They're picking up the miles

We've now had three training walks for the Athena Angels and the feedback is wonderful. Lovely to see the comments like Jo's below -

"Just wanted to say thank you for yet another great walk!   It was so nice to see that part of London again and we were lucky with the weather. The company is always great and so nice to chat and walk and network as we go!" - Jo Tocher www.yourhealthyheart.co.uk

In the photo, part of the group in the park at Mile End heading for the canal at the start of the walk.

Also great to see that people are doing their stretching and trying out all the training tips and they're working.

Poor Lisa was ready to join us this week and then had to step into childcare at the last moment, we missed you and Amanda has really got the bug and although she can't make the walk on Sat is organising one of her own on Sunday to which all Athena Angel members are invited so check your email. For me I'll be getting spoilt as it's Mothers day.

Here are all the lovely Angels with the new Shard and Tower Bridge in the background.

We did some London sightseeing on our walk last Saturday so lovely to be able to appreciate our great city on foot and everyone did a great 6 miles so those doing the 10 miles are already half way there.

The Athena Angels Grow through walking

Our next walk is coming up though I have a decision to make regarding that today as I see how my back will be.

I did want to take the opportunity to post a couple of comments from those walking on March 12th.

Lou (http://www.bite-entertainment.co.uk/ commented -

"It was a beautiful day - thanks to Heather for organising it, and love the piccies. Great to meet you all -  I look forward to more group walks, plus hooking up with some of you for our own walks too. I will definitely be going for the twenty miles!"

Well done Lou, the change of mind re mileage was after realising that if she could do 6 miles now she could definitely manage 20 by Sept.

 
.... Jo clearly has had a similar thought and wrote "It was a great walk and even though I found it tough toward the end I enjoyed a long hot bath felt a lot better. I'm almost thinking  20 miles as well!" 

This was Jo's second walk, great to see the progress and that the relaxation tips are being taken into consideration and tried out!

As for Amanda - "Same as Jo I found it tough at the end but the next day I felt fine and even
managed to do a fitness dvd so it got me really motivated!! Not only that, I have gone for an hour's walk every evening after work so that between my weekend walks I don't seize up - this coming from a girl who used to drive to a letterbox to post a letter!! "

Says it all really.


Finally from Dawn Gomes of Visionva - "thanks for the walk today, I really enjoyed it.  It was great to chat to everyone while walking along - as you say the time passes so quickly that way." 

This really is why it's so good to do as a group. 

Stop ignoring the signs!

That's just what I did and I've been here before so please learn from me.

Way back in 2005, after ignoring that fact that I should be taking more exercise and looking after me more, my back gave in on me on holidays. A little move on the sun lounger on day 1 of what was to have been a great 10 day break with the family in the sun and something went. For the next 4/5 days I tried painkillers, muscle rub and swimming but no, and we had to give in and head home.

As a positive thinking person and a coach, I did what I shouldn't do and went into pure victim mode - Why me? Why now? What have I done to deserve this? Why couldn't this have happened at another time?

It didn't do me any good but I do believe we need to allow a wallow sometimes. Anyhow I soon got out of it and then started trying to understand the reason why? My take on it was the fact that I kept saying I'd put me first and I didn't so my body taught me a lesson and in the Sept of that year , just a few weeks later I started walking seriously and that revolutionised my life in so many ways.

My walking is so important to me and I've seen the effect using it in my business has made to my clients so it's now such a part of me and how I function. I got fitter, more toned and for all the years since then I've had no colds or flu and my health has been really good.

However, over the past year, although I still walk with my East End Girls walking group monthly, train others to get fit for treks and am undertaking a 1000 mile walk across parts of France and Spain in sections, I've not walked daily and inside I know I should.

So I've been ignoring that intuition. At times, I've had a little insight and done some morning walks but it's not been at the same regularity. I believe that knowing I needed to get fitter again was one of the reasons I wanted to launch the Athena Angels Initiative. I knew that by getting others involved and being able to share my love of walking with them I'd be motivating them and it would be good for me too. Our first couple of walks have been great and I look forward to loads more.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a really sore foot, my knee has been pulling a little too and then just a few days before heading off to Mallorca my back tweaked as well. Of course this was my intuition shouting longer so I went to see the Physio, I started doing my knee exercises again (but why had I stopped) and I prayed that all would be OK for Mallorca. It was and we did some terrific walks - thanks Paula.

I came back on Friday having thought a lot about the way I was living my life and the changes I wanted to make as I knew I was pushing myself too far and judging myself too harshly. Then on Sat as I bent down to put the washing in the washing machine (how exciting) my back went. My body knows me. It had let me have my four days of walking but it wasn't convinced that I'd now take all the action I needed so it was pulling me up.

I've taken time out, I've realised some new things about me, I've started to put new plans into place all about taking care of me. Ladies you've heard me say this before you need to look after you, you need to be 'fit for business and fit for your life' so learn from me.

Things got on top of me, I started letting things slip, I ignored the signs. I don't intend to again.

No cobwebs any more

Today started later than planned and the morning was full of blogging, emailing and catching up. Then after a late breakfast we headed out with a walk along the coast in mind.

The best laid plans go astray especially when the weather doesn't go to plan so we set out in search of blue rather than black skies and found them to the south East of the island. No rain but wind and as a result I've just returned from a fabulous energising walk along the boardwalk of a lovely little seaside resort in a storm. Waves crashing on the rocks and a faceful of salty spray every so often. It's a long time since I've laughed so much! Reminded me that I should do much more of this. Something else to add to my plans.....

Some photos to make you smile... especially this first one.

Just what the doctor ordered.

I've been in Mallorca since Sunday and it was one of those trips which, had it been cancelled, I may have just gone to bits. Sounds really dramatic I know but I really needed to escape and chill, something that I think many of us women need more than we ever admit to. We're so good at plodding on, giving to others, nurturing, caring, organising and often (dare I say most cases) we come bottom of the list with our needs forgotten. This is exactly where I'd got to, not that I necessarily realised the extent of it, at least until I was a few weeks from this trip.

It's amazing though what a couple of days in a new place will do for you, along with no timelines, warm weather and being able to indulge in my passion, yes, walking is playing a big role.

How could walking in some of this scenery not have an affect on you?

On Monday, we walked in the mountains, starting in the beautiful town of Soller and visiting a couple of beautiful little villages well placed for coffees and a lunch in the sunshine.







Stopping and having time to take in and revisit all that was discussed and thought through when walking is needed so I always carry a notebook. Doing this, also makes me realise how much I need to do more of this.

As you can see there were lots of 'ups' great for my colleague and friend who's training for a walk on the Great Wall of China. We also walked through many olive groves where the gnarled trees are so beautiful and , if they could speak, would have much wisdom to impart.

Yesterday it was walks by the sea and all those positive ions had a wonderful effect as well as the energising waves.

I've been making sure I've been putting my stretches into place as I've been walking. The past two days we've done about 9 miles each day but the terrain has been mixed with lots of climbing and scrambling so some muscle groups have been getting more use than they have for a while.

Even as I've been slipping down this slope I know I've still being able to give to others, I'm good at setting my needs aside but this has really made me realise how many of us could do with what I now have. If you identify with any of this, do drop me an email on heather@waringwell.com as one reason I'm here is to suss out a place for a taking women away from their day to day lives and giving them thinking time, 'me' time and pamper time. I'm exploring this in Mallorca and in two places in France at the moment.

I'm a different person from three days ago when I got off that plane frazzled and ready to decombust!  In this photo I'm on the return trip after having walked about 4 miles and having had a wonderful lunch of fresh calamares and salad sitting in the sun.

In that time, I've been here I've talked and explored thoughts and ideas often as I've walked. I've really tried to listen and to see things through others eyes as so often we're so close to the issues, we cannot see it clearly. As a result I've looked at my part in all of this and started to plan other ways of doing things.

There are insights already but many more will develop over time and I hope to be able to share some of these with you and perhaps too, the results of the implementation. I feel quite excited now which is a very different place than when I arrived on Sunday. It's all happened in such a short time too and I hope you can see that what we women often need is just a couple of days escape. Much as it would be lovely we're not talking about a week or fortnight away.

Regular battery charging is now more of a priority than it was before. How can I help it be for you too? As I said earlier if any of this makes you think, let's communicate. No commitment, just lets have a chat on skype, email or phone and explore.

More Athena Angels

On Sat 12th, I led the 2nd Athena Angels training walk and again it was great fun. We had a couple of little blips when dear old TfL engineering put an end to the original plan but we managed to find an alternative route. In fact the planned route was lengthened when everyone felt able to walk further.

I try and involve the members where possible so we had one decision making moment when we got to the end of the river Roding section and again as to whether we did a pavement walk back or retraced our steps so we could walk more in greenery. The greenery won out, such a wise decision.

Here are the happy bunch just about to enter Wanstead Park.

Ladies, thanks so much for your company on Saturday. Already I'm starting to see the progress and I know you feel it too. Lou has already indicated that she may upgrade to 20 miles, way to go Lou.  You can also see how much people are enjoying meeting new Athena members and networking with them. I'm glad that things seem to be developing as hoped with us all getting loads of wins in terms of fitness, the fact we are doing something for a great cause and the networking and business building and that great bonding and belonging. I look forward to welcoming more women out on the walks.

Being female, we like our stops and it's also a great incentive so it was lovely to be able to support the 'tea hut' in the park and sit on the steps having a rest and putting the world to rights as we enjoyed coffee, tea etc and in many cases, home made cakes. One of the conversations I was part of was, was very enlightening on the subject of networking. We all do a fair amount of this and it's always good to swap stories and experiences, this can save time and effort.

So far there do not seem to have been any aches and pains. I did a stretching session after our 'loo stop', another vital inclusion so we could all try out what we should be doing when we get home after the walk. Lou followed up my suggestion of a hot bath after all the stretches and enjoyed a glass of port in the bath, just as I did. Important to reward ourselves. I'm sure we'll all continue to share important findings like this as we bond further as a group.

Next walk 27th March, wonder where we'll go and who'll be with us then?

International Women's Day - are you celebrating?

What a great day for us women, let's make sure that we celebrate all that's wonderful about being a women but not forget that all women are not equal and we must continue to strive to make being a woman a cause for celebration for all. It may take some time but step by step, there's still a long way to go.

When I called my dear friend Karen Knott for permission to include her article in my blog she was discussing wishing that she'd got more organised and planned to do something more to celebrate today. I can agree with that so we've pledged to get our act together more for 2012.

Well, even if you haven't managed anything yet here in Karen's article are some action points that you can take which get you thinking about being a woman and what you have achieved. Recognising our achievements and celebrating them are so important but in working with my many female clients, I see many who never celebrate and often do not even think what they've done is worth noting. One new client has been warned by me that regular celebrating is something we'll be concentrating on. Do you celebrate?

Read on and enjoy and have a go at the questions for yourself, I intend to.

Celebrating All That You Are!

When was the last time you revelled - yes, revelled - in your personal achievements and successes? A while ago, I'll bet!  We aren’t particularly good at even recognising our skills, talents and accomplishments, let alone throwing a spotlight on them in order to simply rejoice!

Well, no more hiding your light under a bushel because TODAY, March 8th, is International Women’s Day with hundreds of events,  throughout the world, marking the achievements of women . Yes, that's right, women just like us! It's also about supporting and nurturing the next generation of women by calling for changes to ensure they have a brilliant future in which they are able to reach their full potential.

The 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day is a global event but it's also the perfect opportunity for us as women, to highlight our individual accomplishments and reflect on our individual purpose and contribution.  (And don’t even think of uttering anything along the lines of, ‘what accomplishments?’ .... or assume that ‘anyone’ can do the things you can do, because that’s just not true!) 

Let’s actively rejoice in being female and take some time to celebrate those things which we seldom acknowledge or express:

What are you proud of?
What makes you grateful to be a woman?
What do you consider to be your greatest achievements so far?
In what ways do you enhance the lives of others?
 

Take a moment to acknowledge how good it feels to celebrate achievement, success and each other. But let’s not stop there…. whilst we’re in the groove, let’s also look to the future and think about how we can create the changes which will ensure it’s one in which we reach our full potential.

In what ways can you build on your successes?
What are you passionate about but have yet to fully express?
What can you put right?
What do you want your children to see you succeed at?
What one thing can you change which will impact on YOUR future and those around you?

I wish you all a very happy day, celebrating your personal successes as well as those of women in general. Here's to all of us.

This is a great article and thanks Karen for letting me use it. If you want to find out more about Karen and how she can enhance you then check her out at her website http://www.midlifematters.co.uk/

1st 'Athena Angels ' walk

My focus has been on the training plans for Athena Angels over the last few days. Firstly as I threw out the challenge to the group pf a walk this morning just to get things started off and secondly, once I'd done that I stated on Thursday that I would have a time table of all dates completed by the end of the day!

Now this had been something I'd been meaning to do for a while and I know me, publicly acclaim that I'll do something and there's no way I'll not to it.......It took me till about 11.00 p.m. but it was really worth it and now we have a time table of walks that I'll run as well as a self training plan which include those walks for those who may not be able to get to them and have to train on their own.

So even with short notice 6 Athena Angels including me met up at Mile End tube at 10.30 this morning and walked up the canal to Islington covering the 3 miles in 85 minutes. A well earned coffee and loo stop and the sun was shining as 4 of us did the return 3 miles - a total of 6 miles. Well done.

Above, en route on the canal.

To the right - art work in Hackney on a soon to be demolished building.

Stretches were discussed at our stop so that hamstrings and quadriceps could be eased and I recommended my usual 10-15 minutes lying on the floor with your legs up against the wall. This really drains away the lactic acid that can cause pain and discomfort the next day - wonder how many of you are doing this?

 As well as raising money for a great cause , one of the reasons for doing this walk is to develop and build on a great sense of bonding and belonging and to network. I for one got to know Nikki much better though having a great chat on the walk and look forward to targeting Nicola next time so watch out.

Activity on the canal.

Well done to everyone. "It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning," was Sonia's comment. Next walk, next Saturday. Details will come out through the week.

Want to build your confidence and self esteem, go walking!

Walking is invigorating - it raises your energy levels and expands your creativity; it gives you space to think; you’re amongst nature and it can be done by nearly everyone from your own front door and all over the world. You also need no special gear, just a comfortable pair of shoes.

The other great thing is, that when you’re walking, you’re away from the situations and the people who may be the cause of you lack of confidence or self esteem. They may be the people and situations who cause you angst, stress, trauma and the desire for change, so in this type of environment you are able to think more clearly and widely. I’ve yet to go for a walk and come back feeling down or in a bad mood.

We often lack confidence or have low self esteem because we don’t believe in ourselves; because we are always comparing ourselves with others; because we set ourselves up to fail by trying to do too much; because we lack direction and are not too sure where to go, because we are at the ‘beck and call’ of other people.

If you walk alone it provides you with plenty of time to think, something we don’t always give ourselves the gift of. Often we don’t want to as we are scared of what we might find but in my experience the reality is never as bad as the fear we imagine. Walking has definitely helped me to work through challenges and issues in my life be they business or general life related.


As well as my own confidence and self esteem, I use walking to great affect with my clients when, I believe, even more is achieved through being out in the fresh air and in a space where only the person you’re with can hear what you have to say.

Walking has saved my sanity because at a very challenging time in life, I was able to walk in the hills and escape; it’s enabled me to help others; it’s the best de-stressor I know and it’s shaped me to be who I am where I have confidence in me.