Far 2 Fabulous
Join Catherine & Julie, your feisty hosts at Far 2 Fabulous, as they lead you on a wellness revolution to embrace your fabulousness.
Julie, a Registered Nutritional Therapist with over 20 years of expertise, and Catherine, a former nurse turned Pilates Instructor and Vitality Coach, blend wisdom and laughter seamlessly.
Off the air, catch them harmonising in their local choir and dancing to 80's hits in superhero attire. Catherine braves the sea for year-round swims, while Julie flips and tumbles in ongoing gymnastics escapades.
With a shared passion for women's health and well-being, they bring you an engaging exploration of health, life, and laughter. Join us on this adventure toward a more fabulous and empowered you!
Far 2 Fabulous
How do I prioritise my health when everyone else needs me first?
Episode 87: How do I prioritise my health when everyone else needs me first?
Ever feel like your well-being is the last item on an endless to-do list? You're not alone. This candid conversation tackles the reality of being a busy woman trying to prioritize health in a world that expects you to do everything for everyone else first.
Julie and Catherine cut through the noise to address what's really happening when women put themselves last – it's not laziness or lack of willpower, but programming we've received since childhood. That "guilt button" that seems permanently installed when you become a mother? We talk about how to acknowledge it without letting it rule your decisions.
The hosts share their own experiences as busy professionals and parents who've learned to integrate well-being practices without adding stress. Their practical approach focuses on micro-habits that create massive returns – from five-minute movement sessions to simple nutrition swaps that don't require meal prep marathons. You'll discover why sleep might be your most powerful wellness tool and how small adjustments to your evening routine can transform your energy levels.
What makes this episode particularly valuable is the emphasis on breaking the all-or-nothing mentality. Instead of waiting for the perfect time to overhaul your entire lifestyle (which never comes), you'll learn how to identify your "one thing" – that single, small change that creates momentum toward better health without overwhelming your schedule.
Ready to shift from survival mode to sustainable well-being? Join the Far Too Fabulous community in discovering how tiny, consistent actions can create life-changing results. The journey to prioritizing yourself without guilt starts with one small step – which will you choose today?
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Thank you for listening.
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For more information about Julie Clark Nutrition, click HERE
For more information about Catherine Chapman, click HERE
We look forward to you joining us on the next episode.
Welcome to Far Too Fabulous hosted by Julie and Catherine, join us on a mission to embrace your fabulousness and redefine wellness. Get ready for some feistiness, inspiration, candy chats and humour as we journey together towards empowered wellbeing. Let's dive in. Hello, hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Far Too Fabulous podcast and she's off again.
Speaker 2:She's off again. We hope that this episode finds you super, super well and I have a feeling you're going to find this episode really really juice-fy, juice-fy, juice-fy, juice-fy, really really juicy, juicy, juicy, juicy, really, really juicy, and that there are going to be lots of practical takeaways for you. It is going to be about busy women, busy lives and how to take care of your health when you have no time, and the thought for this podcast was basically that this is what I'm hearing all the time, and especially now we're in september and things kind of rev back up again on the downhill journey to the c word.
Speaker 1:Do not mention the c, do not mention the sea.
Speaker 2:No, no, singing, no singing Christmas songs ever until Christmas Day. So, yes, I feel like things are really revving up and certainly people that speak to me and I know that people that get in touch with you, julie want to look after themselves.
Speaker 1:They really genuinely want to do it and they don't know how to prioritize and fit that into their busy lives yeah, and we, and we obviously live in a society of quick fixes, so we don't want to spend any time doing it. We haven't got any time. We want the amazon delivery situation, don't we?
Speaker 1:right, right now right here right now. Yeah, but I think most of us, you know, understand what it's like when you're you know, we are genuinely juggling a lot, yeah, and time is often an issue and I will find myself saying I haven't got enough time. Yeah, I think it's normal right when you've got, especially when you've got family or and you're working and you're trying to do the work-life balance and everything and and you're also trying to do things that are good for you, it's like, oh, it's another thing to add to my to-do list yeah, yeah, which is completely counterproductive, isn't it?
Speaker 2:because actually, your well-being rituals, you want to take away that stress, don't? You don't want to. Just you don't want to add stress to something when you're when you're trying to take it away yeah, exactly, it's so true, isn't it?
Speaker 1:and it's not about a lack of willpower. A lot of the time when I speak to my clients, or laziness, it's nothing to do with that. No, people genuinely do have packed schedules, don't they?
Speaker 2:yeah, absolutely. I said these exact words to a new client this morning when she was saying that she doesn't do this and she doesn't do that as if it was her fault, and I just had to reiterate that it's not her fault. This is just her current programming and we get to change that. But it's been. We get programmed like this through society, particularly women, who we, you know, obviously we're speaking to now, we talk to and work with. We get programmed like this from the word go. And so, yeah, if that is, if you take nothing from this podcast today, is that you take that it is not your fault, it is your programming and you get to change that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it is this whole thing of women in particular will put themselves last on their to-do list. And you know why do we do that? Why on earth do we put ourselves last?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I have. Well, I say just because we've been programmed to do it. That's what society says that we should be doing, because we we are, we tend to be in that kind of caregiver role. Yeah, however, again, I had a meeting with somebody yesterday and we we were talking about these things and I wanted to just reiterate to her that that my role I see as somebody that is a shining light for prioritizing yourself and putting yourself first for other women and for my daughters, because I don't want them to grow up thinking that they need that they should put everybody else in front of them, everybody else's needs in front of them. Nobody wants that for their children, so why would you want it for?
Speaker 1:yourself. Yeah, it's true, but again, that programming it's. You know, we've often got multiple roles and it'd be great if we could hand over some of those responsibilities to other members of the family, but a lot of the time their brain doesn't work the same as us do they, and they can't hold all that information. It's amazing how many things that you've got to think about with regards to, especially when you've got children at different stages, in different places, and we're like. I actually used this phrase yesterday. I said to my children I am like a full-time pa to you like you need a full-time walking file of facts?
Speaker 1:yes, a walking file of facts. Yes, yeah, yeah, of all this information. And if, if I drop a ball, it affects one of those people but no one else thinks to go, oh, hang a minute, what do I need to do? Where am I supposed to be? Well, you didn't tell me that's what I get. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:The yeah, the trouble is, though, we create this, don't we? We do, we do. I do this particularly with my son. I create this where you kind of take all of the pressure and all of the organisation away so they don't have to do any of it, and so then, suddenly, when you expect them to do something, they can't do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there is a bit of yeah. We've Made a rod for our own back. Made a rod for our own back exactly, but at the same time it's so Victims of our own success. Yes, it is frustrating, but because we have all of this, you know we are like the file I love that term the file of facts for the family and everything. Sometimes it feels like any time for us is a bit of a luxury.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, like any time for us is a bit of a luxury. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it absolutely shouldn't be, because if we don't look after ourselves, then there is nobody else to be that file of facts, or somebody else has to be the file of facts, and they're never going to do it as well never going to do it as well, exactly.
Speaker 1:And then there's, of course, the guilt factor. I always talk about this. I swear there's some kind of button that goes on when you become a mum. Yeah, the it changed and it's stuck there and you can't move it.
Speaker 2:Yes, stuck on, the guilt button oh man, every single day, and I mean we do a lot of self-development work but yeah, that guilt button is is really firmly stuck on and even if you know, even if you know that it's not rational that you feel guilty for something to do with your children, you still feel it you do, don't you?
Speaker 1:you do, and it's things like that guilt goes into, like um any, if you don't want to, if you just want to have a break and do, in inverted commas, nothing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's not nothing I was doing a post about. I did a post about this on social media recently about how rest is just as important as activity, and I had a client this morning who I've been working with for a while and she finally got this, and she said something that I took on board was that you said to me she struggles with her sleep, she's having some hormone problems, and I said to her on the days where you wake up and you've not had any sleep, then you need to prioritize rest. And so she said I actually sat and had a cup of tea and did nothing.
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah groundbreaking it was such a huge thing for her.
Speaker 2:She thought I did, I gave myself permission, yeah, to do nothing, yeah absolutely, and then, ironically, this is this is this is where our female minds then go. It actually means that we are more efficient at doing everything else we need to do in the day. Yeah, rather than I don't know about you, but I get, you get to a certain point in the day and you're just kind of staring at the screen, or I'll go to the fridge, I'll open the fridge and I'll be like I have no idea why I'm in here, whereas if you'd given yourself that little bit of time, you'd be, you know, firing on all cylinders yeah, I speak to quite a lot of people who will skip meals, but make sure that the rest of the people in the family are eating.
Speaker 2:Okay, have you heard that one before? I don't think I have heard that one before. I mean, I completely believe it and it's completely insane, because if you don't, if you don't fuel yourself, I know how can you keep going?
Speaker 1:And you're a terrible example to all the people that are eating around you skipping lunch because I'm just too busy and I've got so much to do. I can't, I can't do lunch. I'll just skip lunch, but I'll make sure that you know everyone else has had lunch, but I'll just skip it because I've got too much to do yeah, no, it's, it's, it's so common.
Speaker 2:And and then and again, actually, you're just creating a rod for your own back, aren't you? Because you're just, you're tired, you're strung out, you're not? You haven't fueled yourself properly to to live your busy life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and if you think about it, most women are doing so many things and they're tired doing them, and then they're not fueling yeah, for their energy anyway, so energy depletion is going to be an issue yeah, absolutely, and that's it, and it's often these things like nutrition or fitness that will be the first things to go for these people that are too busy.
Speaker 2:Yet that is exactly what you need to continue to be as busy as you want to be, because I don't know about you, but there's not very many things that I want to give up in my life.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Like I can't give up my children. Apparently I'm stuck with them, so I've still got to continue to do all of that stuff. I can't give up my business because apparently Nationwide want their money every single month, every month, every month yeah, they get it. Most months they should be grateful. So there's loads of things I don't want to give up. So I have to do the well-being things to be able to continue to do all the other things. And I, I am damn sure I'm not giving up the fun things, I am not giving up the choir, I'm not giving up my going and swimming with my friends in the sea. So I just have to create life with the fitness and the well-being that allows me to be busy.
Speaker 1:Well, you prioritize those things at the end of the day, and I do as well. I do you prioritize those things that are self-care, because we both know how important it is.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, absolutely. We were having a bit of a natter just before this as to kind of what tangents we go down basically, and because we have been prioritizing our well-being for so long, it doesn't feel as much of an uphill battle. No, it's not difficult, and it comes very naturally to us like so Julie said earlier on that you had a headache and the first thing you think of is, like what can I do for myself? Like, have you had your water? Have you taken some deep breaths in there? And I know that she's, she's done all of this. But it's that's the way that that we think, and I appreciate that because we've been doing it for so long, it is much easier because those are our habits and we don't have to put much energy into that. That's just the, just the way that our neural pathways, you know, slide. So I appreciate that it. It feels easy in inverted commas for us to to say prioritize your well-being.
Speaker 1:However, if you do keep doing it, it will become easier for you too yeah, and then, and then you form a habit of these things anyway and you don't even think about it, do you no? So, yeah, I think, under you know understanding what causes especially women to put themselves last. We then got to look at mindset and shifting that, because there is a lot of what we spoke about cultural things, society and the demands on women and there's also that thing about we can do things better than the men, which, of course, we know that. Well, yeah, absolutely, but then we do take on more, don't we? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, because we do a lot more, yeah, and we do have this situation where it feels like we've got an extra child in the house. Yeah, yes, definitely, it is true.
Speaker 1:No, it is, it feels like you've got to manage them as well. Yeah, but we've got to shift our mindset. I think so. We know why it happens, happens, but now we've got to think right. The biggest mind mindset shift, get those words right. That was nearly. Mum was nearly on the phone, then mindset shift. Yeah, is that self-care isn't selfish?
Speaker 2:yeah, it's necessary, a hundred percent necessary. Like I said earlier, if you don't do it, you can't keep doing all the things you want to do.
Speaker 1:You can't just keep giving to everyone else, either that pouring from an empty cup or putting on your oxygen mask before you put on the next person's those things are so, so true, but in reality a lot of women actually just ignore that yeah.
Speaker 2:And I mean it's deeper rooted. We've had lots of conversations. We've been really fortunate to have guests talk about boundaries a lot, and they've been, so if you haven't listened to any of them, they are absolute gold please go huge boundaries.
Speaker 1:Yeah, once we did two episodes, didn't we?
Speaker 2:but boundaries massive yeah, and so these are the reasons why you're allowing other things to get in the way of your, of your well-being yeah, and again it comes back to prioritizing.
Speaker 1:It doesn't? It is saying right, this is not selfish and I now need to schedule. I need to schedule this in. I mean, we've got things that we both do where everybody around us knows that choir is a classic one. Everybody knows that. It's non-negotiable. You know that we're going to choir, yeah, because it benefits us.
Speaker 2:We enjoy it, so it's non-negotiable, yeah absolutely, and same with your gymnastics, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, this is happening. Yeah, absolutely. And again, like I said, the more that you do it, the more it's a habit, the more that people get used to it as well, and they will get used to it really, really quickly. I mean, initially, if mum disappears off to netball or paddle, what's it with the? Oh yeah, I want to have a go at?
Speaker 1:that actually we should go and do that definitely. Yeah, paddles what is that called? Is it just called paddle? I don't know.
Speaker 2:But it looks fun. Yeah, um, yeah. So if mum disappears off to any of these things, initially it's gonna be like where's she gone? But but they you know people will get used to it really, really quickly so and it will become a habit and it won't feel like such an uphill battle.
Speaker 1:And it doesn't have to be something massive. This is the other thing, this all or nothing thing where, especially around this time of year, it's almost like another reset, isn't it? Start of a school year? It's like another January, isn't it? I love it, I love September for that.
Speaker 2:I really do. Get your new pencil case out. Yeah, shine your shoes and off you go.
Speaker 1:Yeah it's so true, yeah, but there is that pressure again of oh, I've just let everything go over the summer, so I now need to get back into my routine, and it's trying to do everything never works. You've got to start off with little things that you consistently do, even if it's I'm just going to do five minutes of something. Even one minute of something has been proven to be, effective yeah, yeah, definitely, and that's you know.
Speaker 2:One minute a week if you do something different always builds right up into sort of great big shifts in like weeks, months and years, as long as you're going in the right direction yeah, as long as you're going in the right direction.
Speaker 1:And again, going in the right direction is literally thinking about your day. What's one thing that could improve my health, or support my health rather than sabotage it? Because a lot of the time we do things that are sabotaging skip meals, don't do exercise, drink too much coffee, drink that glass of wine, go to bed late all of those things. So just pick one thing and just do that just for like seven days and see how you feel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely and the more simple the better. I am as guilty as the next person at wanting to do it all at the same time.
Speaker 1:You're like I've left it for so long and now I'm going to do everything, everything, and I'm going to do it perfectly, and I'm going to have all the right equipment yeah, and all of that pressure that we put on ourselves, yeah.
Speaker 1:But actually, I might put it off until I'm going to do it perfectly and I've got all the right equipment, which is then never going to happen yeah, the one, the one that always gets me and you'll probably get this is, um, the people that say oh, I'm gonna go to the gym once I've lost some weight and I feel a bit healthier oh, dear god, it's around the wrong way, isn't it? Yeah, it's around the wrong no, I get.
Speaker 2:I've had somebody tell me that they need to get fit for my classes. Yes, that kind of thing makes me cry, yeah, yeah yeah, another example I've heard of this is being too dirty for a bath. That's a good one. Yeah, no, it's so funny you're like no, we need to start now.
Speaker 1:Yeah or I get like when anybody comes to see me for their initial consultation, they have to write a food diary, and I get two, lots of people. So I'll get the people that have just decided to do everything right because they've got to write the food diary. So I know that it's not reflective of what they would normally eat or the people.
Speaker 1:That will go right. I'm going to see the nutritionist next week, so let me just eat all the rubbish and they will just put it on the food diary. But then they say to me oh, it's not not how I normally eat, because I knew I was coming to see you and you're probably gonna take things away from me, away from you, and I'm like no, but it's funny.
Speaker 2:Oh, us humans are such funny creatures, aren't we? So we wanted to give you some real practical things that you could do, and I, I mean, without being really boring, we're going to go back to those four legs of a chair, are we not? We really are, yeah, like sleep. Sleep is your, is a major win across the board, a major win for energy, a major win for not eating crap because you're absolutely wrung out. It's just a brilliant one for your brain. So you remember what you're doing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for repair, it's everything. But again, it doesn't have to be this big thing. It's like if you're going to bed at midnight and you're getting up at six in the morning and you know that you need eight hours sleep rather than six, you don't suddenly need to get eight hours sleep. Just go right. Tomorrow I'm gonna go to bed at quarter to twelve. Yeah, just do it by small, little simple things that you can just go. I did that. You know, don't try and go to bed at nine o'clock. If you're someone who goes to bed at 12, it's not going to work Because you'll wake up at three o'clock. There is that as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, oh, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:That's such great advice to just do it in in little snippets of time and the best advice that I give anybody for sleep is whatever time you go to bed, whether that is midnight, 1am or whether it is nine o'clock like me um is to just come away from any blue light stuff yeah at least half an hour.
Speaker 1:I mean, I prefer an hour, but at least half an hour before you're going to bed. Yeah, so get the lights down low. Don't go in your kitchen and put the lights on before you go to bed, those big, bright spotlights. Don't go in your bathroom and do the same. Keep the lights low and just turn off devices. If you're going to bed at midnight, turn them off at 11 yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:And again, I mean, that's so hard, isn't it for people? And we are. I am as guilty as the next person. I don't have my phone in my bedroom. However, even if I plugged it in to be charging on my desk like hours before, it's still that calling to go and just check it. I mean, I don't know, even know what I'm checking for it's. They're so clever it annoys me.
Speaker 1:They are so clever and I've said this before in other episodes is that you can set those bedtime routines up on your phone.
Speaker 2:I mean, mine literally goes gray yeah at nine o'clock actually I think it might be earlier than that, but yeah it goes grey and then no notifications come through.
Speaker 1:It looks boring, it's not enticing. Nothing comes up on the phone and so if you are someone that knows that this is an issue, then just put that on your phone and just start gradually. If it's a big deal for you, just go right. Oh, 15 minutes before yeah then make it half an hour before.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, because there are definitely lots of apps and things that will, that will help you to do that, and I know that we're. So we're talking to busy people that like to cram everything into every single minute of their day. And so another thing that I do, because if I get past about nine or ten o'clock and I'm not sort of on my way to bed, I am in danger of revving back up again yeah and, and so then I'll start thinking, oh, I could just create a little post ready for tomorrow, or I'll just have a look at what we're doing tomorrow and you know, write an email?
Speaker 2:probably not, if you know me, probably not write an email, but something, something like that. And again it's counterproductive because it's then going to stop me, it's going to wake me back up again. It's going to stop me from going back to sleep. Even if I do fall asleep, the sleep quality will not be as good, and then I get up in the morning all groggy, not ready to do a four days work. So, yeah, that's what I use, actually in my mind, the two things I use. I hear Julie talk about my liver. That needs to be hard at work from 11 till 2.
Speaker 2:So I like to put my liver to bed by 11 o'clock, and if I don't go to bed at a reasonable hour, I know that I'm not going to be my most efficient the next day. Those are the things that, when it works, get me in bed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you know what I liked about? So Catherine and her husband celebrated their 20 year wedding anniversary. I hope you don't mind me saying no I don't mind. And you had a little party, didn't you? But what was so good about that is that I came along. I caught up with loads of people. There was nice food, there was good music, everybody was it great. And I was actually at home having my sleepy tea at quarter to ten, brilliant On a Saturday night.
Speaker 2:This is a sign of things to come, so we were probably having a cup of tea by 11 o'clock. Yeah, just sort of tidying up the kitchen and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, perfect, we had a lovely time.
Speaker 2:What time?
Speaker 1:did it start Half past four or something? No I can't remember now, but yeah, it was brilliant because it felt like I'd had a proper night out and a really nice time, like I said. And I got in and I just looked at the clock and I was putting the kettle on to make my sleepy tea and I thought, wow, it's quarter to 10. Nice, isn't that lovely that is.
Speaker 2:That's a real example of, uh, shifting your mindset and shifting the way that you look at things, because maybe once upon a time and maybe people that are listening are going what a bunch of losers. Bunch of losers on a saturday night, I mean, and my younger self would be saying exactly the same thing. However, it totally works because it meant that we were up the next day and we were fine doing all the things that we wanted to do like doing the fun things that we wanted to do, and that and we'd still had a really, really great time that evening.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, it totally, totally worked yeah, classic example of that. I obviously must talk about nutrition, because I can't not. No, and you'll talk about movement in a minute, no doubt, but when we haven't got time, I find that nutrition can really go out the window very, very quickly because why are all the convenient stuff shit for you?
Speaker 2:sorry, mum, it's just, it's really unfair, I find it very unfair.
Speaker 1:But also there are some convenient, healthy things that you can do. So and again, it's just thinking ahead. You've got to be, you've got to be ready with these things. Good to go, yeah, because when you're in that I haven't't got time, I'm stressed, your choice is going to be impacted there. Yeah, so just having things that you know are ready to go Snacks is a classic one, because it's so easy to pick up the wrong thing, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, snacks.
Speaker 1:Even if you just write yourself. These are three snacks that are healthy that I can grab. These are three breakfasts that are quick and easy I can do. These are three dinners, yeah you know. And just have things ready to go. Yeah, favorite grabbable snack I? I think the best, easy, that's most portable and already self-packaged is fruit. You can't go wrong with that, can you?
Speaker 2:no, absolutely yeah, yeah, I love that. I like a hard boiled egg. I mean, it's not very sociable absolutely brilliant.
Speaker 1:I do like nuts and I do like some of the bars that you can get in the in the supermarket. If if I'm out and about and I need to grab something, then I'll often get like a deliciously ella bar, yeah, or a naked bar or a trek bar, something like that, yeah, but again, you've got to be really careful with what you're picking up because, like, the marketing and the packaging is so brilliant to trip you up, isn't it?
Speaker 2:and some of these things are jam-packed full of of sugar or god knows what, and actually, like, they'll market themselves as as health food stuff, and they're absolutely not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is very true. So you do need to be careful, but once you've kind of, you know, got ahead of yourself and you've looked at these things and you've checked the ingredients, you only need to do that once, yeah, and you've looked at the ingredients. I've been getting the children to do it lately and it's so fascinating. I was with rosie in boots and she wanted to buy some spray or something to put on herself and you know I am really hot on the natural stuff you put on your body and I said to her you're not going to get the types of things that are going to be good for your body in this place. And so she picked up like an impulse or something and I said just look on the back and read me the ingredients.
Speaker 1:Could she read any of the things?
Speaker 2:well, this was.
Speaker 1:that was the first thing she said. She said, oh, um, I can't pronounce this word. And I started to say to her this is what this is, this is what it does in the body. And so we then went and looked at a natural product and she was reading oh, water, and, you know, rosemary or whatever it was in there. And she said oh, I see what you mean. But she did also say to me but impulse is one pound something and this one is six pounds something, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, yeah, definitely, and that's a. It is a tough choice and often, how do I put it? Yeah, often things that are genuinely good for you are going to cost a little bit more, and again it's that thinking about that priority.
Speaker 1:Like are you maybe going to spend a little bit more? And again, it's that thinking about that priority like are you, are you maybe going to spend a bit more there and a bit bit less somewhere else? Yeah, but just looking at ingredients is such a an important thing to do. Yeah, because otherwise you've got no idea what's in there?
Speaker 2:no, it's. Yeah, it's a good lesson, definitely good lesson, and, like you said, the planning is key, isn't it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is, and I literally have like a few recipes that are super quick. So if I come in and I've got to make dinner, or I've been busy working all day and I've got to make dinner, then I've got to have something quick and ready to go, and I really like those rice pouches.
Speaker 1:Oh, me too yeah rice pouches, some salad, that's, you know. Salad leaves. No, I don't even need to wash those right. Salad leaves a rice pouch, um, some halloumi and some vegetables. Done boom dinner. Yeah, hummus on the side, oh yes yeah, well, you're making me hungry.
Speaker 2:Stop, that's just. That's perfect. Yes, absolutely so. Like julie said, we're going to talk about movement as well, and again, I am such an advocate for you don't need to be in the gym for an hour, two hours don't even need to be in the gym well, you don't even need to be in the gym.
Speaker 2:Oh can you. I was, um. I just came in from a a run this morning and arnia's boyfriend was like how far did you go? I was like, well, eight, eight and a half kilometers. I was quite pleased with that. It did nearly kill me. It's the longest I've been I was gonna say that's quite a long way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would seem like a good idea at the time. I was was always and he went. Oh, he said that's the furthest I've ever run. And then he said I did it on a treadmill. I was like I literally couldn't think of anything worse, anything worse.
Speaker 2:I mean, I do appreciate that if people are trying to fit in training and stuff, then a treadmill is probably convenient if you need to do it at home with kids and what have you. But yeah, I genuinely can't think of anything worse, although yes, I can. Running up borstal hill this morning was fairly disgusting, but you, yeah, you don't need to do and in fact, for for our kind of midlife, upwards perimenopause oh teeth, we're both having issues today with perimenopausal bodies. Actually, longer workouts are not good for us. No, less is more.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely, because you're under that prolonged time stress and we don't want that. We, we know that stress isn't good for us and that's the. It does the same thing in our body regardless if we're working out or if we're staring at a computer or an email being really cross. That still works the stress in our body. It's still exactly the same. So, yeah, definitely, less is more. Nice, a nice 10 or 20 minute hit session. Hit is so efficient, I just love it. But if in doubt, dance around the kitchen to three songs, yeah that's always my go-to.
Speaker 1:That dance around the kitchen to three songs is about nine minutes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, perfect just, it's just brilliant. Yeah, don't overthink it. Don't do what I did today and spend 45 minutes procrastinating over going for a run. Stick your trainers on and go out there if you like.
Speaker 2:Walking is so super, super simple. Try and charge it up a little bit. Try and go a little bit brisker and then a little bit slower, and then a little bit brisker and then a little bit slower. Maybe you, if you're lucky enough to walk along the beach, maybe you can jump some, jump some breakwaters or something. But yeah, it, don't overthink it and you definitely do not need to be doing it for hours on end. I mean, like, home workouts are so simple. Obviously, I know a really good membership with lots of home workouts, so if that's what you'd like, please send me a message and I will send you all the details. However, with things like YouTube and TikTok and Instagram, there almost is not an excuse whatsoever not to do it, because if you're stuck for an idea, there'll be one right in front of you yeah, yeah, literally 10 minutes could even be five minutes.
Speaker 1:You could just be watching tv in the evening and just do some squats, couldn't you?
Speaker 2:yeah all your, all your stretches. That's what I often talk about, like if you're in pigeon stretch, which I just I'm such a great stretch just sat there watching something and having a stretch is so lovely and then you feel like you are relaxing. If, if television, if you feel like you need that at the end of the day to relax, you feel like you're relaxing and you're getting some great work in for your body yeah.
Speaker 1:So just again, a bit like the sleep with the 15 minutes. Just say to yourself right, I haven't got an hour to go to a class or to the gym or whatever it is that you're thinking that you need to do. Just say, right, I'm going to do five minutes today and then every day for seven days and see how I feel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, even so, if you're really super simple, as when you're brushing your teeth, you can do two minutes of squats while you're brushing your teeth, and when that buzzer goes off on your toothbrush, you are done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, true, you could do that, couldn't you? Balancing is another thing I've heard Balancing is the other one that you spoke about before, yeah, hovering over the toilet when you do a wee, you know, like when you go to a public toilet and you don't want to sit on. See, it's good for your legs right yeah, that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1:Taking the stairs is like, how many times do we say this? Um, generally, yeah about taking the stairs, yeah, just do it. Just take the stairs. Don't use the escalators or the lifts or whatever. Park at the back of the car park yes, park at the back.
Speaker 2:You've got to walk in and then, when you've got your shopping, if, if there's two bags, one for each hand, put the trolley away and carry them to your car. So you get a bit of a bit of weight lifting going on yeah, just little things.
Speaker 1:That all add up, don't they get off the bus?
Speaker 2:one stop earlier, or get off the tube one stop earlier, yeah, and and walk the rest of it, yeah, there are so many sort of really easy things to do and again, I know that we take the, the lift or the escalators, or get the tube or the bus or the car right to the door for convenience.
Speaker 1:Again, perhaps just a little tiny bit more planning will allow you to incorporate this movement and and nutrition into your lives yeah, I think if you are somebody that is really saying you've got to be kidding me, katherine and julia, I really haven't got any time then it's just looking at that one thing and it just being a couple of minutes, that's it.
Speaker 2:Just pick one thing and just do that one thing and also if they are saying Catherine, julie, you've got to be kidding me. I'm sure that people do. You have also got to at some point make a decision. Do you want to continue to feel like you do now? Do you want to continue to feel tired? Do you want to continue to feel stressed and just wrung out, or would you like to just start to turn that dial the other way, just a little bit? And and so again, we're not saying do groundbreaking things? Just one extra minute a day you can. You can find that, like I do think about you, sat on the side of your bed, on side of your bath, doing your like, shutting the door and just breathing. Yeah, you said you used to like when the kids were smaller.
Speaker 2:You just go, yeah but I mean you could do that, you can incorporate that so within your maybe the the first time you go to the toilet in the uh in the day and you sit there and maybe you take another three big deep breaths in and just start your day the way that you wish it to continue and then the thing the most interesting thing is when you start to do if you're really, really busy and you're stressed and all those things that you just said, catherine and then you do one thing and you start to be consistent, it leads to another thing it starts to snowball.
Speaker 1:Because it do one thing and you start to be consistent, it leads to another thing. It starts to snowball because it gives you that motivation, you start to feel better, and that energy, you get energy into it and then you start to prioritize things and then other people around you start to notice oh, mum's not as um stressed or snappy as usual, or whatever it may be. And then you go actually this is working. And then it motivates you to do more, to carry on to it yeah, you're absolutely right.
Speaker 2:And with the things with the nutrition and exercise, they often go hand in hand. When you start doing a little bit more movement, you're like, wow, I've done this. I don't want to ruin it, so I'm gonna, I'm gonna eat really well. And then you're gonna eat really well. So then you're like, no, I really well. So then you're like, no, I'm going to do more. Yeah, and they just fuel each other.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's really exciting stuff, definitely, but the aim of the game is to stay consistent, so don't overload yourself. Do something every single day, and it was. Is it atomic habits?
Speaker 1:Is that one where you don't if you miss a a day, don't miss the next one. Oh yeah, we spoke about that, didn't we? About that two-day rule thing, yeah.
Speaker 2:So don't miss. Yeah, if you miss one, don't beat yourself up. Be gentle, loving and kind to yourself and then do it the next time, but don't put it off till monday yeah, don't do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then I think one of the other things that really helps is if you get someone that you can be accountable to get someone on your side so you might say to someone else that you know is very busy like you. Look, I need to start changing things. I'm going to do this one thing. How about we both? We do this one thing together yeah, and then check in on each other and things like that. It makes such a difference.
Speaker 2:It's makes such a huge difference to be able to do it in a community that accountability is is priceless, and one doing it with lots of other people, because you feel like they're all going through it with you. So if you're finding it hard, they're probably finding it hard, they're probably finding it hard too. And being with a group of people that are sharing the same values as you, that are moving towards the same sort of goals as you want and are saying the same things, because it's very difficult if you want to and I'm sure that, like on, you know, january the 1st, when everybody's gone right, I'm on a diet and then the people that are not on the diet are going oh, why do you want to do that? Or oh, I've just eaten this, or I've just watched this, or something.
Speaker 1:It's really hard when people around you are not making the same noises as you, and so to be within a community of people that are moving in the same direction is is so, so important yeah, it is, and I think that if you're in total overwhelm and you can't even think of one thing to do, then that's where you should get some help from people like us, because we can just see exactly what's the thing you need the most and give you that one small thing that we know that you can do, and then we just set out a plan for you and then it's just easy yeah yeah yeah, we'd love an idiot's guide.
Speaker 2:I like one for myself as well. How, as we're talking about communities, do come and use the Far Too Fabulous Facebook group as that starter community, because if you're in there with other people that are interested in the drivel that we put out every single week, then you're in the right community, right, and you'll all be thinking the same sort of things. You probably will have all the same sort of questions, so just just ask them, because everybody else is thinking the same thing yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:I think we should kind of wrap up by just reminding people that perfection is the enemy. Oh my goodness. Yes, don't go for that perfection thing. Consistency is your friend. Yeah, just just make a start one.
Speaker 2:I've got that on my trainers. It says one foot in front of the other and I did think about my trainers as I was struggling up ball still hill today. One foot in front of the other. I'm gonna get home eventually yeah, that's very.
Speaker 1:That's a good one. Yeah, so I think the main point is that you don't have to spend lots of time or money or money, and it is just looking at these little things that you can do and looking at that mindset side of things and focusing on the micro habits or actions, rather than this all or nothing approach.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely so. If you've got something that has worked for you, come into the Far Too Fabulous Facebook group and share it with us, because we are always willing to learn more tricks.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, so hopefully we will see you in the group. Take care.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for joining us today. We love creating this for you. We'll be back next week with another great episode.
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Speaker 2:You'll find all the links in the show notes and if, if you haven't already, come and join us in our free Facebook group, where we continue the conversation and you get to connect with like-minded women. We'd love to welcome you in Until next time stay fabulous.