It's Ok To Pause | Ep 36

At the time of recording the UK is having another heatwave and after a week of Annual Leave it has taken me all week to catch up, my brain has been fried.

I realised I needed to be kinder to myself and actually the same goes for you! 

It is ok to pause but also movement and selfcare doesn't have to be expensive or take up lots of time!
You have all the tools you need! 

Connect with me on Social Media 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MoveWithCharlotteE/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/charlotte_elizabeth_dance/

Weekly Email - https://movewithcharlotte.myflodesk.com/email-list

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Hello and welcome back. So at the time of recording this, the UK is going through another heat wave, and the room in the house I normally do these recordings from is way too hot, even with the fan on before I started recording. Um, so you have got me from the sofa, hence the uh slightly different background. Um, for those that watch the video version, it's probably not looking great. But for those of you that listen to audio only, you might also notice a bit of a difference that I haven't plugged the microphone in. Um, the setup just doesn't work. But hey, the podcast is getting out, and that's all that matters. And that's what I want to talk to you about this week is that all too often we put this pressure on ourselves to be perfect, to have to do all the things, and particularly in a heat wave, that just goes out the window. So I came back from annual leave to 180 emails. Now, some of that is because some of our key customers they're now under me as their point of contact, so they now send me their orders. So some of those emails were purchase orders that because we had new staff and other people still on holiday, those orders weren't covered. I must have had the best part of a hundred orders, not covered, and that's fine, but it's taken me most of the week to get caught up, but it has also fried my brain because it's been hot. Um, trying to work out what did or didn't get done, where to prioritize because it was like, well, I need to get the orders, but I need to answer the emails, and it was just all the thing. And with the heat, I was getting home and my brain was just like, I don't want to do anything else, I don't want to look at another screen, so I haven't. And I'm feeling a bit behind on some of the momentum that I was building, and then I've had to kind of give myself a talking to. A few people in accountability groups have given me a talking to and gone, you have a full-time job and you're running a business. That's not normal necessarily. Um, because remember, I'm changing I'm changing the story on that. That actually there's nothing to say you can't have a successful business and a full-time job, you don't have to have one or the other. Um, but my brain capacity, sorry, I just realize I'm waggling waggling my legs as I get so passionate about this, but my brain capacity isn't the same as someone that's doing their business full-time in heat. So I'm not going to be able to do everything all the time. So I need to give myself grace that actually it's hot. Yeah, just take the time. So I've done the holiday washing, isn't put away yet. Um, but I've done the holiday washing. That's done, and I've been able to kind of just chill. Um, my piano arrived this week, so my mum brought my piano that I've had since I was seven over to my house. So I now get to play the piano as my decompression time, and I did a little video the other day. Oh my god, I'm a bit rusty, need a bit of practice, but that's gonna be another angle of self-care for me to just switch off. So I'm gonna find some new music, I'm gonna challenge myself to some pieces. Um, but that's a new angle for me. And my point of this is women, and you know me, I'm trying not to be gendered with my language, and it's something I'm still working on, but women or those who identify as women or don't identify, kind of people, shall we say, put this pressure on ourselves to I need to get healthier. The uh if I was a little bit slimmer, if I was this, that, or the other, if I went to the gym, and they put all this thing and they make it bigger than it needs to be. So it doesn't happen because the brain goes, nope, don't want to do that, that's expensive, that's gonna take extra time, I'm gonna need all this extra equipment, I've gotta sign up to a monthly membership, and blah blah blah blah blah, and all the excuses come out, and that's why my movement sessions are low cost, are done from home. Yes, they will clash with bed times for some people, but you've got lifetime replay because life happens, and you get to just be you get 30 minutes to put you first and breathe, respond however feels good for you, and just take that moment for you because you're probably mum, wife, partner, carer, working, looking after the kids, doing all the running around, you're doing everything for everyone else, but where's you? So getting fitter and healthier again, whatever that means for you, because we don't all need to be size zero, one that's not sustainable. Um we don't all need to be size 10. There is nothing wrong with being a size 20 or or or more. If that feels good for you, if you want to get less than that, then great. But it's whatever feels good for you. It doesn't have to cost you a fortune, it doesn't have to take a lot of time, and it actually doesn't need any equipment. You have all the equipment you need in your body weight, move. And this is why I am definitely going to be doing more videos on my socials of things like having a boogie whilst doing the washing up, making household chores fun to get your movement in, build your cardio, kind of get your heart rate going, which will burn some calories. Um, and it'll make you feel good. Hence why I've called my classes feel good movement because my goal is as much as there isn't a set outcome for them, the goal is you'll feel good by the end of it. And if you don't, there's something wrong. As I've shared on our previous podcast and on my socials, an attendee of the free workshop said it was a lifesaver. Help their anxiousness for a very stressful week, and it helps them calm into a stressful week. Nothing about exercising, getting healthy. It was just about, oh my god, this week is intense for me, there's a lot going on, and I just need a moment. That was their moment to become a duck on water, as we like to say. So it's been a good reminder for me this week, having a bit of a frazzled week, to go, okay, if this is how you're feeling, how am I undoing that for me? And how am I sharing that with people? Because I'm bringing people on that journey and helping them see that there is an alternative. It doesn't have to be gym classes, it doesn't have to be a hot and sweaty whatever, it doesn't have to be going on a ridiculous bike ride or whatever. You can do it in your house, you can do it every day. You've got the skill set already. I'm just guiding you and reminding you. Um there is a potential membership that's going to come with this movement thing, um, seeing how it evolves, but ultimately it's helping you find a way that works for you without the pressure to perform, to be perfect. Like the last movement session, I had one lady do it sat down, but her feet were tapping away, and she didn't think I could see, but I could tell, I could tell by her body language that her feet were responding, and just by her listening to the music, I could sense a difference in her, so you don't even have to be standing if you are someone that has movement limitations without needing aids, chair base, got arms and got our legs. I don't have to be working at the same time. You can still get the benefit wiggling your bum on a seat. Try it, not just have a laptop, but try it, wiggle your bum on your seat. You never know. Maybe that's a new thing. Bum wiggle classes. Um that's a whole other yeah, but it is, it's just that it's okay, but yeah, you need to put you first, you need to put you first. So uh, if you haven't listened to a previous episode where I said if I'd only got 10 minutes, go back and listen to that one because I share some really good tips in there of if I'd literally got 10 minutes a day, how can I do something? And that's essentially what this is. This needs to become part of your day, not an extra thing to do. Because if it's an extra thing to do, it won't happen. But there is a catch-22 where you've also got to make a priority over it, so I'm now rambling away. But the point is I see you, I am also you, and I get it. I completely get it, but we're gonna change things so enjoy the heat whilst you can and if you can, keep your fluids up again. Listen to my previous episode of How to Survive a Heat Wave. Um, so keep your fluids up, water um on your vein points, so by cooling them, it cools your internal temperature, which then makes you feel less hot. So if you get either cold cloth to sit on them or just run them under the cold tap for a bit, that'll help cool your internal temperature. Good tip. Uh stick your feet in some water again, cools your internal temperature. Anything you can do that will cool your internal temperature makes you feel less hot. Um and be kinder to yourself. Us Brits weren't designed for 35 degree weather with no air con or anything. It's completely different when you're on a holiday. You've got a pool to jump into and you've got air con. We don't have aircon, we have fans or windows, and then all the flies come in. So be kind to yourself, and it's okay. And if you need some help, drop me a message. Until next time, let's move.