t live in the suburbs, to take a day trip out to the country or nearest forest or large open space. If you are bringing the kids along too, then why not create a quiz that will keep them occupied and active, one that reflects the environment they’re in, getting them to see, record or find things on the walk.  You never know it may actually help them get off to sleep on the way home, giving you that precious extra hour or two to enjoy the peace and quiet of the journey home.

7.       Earthing, meditation and mindfulness – Meditation exercises, Mindfulness exercises and Earthing (walking barefoot on the earth) are great ways to spend your time resting and calming your mind and finding a little time just for you. When things get a little hectic, just take 15 minutes at practicing each of these very gentle and relaxing wellbeing activities to bring you back to a much more relaxed and refreshed you.

8.       Indulge yourself in your favourite hobbies and interests –  Whatever your interest or hobbies, why not use the time to pursue your passion, and do the thing you love? Hobbies help you to meet and connect with people, build your self-esteem, relieve stress and enrich your perspective. The more you know, the more you grow!

9.       Relax in the bath – Although not surprising to you, a recent study conducted by Wolverhampton University revealed that a warm bath has several health benefits, including;
o   Lying horizontal in a warm environment helps improve your mood
o   May help to relieve some skin conditions. Not recommended for sufferers of dermatitis. Speak to your doctor for advice if you suffer with skin complaints
o   Helps with muscle pain
o   Warm baths can produce better sleep
o   Reduces cold symptoms
o   Salt water baths calm arthritic pain

If you don’t suffer with skin complaints luxuriate in a long, restful bath with bubbles up to your neck, and let your favourite bath scents permeate the air. Turn the lights down low and play some relaxing music in the background.  Just be careful not to fall asleep! Keep the bath water warm, not hot. Hot baths are not good for you!

10.       Massage combined with hot stone therapy – This usually takes around 1½ hours to do a full massage with hot stones, and prices can vary. It’s important to check recommendations of professionally qualified masseuses, also worth checking reviews if they have them. If you find one that you’re happy with and is recommended and qualified, this can be a truly relaxing and healing experience. It can help with;

o   Muscle tension
o   Provides relief from pain
o   Decreases pain and muscle spasms
o   Reduces chronic stress and tension
o   Increases flexibility in joints, aiding in easier mobility and movement
o   Relieves pain and tension created by strained and contracted muscles
Always consult with your doctor first if you have any medical conditions.

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I hope you manage to make the time to indulge in some of these 10 summer break activities before returning back to study. Remember to invest a little time in yourself, you’ve earned these rewards!
 
I would love to hear your feedback on this blog. Perhaps you have some great ideas for activities over this summer you’d like to share with me. Please like and retweet this article on Twitter @AsterlifeC 

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If you want to discover your star potential and think I may be able to help you, then please call me 07752565740