“A surefire way to make a bad situation worse is to continue replaying it in your mind.”
The damage is done. Whatever has happened cannot now unhappen. The most important thing is to make the best choices given your current position.
I think June is often an in-between month. We are expecting the summer to be here bathing us in its warm glow and on the days that dosen’t happen we feel unsettled. Our clothes become a problem for a start! Plans we make work ‘whatever the weather’ in other months suddenly become less enjoyable if it isn’t a lovely sunny day, even though we know that is unlikely!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein
Did you know, the bicyle is a powerful symbol of hope & progress? This is not a new concept, it has been around since bikes were invented. You don’t need a bike to keep moving and I believe there is an underlying message in the quote.
It only takes one day of sunshine for us Brits to start dreaming of beaches, barbeques, suntans and long summer evenings. I was curious after experienceing all those feelings yesterday how long our summer actually is? The answer is good news. It is longer than I thought!
If we want to improve almost anything in our lives, first we need to change the way we think about it. The way we eat, move, work, and many other things we do daily become habitual. Even when we know they are not quite right, or downright bad for us it can be a tough call to make the necessary changes.
This is Kate, you may know her from classes. A recently retired GP with an incredible story to tell. In fact, so incredible I wanted to share it with you all. I also know that we can help Kate raise as much money as possible for her chosen charity, Macmillan Cancer Support.
A courageously brave. inspiring and scarily talented lady!
I am all for celebrating our wonderfulness but that’s not what I wanted to write about this week. The awareness of a certain behaviour, habit or lifestyle that is not serving us or those around us well, can be life changing.
The spring equinox fell on the 20th March this year and marked the end of winter – when we receive 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night. In fact the news is even better than that as daylight is a bit longer than 12 hours 🙂 The balance of light and dark is at it’s best.
I’m back, and as you would expect, full of renewed energy and a zest for life! I also kept my side of the bargain and avoided injury so am confident that you all remained fit and well, as instructed 😉
It’s a serious question! I want to know because most of you would normally spend some of your week with me. That time has been put aside by you, for you. So what will you do for yourself instead of Tessfit? You might do a different sort of exercise, hire one of my videos, go to the pub, visit a friend….the world is your lobster!
Well now we know what a Red Warning of wind means! I hope you all weathered the storm well and didn’t have too much clearing up to do. It was bin day in my road, or rather it was ‘rubbish all over the place’ day! Fermoy’s lost all but one layer of their makeshift roof and if you go there the staff will be looking nervously upwards. Masks are no longer required but they advise an umbrella whilst shopping!
Whether you celebrate it or ignore it, today has been that day in the year when we see hearts everywhere. I have waited until the very end of this hearty day to congratulate everyone who made it through another year of chaos with their relationship in tact and to commiserate with those who…didn’t! Either way, we all have another chance to arrive at this date next year even happier. Good luck to us all 🙂
Today is the eve of my 57th birthday and most of the day I haven’t thought about it. I then remembered it was Update day. When I worked in a bank I used to write my birthday in everyone’s diary, no-one asked me to but I though it was important! This is even better 😉
Never a dull moment in the Tessfit world. Today I broke my elbow! It wouldn’t have been so bad if I had been more than 5 minutes away from home. The B&Q roundabout decided I was not go any further so it took my bike from under me and suggested I go for an x-ray instead!
You may have noticed that the last update was quite short. This one will make up for it so put the kettle on and settle down.
I will start with a funny story. After the Christmas lunch I went for a walk. I took a short cut, got confused as to where I was, tried to remedy the situation with another short cut and had to be rescued!
I always look forward to the middle of January when it is no longer necessary to wish everyone and his dog Happy New Year!
2022 on one hand hasn’t got much to live up to after 2021 set such a low bar. On the other hand, we are all so hoping this will be the year that life returns to normal, there is a lot of pressure!
I use the term ‘rest’ loosley because Christmas can be pretty active! A change in routine will feel like a holiday and a rest from me is the best present I could think of 😉
Looking forward to celebrating with many of you at the Christmas lunch on Thursday, 12.30pm Coffee Couture, and the evening party on Friday, The Jolly Farmer at 7.30pm.
Anyone not attending has homework, it will be dancing 🙂
I call this the Christmas Mantra! We all say it when there is suddenly so much to do before the big day. As long as we take time to enjoy the fun as well as the organising, that’s all good. There are many people who would love to still have the pre-christmas panic but life has calmed down. It is a different phase of life. No less wonderful as there is more time to enjoy everything that the festive season brings.
There are three weeks of Tessfit until Christmas. Christmas parties are booked, Christmas playlists are underway and I have just had permission to put some decorations in the studio 🙂 Sounds like I’m all sorted doesn’t it?
The truth is, just like everyone else, I am starting to overbook myself, over shop and over think! Chaos is just around the corner!
Ever since the studio classes returned, the Young at Heart classes have gone from strength to strength. The people who attend have also gone from strength to strength! Not only improving their balance, coordination and energy levels but more importantly, their laughter is louder, the chatter more difficult to control, the behaviour worse….those are the things that matter most!
As you can see, I received some fabulous photos which prove that Autumn is still showering us with it’s beauty. Thanks to everyone who sent their pictures 🙂
Although I am not willing winter on, I am elated that the Christmas television adverts have arrived! “My life is complete” I shouted when the John Lewis one popped up. Apparently that was a bit over the top but it was an exciting moment!
This week there are two videos which should make you smile, some party details, an apology, some missing leaves and the promise of a new blog. What more could you want?!
I was scrolling through my photos for inspiration and I saw these. You may think they are terrible but I think they prove that cameras on phones have a secret life of their own…!
Mine chose to capture me ‘looking up,’ ‘looking down,’ looking where I was going on my bike, and the beauty of an autumn sky.
Some of you will be looking forward to half term and having your children around a bit more. Some of you will be worried about how you can balance work and childcare. Some of you will be on Grandparent duty. Some will fall into the category of not knowing it is half term and then there is the couldn’t care less group!
This week I wanted to start with these two. Kelly & Kate. There is no mistaking that they are sisters, and very pretty ones at that! Kelly is a key member of the Venture Fitness team and many of you will know her from there. Kate is undergoing treatment for a very rare type of bone cancer and enduring a gruelling fight for her life.
We all know that waiting for a new season, a new year or even a new day does not make sense when something needs to change. However, as the leaves start to fall and our routines change with the weather it can bring it a new determination.
The good the bad and the ugly faces of Autumn….Let’s start with the good!
Our world becomes more vibrant in the autumn, colours make us stare in wonder as though we have never seen such beauty. It is a special gift that never fails to impress.
I was so pleased that this newsletter was ready in record time last week…the title tells you the ending of this sad tale!
I am always very happy when I can start an update with a big welcome to newcomers 🙂 There are have been quite a few recently and it is time to say an official “Hello and welcome!”
When I saw this photo it reminded me of the many beautiful things I have seen in my life, simply by looking up. There are poems, short films and quotes about looking up from your screens and escaping social media etc. but my thoughts were simpler than that. Basic even. I see so many people walking with their eyes cast down. It is a habit, and it is a bad one.
I decided on the title of this update before I embarked on the first stage of my holiday. Having completed it I am now not sure it is so appropriate! Trevor had a 3 stage cycling race which gave me 3 days when I would have a few hours completely to myself in the middle of nowhere. The middle of nowhere became the middle of lostness! It involved walking, running and cycling, in that order and each day had varying amounts of lostness.
Everyone knows the dangers of being unhealthy. No one wants to become unwell. The benefits of looking after our health are well documented. Most of us try, but why are we not consistent? Why do we take a break from looking after ourselves?
I nearly didn’t write anything this week as not much has happened apart from a bit of rain, some classes and a few olympic medals. Then I made an awful cake, read an interesting quote, heard a good joke and suddenly I had a lot to share with my faithful and tolerant readers!
With the school holidays underway,many daily routines will be disrupted. I used to love the disruption, a time of slight chaos, uncertainty about what day it was or even what time it was. A bit of muddle and mess every now and again is good for the soul.
“I really miss complaining about the cold” said most British people this week!
It has been a hot one and not many have had good things to say about it. I myself was so fed up with the continuously cold weather that I am determined not to complain! We somehow need to become more resiliant to temperature changes.
Yes it’s true, the heat is about to be turned up. I am so confident this is true that I have bought another fan for the studio! It would seem we are destined for a topsy turvey summer and maybe that’s not such a bad thing? We can embrace the gift of rain when our gardens need it and at the same time prepare for days on the beach when the sun does shine.
July is here and I don’t know about you, but I am struggling to get my head around the fact that we are more than half way through 2021. Not only that, we keep getting blasts of summer then have to dress for winter again. It is all very confusing!
This update is not late, it is all part of a cunning plan! As the charity ride to Norwich starts on Friday I won’t be writing to you again until it is all over. By delaying this one, you won’t miss me so much!
One minute it felt as though lockdown would last forever and suddenly there aren’t enough days in the week to fit in everything we can now do! Meeting friends, staying with family, visiting pubs, restaurants and cafes, attending fitness classes, cycling to Norwich…!
I don’t know about you, but the sensation of feeling warm again just as we are all allowed back inside is amusingly ironic.
When we are warm everthing feels more relaxed. The days are not longer, but they stretch ahead of us full of possiblities. Time is not split between getting cold and warming up which leaves us with more energy to do truly enjoyable things.
The title of today’s update is from a line in a song written by Pink, one of my favourite singers. I have her on repeat whilst enduring indoor cycle training! Each time I hear those words it makes me think about all the people I know who just need that little bit of extra courage to step away from their fears. It also makes me smile when I remember the many people who I have had the priviledge to watch take that step.
The wait is finally over, and what a long wait it was! As we start our 2021 journey back into fitness together, remember this saying:
“Don’t look back, you are not going that way.”
I like to think of Tessfit as a place for positivity. Somewhere to recharge your energy and share your ambitions for a healthy, happy future.
This time next week the last Zoom and Garden classes will have been completed. I will be panicking about being fully prepared for the studio classes, coping with 16 classes instead of 7 and whether or not I will cry when I see everyone together again!
Welcome to the last update of sunny April. It has been a bit windy at times but what fun we have had trying to stop our food from blowing off its plate as we enjoyed some outdoor dining! I read that Mother Nature needs a hot flush and I don’t think it was fake news!
I am in London today for a long awaited reunion with my daughter, Chloe. Her life was turned on it’s head as she was seconded to the intensive care unit during both the worst stages of the pandemic. To say I am proud and have missed being able to support her in person would be the understatement of the year!
I was intrigued by your first purchases. The most exciting and frequent things reported were tin openers and library books! What does this tell us? I have no idea!There have been a few questions cropping up recently and although various updates have mentioned the answers I decided it was time to make a list. I love lists! Below is the result.
Tomorrow we can shop till we drop, have our hair cut, go to the gym, swim in a pool and many other wonderful things. The one thing we cannot do is attend an indoor fitness class. This is not a complaint, just a fact that I want to make clear in case anyone is confused! Our time will come and when it does I intend to be the most excited fitness instructor in Devon!! Hard to believe I know 😉
Freedom is coming, bit by bit. Don’t rush it. Don’t be too hasty. We want it to be forever. Enjoy every reunion but don’t forget to check whether that long awaited hug is going to bring joy or anxiety. Show your love with consideration. We will all get there in our own time 🙂
If I was a clock right now I would be springing forward with all my might! The shorter, darker days were a bit rubbish really.
Welcome British Summer Time 🙂
I am very pleased to announce that this charity won your vote and I think they are quite pleased!
“We are absolutely delighted you have chosen our charity to fundraise for, and this is an incredible challenge to take on!”
A strange title? Goes with the Tessfit territory! First a boast, that I have had my first vaccination and was a brave soldier. AstraZeneca yesterday and have since been on a long bike ride and run just to check I was alright!
I think by the time we are all back in the studio the volume of antibodies accompanying us will help everyone to breathe easy, literally!
58 Days to go 🙂
Happy Mothers Day to all the mums out there and to everyone who forgot, here are some flowers!! Lots to talk about this blustery week so we had better get on with it.
There are now 2 discount codes that I have added to Gymcatch for you. Both will give you a £3 discount in total. They can be used for back-to-back classes and for bookings of 3 classes in the same week. The latter is available now and can be used for Zoom and Garden classes. If you would like to take advantage of the discounts please ask me for the code you require.
