Regular readers of my blog and the website, people who come to my courses, and anyone who knows me will be very aware of how much I love a good quote. I read them all the time and note down my favourite ones. The one that has resonated so much this week is this:
​"When the past calls, allow it to go to voicemail; it has nothing new to say."
​Isn't that genius?! For someone like me, whose memory is razor-sharp when it comes to the past (but has real difficulty remembering what happened yesterday), this is so useful; it's a great reminder that things don't need to be re-hashed or regurgitated ad nauseum​. They can just be allowed to fade. I love it! What do you think?

I was reminded by a very wise person this week about the need to take care of ourselves, and that just doing the basics is so important: it's the least that our bodies deserve. So this week's CWB Ramblings focus on the simple things, the everyday things... the crucial things. These suggestions aren't meant to be anything other than a refresher. We all know them, and sometimes we forget about how important they are.

Here's a few fundamentals - my favourite five:

​1. Sleep 'hygiene' (great phrase!): ensuring that you get enough sleep, that it is of good quality, and that you feel rested after it. Sometimes, sleep eludes us - but it is usually temporary. Get into good habits, and try not to let yourself get away with less than you need.
​2. A balanced diet: not necessarily following the latest fad, but simply eating a wide range of foods, with an emphasis on vegetables, fruit, seasonal foods, and what you enjoy. If kale isn't your favourite, don't labour away at it, trying to enjoy it! Find something else that gives you essential nutrients and enjoy that instead.
​3. Move! You don't have to go to the gym, classes or anything formal if that isn't your style; just try not to sit around all day, every day - get up and move around. Create your own heat rather than huddle by a radiator.
​4. Get outside: even better, get some sunshine when you can; and breathe fresh air, not jut conditioned air.
​5. Be consistent: try not to flit between new concepts and ideas - stick to what works for you.

These won't be new, just a little refresher. Hope they offer something to you and your well-being.

I get asked about mindfulness so much: what is it all about? Does it work? What does it mean? How do you know you're doing it 'right'? So I thought a quick blog on it might be helpful.

​For me, one of the key things about mindfulness is taking time to choose your response, rather than react in a habitual way. Choice is so important and something that can be forgotten about in the heat of a moment. For example, think of a time when you have reacted to a situation - it might be when you have got annoyed about something that you know, logically, is trivial but it really winds you up. And your reaction to this annoyance is to shout, make a sarcastic comment, become passive-aggressive, sigh dramatically, or something similar. This is what you always do in that situation and you know it's coming. It's familiar, though it might not be a comfortable feeling. ​You might not like the way you react in a particular way, but it's how you have always done it, so it can feel difficult to change.

Think about the example above and how you could choose another way to respond. What if you took a couple of seconds to choose what you would like to do instead? A sarcastic comment, or shouting, might feel like a release on some level, but does it change anything? Does it stop the irritation occurring again? Your response could be more considered and could be a better reflection of what you really want and how you really feel. You aren't ruled by knee-jerk reactions or old habits any longer. You give yourself time to choose instead.

​For a chance to learn a bit more about mindful ways of being, come along to a mini retreat. The next one is on Saturday 16th January.

As you read this, I will be having the time of my life at a trampoline park, celebrating my birthday! I'm taking the day off and spending it jumping. It is one of my most favourite things to do! And with this being a well-being blog, I thought it would be useful to look up why jumping is so good for us. Some research suggests that jumping on a trampoline is the greatest form of exercise invented by man. Here's a few well-known reasons:

​1. It's aerobic, so it gets your heart pumping.
​2. It stimulates the metabolism, so you keep things moving in all senses of the word.
3. Jumping increases bone density, helping to avoid brittle bones in later life.
4. It normalises blood pressure, to help prevent cardiovascular diseases.
5. And most importantly, it is fun - it makes you smile and reminds you to live in the moment!

​If you've been to one of my exercise classes, you'll know how much I love to jump there too! Classes start back again this week, and I'm so looking forward to them. I'm hoping to have enough energy to teach my fitness class tonight... Might need some birthday cake to sustain me first!

​(There are some places left at the next mini retreat on 16th January 2016. It would be lovely to see you there!)