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A guilt-free sandwich, in a mums world.
What does guilt-free time look like to you? I bet it changes on a regular basis.
Since being a parent, guilt is a new emotion for me. I can’t think of a time before that, where I felt guilty about anything. Neither did I know what real anger, or anxiety felt like, but that’s another subject matter.
Are you one for getting things done?
Or doing absolutely jack?
Well you need to own it,
Go hard at it and don’t look back.
It’s also about saying YES to things and not feeling bad about doing them, because let’s face it, men surely don’t!
I just wanted to to share one day I had, one adventure filled day, as I continued to be the YES person that I am. I had said yes to lots of people and made sure I could the day flow nicely together…to create the perfect day. The main outcomes of feeling; accomplished, content and NOT GUILTY, whilst earning money and having fun.
A recent Sunday was my absolute favourite day, in Worthing, combining all things for work and pleasure. Unfortunately though, I never get away with it and often return home to bad news. Not super bad, but just disappointing or dramatic. That feeling like you’ve been punished for having a nice time. Luckily this particular day came guilt-free, until I got home anyway!
The job
Worthing RunFest was on and I was invited to run the warm up for it.
As a dance fitness teacher, recently diagnosed with Arthritis and 3rd child only 19 months, I genuinely didn’t feel like I deserved that place on the stage. It was pretty nerve racking, warming up all those athletes, getting them pumped for their half marathon or 10k run. But, over 1, 000 runners joined in!
Obviously it was another wet and cold morning, with a sopping stage and boggy ground, but the atmosphere was incredible. The amount of people who actually joined in was over-whelming and I soon felt comfortable being up there.
You should have seen the number of runners, spread across the field, mostly men, hip thrusting to my playlist, kicking off with Michael Jackson.
When it had all ended and the final group stages had left for their run, I met up with one of my recent wedding couples’ for a coffee. Well, actually we saw the beer was flowing from the runners who were sporting their glistening yellow medals and said ‘fancy a beer instead? Our eyes lit up, so we stood, 3 ladies, catching up about their trip to Edinburgh, whilst listening to upbeat tunes of Vertical Rooster.
They had generously brought me a gift, which was one of their favours from the wedding, including a stunning thank you card of their wedding shots.
I then had a few hours to enjoy the towns shops. Perusing around the brand new B & M store, brushing past actor
Joe Wilkinson on the way. I actually bought too much stuff and had to pop back to my car, to drop it off…typical!
Sauna time!
With a few hours to kill I had a wander along the promenade. As the sun finally came out and I had popped into a few more shops, I finally stopped at the Burlington hotel. There were 4 of us meeting for our 3rd sauna trip with Fire Salt and Sea, but we decided to grab a coffee first. It’s a new Sauna along the seafront and the weather always perks up for us. We don’t stop talking for the whole hour in the hot box, enjoying the view, running down to the waters edge for a quick splash. Then back again for more steamy chit chat.
Ok, so the guilt finally started to set in, It had been 10 hours since I left the house, I should probably head back to say goodnight to the children.
I’m not going to end this blog on a sad note, so briefly; after praying nothing had happened at home, I returned to the Chicken pox.
Luckily, I could handle what was about to come, because not only had we just had one child with it, but I had reset and refreshed, so was ready to handle almost anything.
I’m not saying you need a whole day out to handle the tough stuff, but even just an hour of doing the thing you love, can help you restore yourself.
If you are looking for something to do, that’s just for you, it shouldn’t take too long and can be slotted into your routine. Creating a new habit takes time, and something like a Zumba Class will be great for both your mental and physical well being.
Joining a dance class or perhaps a flashmob in Worthing. Maybe swimming, reading, gardening can help you tick all of those boxes. What about doing a family fitness class with your children? Have you ever tried hula hoop?
But how do I have my guilt-free sandwich, and eat it? I hear you shout!
Well, here are my top 5 ways;
-
- Book and plan your time. Once you’ve organised something, you have committed to it, so you need to stick to the plan.
- Think positively about the outcome and the choices you make. Not everything goes to plan, so simply embrace the journey.
- Invite friends along. They will hold you accountable and make the activity fun. Bouncing off your thoughts & feelings off of someone else, lifts some of the weight off your shoulders.
- Be mindful about your time. Don’t rush about, but take your time and enjoy the moments.
- Sandwich your time between work or chores. There’s nothing more satisfying than doing the bits you are less keen about doing first. Get those bits out of the way, then you will enjoy the fun bits more. You could always squeeze another job after too.
And a little bonus, something that I have done a lot more of lately… and that’s to step out of your comfort zone and into your happy place!
If you are interested in a cheeky little dance fitness class for yourself, check out my Summer Special discount!
Simply chuck in 3 Zumba classes in your basket for just £15, for the first 4 weeks of the holidays. but be quick, as the offer closes on the 12th July!
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