October was a big month for me as I finished and published my first book. As with any deadline, something’s gotta give, and my Tuesday and Thursday workouts were parked in order to finish.
In retrospect, I do not think I could/would have done it differently. However, I would have cleared my diary afterwards to catch up with myself a bit more. It was more tiring than I expected. I am however, very pleased to have finished and will keep the good, the bad and the ugly all in mind for book two!
Rest and relaxation
We had a week in Malaga, Spain, which was lovely to have some warm weather and big blues skies. We had many long lies as well as wandering around and exploring. We visited a Haman Spa, which had a gorgeous interior and very relaxing. I would highly recommend it
It is a beautiful city with a historic area, contemporary art and a beach!
Ageing with attitude
In Spain, I only spotted one private gym. There were no Yoga or Pilates studios. Perhaps that was due to the area we were in? There did appear to be a lot of walking for walking sake rather than running errands. In addition, the marina was well used for walking and running.
Elder Spaniards appear to be more sure footed compared to British counterparts, who often shuffle when walking with quite small steps. Quite noticeably different walking gait to my Pilates eyes!
Unplugged
I haven’t had a digital detox for a while. I had reduced my digital intake when I was writing my book so I am now catching up on blogs and social media.
Look up. Voila!
I use my Instagram account as a measure of what has caught my eye when out and about. Instead of having my head stuck in my phone. I live in one of the most beautiful cities so it’s not too hard. If my Instagram feed is full of only MEME’s then it’s time to look up, not down!
Books
I came across a fabulous book on introverts which was quite a different read to some of the other books on introversion called The Irresistible Introvert: Harness the Power of Quiet Charisma in a Loud World by Michaela Chung
One of the joys of getting older is the memory fades when it comes to books. I have started rereading Ben Aaronovitch books again as book 6 of his PC Peter Grant series is now out. I’m up to book 4 again so almost there!
Lastly, my favourite TV show Grey’s Anatomy is back on, yay.
Non-negotiable activities
Weekly Pilates was hit and miss. I changed to a different teacher and venue. The time was not good for me even though on paper it looked great! So I haven’t booked in another block but looking for something with better timings.
Weekly Yoga, my gym has added a few more Yoga classes, which technically means I should have attended more often but the additional choices have left me indecisive as to the best time to go and went less! So back to square one and Saturday morning Yoga I think!
10,000 steps, daily I averaged 10,000 over the week and had a week or two where I went with what felt like 10,000 steps!
Samantha Valand is the founder of Wise Women Wellbeing Academy.
A comprehensive hub of resources on hormone balancing, healthy eating and exercising in your menopausal years and beyond.