Archive for category: Wellness & lifestyle

On 4th April, ‘Authentic April’ my BRAND NEW monthly fitness challenge was released onto the website.

This 4 week fitness challenge will really focuses on making you feel wonderfully sculpted and toned. Using more of the small equipment this month.

This programme includes:

💥4 varied classes a week targeting different parts of the body.

💥 A motivational pack with wall chart planner to chart your progress.

💥 2 brand new 30 min workouts each week in addition to the other 2 workouts each week, hand picked by me from our back catalogue, to complement the 2 new weekly classes .

💥Every class within this programme is completely different with inventive choreography ..

This is my 15th 😳 monthly fitness and Pilates challenge that I have released onto my website (the others are all still available) and from the thousands of comments and emails I receive I know you will enjoy them. So I’m just so thrilled to give you another one to make you look and feel the best yet about yourself……..and once again

💥 This programme will be included as part of the Weekly Workout Club at no additional cost, along with my Menopause Metamorphosis programme.

💥 Click here if you are interested in joining the club and becoming part of the Weekly Workout Family… Let’s do this together! 🥰

My guiding quote for ‘Authentic April’

Above is my guiding quote for this month’s Pilates Body Conditioning Programme.

It really resonated with me as I think in these days of fast living we forget about being authentic, both to ourselves and to others.

Both physically and mentally there is always a pressure to look or perform in certain ways, masking both our true personalities and persona. We often lose ourselves trying to maybe look a certain way or behave in a certain way. This can mean that we lose the true sight of our own beauty, both externally and internally.

As I get older, I am realising the importance of staying true to oneself and not getting caught up in the “bullshit.”

Sometimes this takes courage … as in this quote by Brené Brown …

“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make everyday.
It’s about the choice to show up and be real.
The choice to be honest.
The choice to let our true selves be seen.”

So have the courage to be just you … If thats as simple as just embracing the lines on our faces that we all have laughed and cried so hard to get … or learning to love move the moment we are in, remember …

“Be Authentic. Be Genuine. Be Real. Be You.’

x

I have holidayed many a time on the Jurassic Coast and it was during a holiday in Swanage that I first saw Sasha’s Art in a gallery there.

I immediately fell in love with her paintings and have since bought prints and my Christmas cards from her. Her art just makes me smile!

I also purchased her book ‘A Brush with the Coast’ that she mentions below and have since bought it for many a friend, as it’s wonderful and the perfect coffee table book … and something I would love to do in the future.

So it was wonderful that Sasha agreed to feature here in my Wellness and Lifestyle magazine.  I hope you enjoy reading about her as much as I did.

 xx

_____________

I have lived and worked as an artist in Cornwall for 25 years. I grew up in the coastal town of Swanage in Dorset and spent an idilic childhood with long summer holidays centered around our little wooden beach hut over looking the sheltered bay.

My love of the coast runs through almost everything I paint and is my main inspiration along with a hefty dose of nostalgia.

The best way to explore the coast, I have always found, is with a dog or two!

When I left college my main priority was to look for a rescue dog to join me on my long rambles exploring Cornwall’s many coves and harbours. All the inspiration I needed for my paintings, as I embarked on a career as an artist, was gleaned on those walks with my newly acquired sidekick Poppy.

Later on in my career I embarked on an epic 630 mile trek with Jess my two year old Rodesian Ridgeback. Before making the momentous decision I’d agreed with a prestigious gallery to a large one man show but had then run out of inspiration and the desire to paint.

Searching for a remedy to my apathy I remembered a book I had read about a man and his dog who walked the entire South West Coast Path (SWCP) in one go. It was a light bulb moment and I realised if I did the same it could be just the thing to rekindle my inspiration.

Jess and I set off a few months later on what became one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. But not before enduring a bit of pain; Although I was an enthusiastic dog walker I had never gone more than five or six miles at a time, needless to say the SWCP came as a complete shock.

The combined ascents and descents of the trail add up to the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest four times! In the early days the relentless climbs took their toil on my knees and hips and I got used to popping paracetamol with my breakfast every morning. However, soon walking for seven hours a day became the new normal.

“As my fitness slowly improved, I began to notice changes in my state of mind.”

With none of the usual worries of day to day tasks my only goal was to keep putting one foot in front of the other. The simplicity of my existence meant I could loose myself totally in the moment. I revelled in the harsh cry of the gulls on the cliffs or the shrill song of the Meadow Pipits when we were making our way through sand dunes, the heady smell of Gorse when the sun shone on the flowers or the crunch of shingle under my boots on a long stretch of beach …

For someone who has never been adventurous, taking on the SWCP was a huge leap into the unknown, but I am so glad I did. Not only did I find buckets of inspiration for my exhibition, I pushed myself physically and mentally further than I ever thought I could. And I got to experience it all in the company of my beloved dog Jess.

You can find out more about Sasha’s work here: sashaharding.co.uk

Or, follow here on Instagram here: @sashahardingartist.

You can order her book directly from her website here

So I felt like a proud mum yesterday. Over the weekend, we received our 100th 5-star Google Review – I can’t believe it!

So many of our amazing members have been rating us over the last 12 months – and we would like to mark that little milestone in our online fitness journey!

As I publish this today – International Women’s Day – it really does feel like a real achievement. Getting fit AND enjoying it is such an important part of life. I’m so pleased I’m able to affect so many women’s lives in a positive way.

We’ve a shiny new homepage on its way to showcase some of those reviews and we will continue our mission to spread the word.

Andrea – thank you for being our 100th reviewer!

“Loving the daily 30 minutes with Jo! A fantastic start to the day, exercising, never knowing how a class will go.

Jo has such an infectious energy and I always come away laughing. And grateful to have the online library to repeat classes on the weekends.

Thank You Jo for being such a brilliant, fun teacher 😊👏”

If you’re not already a member – and want to find out more about what the fuss is all about, visit my home page to find out all about the Club.

So much love. Jo ❤️😘

x