Amsterdam - February 2026

After visiting Amsterdam for the very first time in April 2024 we have fallen in love with the city and this marked our fourth trip.

The catalyst for this trip was the chance to see my favourite band, White Lies, on tour. When they announced their tour dates back in May 2025 we very quickly booked the closest venue to us in Manchester for late January 2026. But when we saw that Amsterdam was also on the schedule, and having never been to a concert abroad, and it being in a city that we have grown to have a deep affection for it was a complete no brainer and tickets were bought instantly.

So with concert tickets secured we set about booking hotels and transport. As the gig was just outside the city centre, by about 10km, 

we opted to book a hotel close to the venue for a couple of nights and then book elsewhere, closer to the centre, for a few more days. How long we stayed was dictated by the mode and cost of transport, and being retired we had no reason not to spend time in the city and reconnect with places and friends.

For our very first trip we had flown to Amsterdam from the UK and while the flight was relatively short at just over an hour there were some downsides. First, there were no direct flights from our local airport (15 minutes from where we live) so instead we had to travel over an hour and pay for airport parking. Times; to get a reasonably priced flight the departure times were either stupidly early or late in the day. Cost; we have quickly discovered that cheap flights are not as easy to come by as we thought! Heaven forbid you actually want to take luggage with you or sit together! So that cheap base flight suddenly increased with all the little add-ons! Once in Amsterdam there is more cost with simply getting from the airport into the city; we chose an Uber which was simple and convenient although train links would have worked out cheaper, but back then as a first time visitor we wanted to make life as simple and as stress free as possible. 

All of that had resulted in a change of attack for our subsequent visits when we discovered the benefits of rail travel. Using the Eurostar from London, St Pancras to Centraal Station Amsterdam provided us with a much calmer and cheaper (and greener!) option to flying. Previous trips had seen us take a train from our local station down to London to stay overnight in a cheap hotel before embarking on the Eurostar the following morning. But this time we were trying something different.

Our day started pretty much as any normal day in our house. We'd done the majority of our packing the evening before so we only had to throw in a few last minute essentials, have some breakfast and tidy around before meeting our pre-booked Uber at 9.30am.  By 9.42am we were getting dropped off at our local train station. This did mean we had an hour to spare before our booked train but we had done that on purpose. Not only did this mean that we would be on time, it also gave us time to enjoy a coffee before we stepped on the train. 

Fuel for the journey ahead

We are fortunate to have a lovely independent coffee shop across from the rail station so we could enjoy a coffee, make use of their bathroom and still be at the station in plenty of time to start the journey in a calm and refreshed manor. Although as we arrived at the platform we were met with an announcement that our train was running six minutes late!

First train of the day!

When we'd bought the tickets we'd been assigned seats so I knew we were looking for carriage B seats 31 and 32, and if you use the trains in the UK, you know that there is a little LED display above the seats that says ‘Reserved’. But it was still no surprise to me to find someone sitting in one of our seats! I politely said that he was sitting in our seats to which we were met with ‘oh are they reserved?’ I couldn’t resist saying ‘err yes like the sign above you says’!! He moved without issue so we had our seats. The only wrinkle was there was nowhere for our suitcase to go; the luggage racks were full and while some trains have space between rows of seats this train did not. Somehow we managed to squeeze ourselves, two coats, two back packs and a medium sized case into the two seats! It was a little compact but at least we were sitting down…oh and travelling backwards (this has been a pattern of the majority of our train journeys, so much so that facing the correct direction of travel has turned into quite a novel experience for us!). Despite the cramped conditions Simon was still able to use the time to get out his digital art pad and work on his latest creation. 

We arrived at St Pancras about 8 minutes late but this wasn't an issue as we'd picked a Eurostar departure that not only gave us plenty of time to allow for the allotted check-in time but was also the cheapest ticket available! So with time to spare we were able to enjoy a light snack and coffee at Pret A Manger…although I was very tempted by EL&N and their lovely cakes and bakes but perhaps we can reserve that as a treat on our return journey. 

Snack time

London, St Pancras has numerous places to eat and shop so we took advantage of M&S Food to grab some snacks for the journey ahead! M&S may not be the cheapest option but they do have some good quality items that satisfy our way of eating. We grabbed some hard boiled eggs, some cocktail sausages and some overnight oats! We had the obligatory bathroom stop before heading to Eurostar departures where we were let through before the allotted check-in time. In fact we were through security and passport control (times two as you pass through both UK and French border controls) four minutes before the actual check-in time!

Now a word of warning when travelling with Eurostar out of St Pancras, the departure hall gets very busy! We walked all the way around and the best we could do was find a piece of wall to lean against! Thankfully when the train before ours was called for boarding we did manage to grab a couple of seats.

And wait...

About 30 minutes before departure we were called to board at Platform 9. Be sure to know what your carriage number is as this dictates which exit from the departure hall to use. We were amongst the first to get to the platform and found our carriage (number 5) with ease. As we found our seats we discovered that there was luggage storage right behind us as we were located towards the centre of the carriage. 

Our journey was uneventful until we arrived at Brussels, our second stop of the journey. There had been an earlier announcement advising that the crew on board would be swapping over during this stop but it became noticeable that we'd been stopped for a good amount of time and that was when the first of many announcements happened. We were going to be delayed because the crew joining our train were stuck on another train that had broken down! What followed were numerous announcements, texts and emails from Eurostar letting us know what was happening and ultimately the predicted 45 minute delay turned into 75 minutes! It was slightly annoying that we would now be arriving at 9.35pm and not the scheduled 8.20pm and we still had to find our way to our hotel about 10km away from the city centre BUT at least a delay of over 60 minutes did mean we would be able to claim compensation! And because our outbound tickets were the ones which had cost us the most, that's a win?!

Interestingly Eurostar did not mention in their texts or emails about compensation and the only reason I knew was because I searched for it on their website. And the reason I did that was because on a previous delayed journey using East Midlands Railway we had experienced a similar situation but on that occasion the train manager had made an announcement advising all passengers that they would be entitled to a compensation claim. So kudos to EMR for their customer service but not so much for Eurostar. The plan was to make a claim once we were home…but more about that on a future post!

Anyway back to our journey! Our original plan had been to catch a local train from Amsterdam Centraal to the arena area where our hotel was located but by the time we got off the train and got our bearings we just wanted to make life as easy as possible for us. Trying to interpret signs both pictorial and in Dutch just felt too much for 10pm after almost 6 hours on a train! Instead we stopped by a small Albert Heijn store and picked up some nibbles and water before ordering ourselves an Uber…and that's when the next round of fun began.

Centraal Station, Amsterdam

We dutifully ordered a nice electric Uber, found our way to the correct pick up point with ease and waited. We could see the driver was only a couple of minutes away but what we, and the driver, didn't know was that construction had closed the road that led to where the pick up point was with no alternative route in place. Thankfully our driver phoned us and we had a mad few minutes trying to figure out where he was in relation to where we were in the dark with a very busy, multi-laned road in-between us! Finally we saw each other (I think it was using my pink hair to locate us that did the trick).

Easy to spot, even at night!

We found a safe place to cross the road so that we could get to where our driver was waiting for us. He was very apologetic, although none of it was his fault, but at least we were all able to have a laugh about it. He then got us safely to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express Arena by about 10.45pm! Once in our room and unpacked we were able to enjoy our snacks, put on our PJs, chill and try to defrazzle our brains!!

Finally made it!

Thursday 26th February 

The day started very slowly; the effects of the long travel day and an hours time difference meant we surfaced later than our normal routine. But as we had no real plans for the day until the evening we decided to take things nice and steady.

We had breakfast included with our stay and the name ‘Express Start’ kind of summed up the affair. It was very much a ‘continental’ breakfast buffet with pastries, bread, meats, cheese, yogurts, fruit and scrambled eggs! Not our usual preference but as it was ‘free’ we made the best of it. It was a very busy service and although there was a section with lots of free tables we were told not to use them and to stay in the main section which was rammed! Thankfully a table came free and to give the staff credit they were all very polite, very busy and cleared the table for us quickly. 

Despite being away from home we did have a couple of online jobs we wanted to get done around Simon’s art projects so we took advantage of the hotel's WiFi before heading out to explore the surrounding area and locate the venue for that evening’s concert.

It turned out that the venue was no more than a 5 minute walk from the hotel and opposite the main Johan Cruijff arena. Consequently the whole area is very modern, and straddles a busy rail intersection with shops and restaurants. As we were in need of a decent size coffee we were very thankful to find a Starbucks based just inside the rail station. We explored the area around the station and the arena which was a mixture of shops and restaurants. The further away from the arena the older the shops appeared and at one side we found a market that had a surprising number of Crane birds hanging about like they owned the place! 

At the opposite end to the market we found a very modern shopping mall to explore but soon discovered that every shop, with the exception of one art gallery, had something to do with home furnishings…it was all a little surreal. But located within the mall we found a kooky restaurant called Booven where we enjoyed some food, coffee and cake to keep us fuelled for the evening ahead. 

Booven

Villa Arena Mall

We returned to the hotel for an hour or so before heading back out for the concert later on. White Lies were playing at the AFAS arena and I have to say the venue was very efficient at getting everyone inside; tickets scanned, bag check, pat down and a small wooden token given to each of us. Although we had no idea what the token was for…maybe the toilet? But no it's handed over when ordering your first drink as a way of avoiding the overuse of plastics. And for each subsequent drink you hand over your used glass otherwise you have to pay a nominal fee! 

AFAS Arena

White Lies were as awesome as ever, although I did feel for Harry, their lead singer, as his voice was a little croaky after almost four weeks on the road. We found ourselves towards the back of the venue, which was fine by me as I am not great if the crowd is too intense, but we did discover that the Dutch (or at least those around us) were all rather tall! We managed to find moments when we could see the stage but we were just grateful to be there and enjoy the experience. 

Interestingly the constant stream of people moving to and from the bar area that we'd experienced in Manchester in late January was exactly the same here. As someone who only enjoys a glass of wine very occasionally I do find it all rather peculiar that at a concert when you've paid good money to see a band people are moving back and forth fetching drinks and missing out on the performance. Also, as this was our first concert abroad, I became very aware that we were singing our hearts out to all the lyrics of all of the songs but the crowd around us only became vocal at key chorus moments; which makes perfect sense when the band playing is not in their natural language. All in all a great gig, fabulous venue and a wonderful night that ended with a five minute walk back to the hotel…perfect!

More about our Amsterdam adventure in my next post as we move closer to the city centre.

An Introduction...

Let me introduce myself…as it's been a while!

I started this blog way back in….2012….in fact the 12th August 2012 saw my very first post to be precise.

And since then me and my blog have seen some changes, what started out as a blog to chronicle my love of Disney, and specifically my travels to Walt Disney World expanded to include health, well being, more Disney and even a diary covering that period of time between 2020 and 2022 that was a little strange for the world at large.

So who am I now….

Well I am still the same Disney loving gal that I have always been but my real life world has changed. I am now retired (very fortunate to have been able to take this next step in life relatively early!). My kids have now left home and are forging their own way in this world. In the last couple of years my partner in this crazy thing called life, Simon, has also joined me in retirement and we are busy uncovering a new way to live. When I retired from my job as pre-school manager I took on the volunteer role as their committee chairperson and now devote a little of my time (and hopefully knowledge) each year to support them. I continue to co-host the Disney Dream Girls podcast with my bestie, Michelle, and we are now approaching 600 episodes. This does mean that at least once a week I get the chance to have a good ‘waffle on’ about all things Disney. We have an amazing group of friends we call family through our continued Star Wars cosplay shenanigans. My Disney tattoo collection is ever expanding. The non-sporty me has learned to love the gym (and I continually surprise myself at what I am able to do) and I now embrace anything to do with health and wellbeing from eating well to staying active to mindfulness and more. And now with more time on our hands we find that we have the time, resources and inclination to travel a little more…even if that travel is predominantly ‘Disneyfied’!

So with all that in mind I really wanted to take up writing again, to share my thoughts and to journal our adventures. In late August of 2022, after 893 consecutive blog posts, I decided that the world had gotten back to something resembling normal and it was time to stop the daily posts.

Away from the blog I managed to keep the daily momentum of writing going by keeping a personal diary and on occasions dabbled with the odd blog post or two but never regained the consistency I once had. 

And while my personal diary provides me with a memory box of daily events it, by its nature, doesn’t stretch my writing muscles.

So I find myself in a qundary; while I have a desire to write more, to chronicle experiences in our life and to wax lyrical about topics I feel passionate about I find that my confidence in my abilities to do so has diminished. I find myself in the classic ‘catch-22’; the less I write the more I want to but the lack of writing has knocked my confidence. I have convinced myself that I have nothing important to share or that no-one is interested in what I have to say…my inner critic has played havoc with my confidence.

But you know what…I don’t care what anyone else thinks, or whether anyone will read this. I am not doing it for an audience I am doing it because I want to and if anyone out there takes an interest then that is a bonus.

So enough waffling on I best get started!

Disney Bubble Here We Come!

Welcome to the first of a few posts documenting our recent return to the Disney bubble otherwise known as Walt Disney World.

Where shall we begin...

So for context this was our first visit to Walt Disney World since August of 2013 and was long overdue. Our Disney fix had been satisfied with two short trips to Disneyland Paris and two Disney cruises in the intervening years but this was our return to the place where my love of Disney and its parks had started.

It was also the first time visiting WDW on our own since 1996! And it was a trip that we were determined to make the most of. Now ordinarily when planning a vacation you have to factor in work commitments which can determine not only when you travel but also the length of your trip, but now being 'a retired couple' we had much more freedom in picking the when and the how long! 

With that our trip started on Tuesday 25th February 2025 as we made our way from our home in the middle of the UK to London and then onto Gatwick airport by train. 

First train of our trip...London here we come!

Arriving at Gatwick we checked into our first hotel of the trip; the Bloc hotel. The hotel is located in the south terminal of the airport and was great for a convenient overnight stay; smart and compact room meant we had a comfy nights sleep ready for the following days travel.

Small room but it did the job!

We were able to grab breakfast at one of the airport restaurants before checking out of the hotel and taking advantage of their complimentary 'fast pass' through security. 

Full English brekkie to start the day

Bags were dropped, security cleared and a Starbucks acquired all by 8.50am ready for our flight leaving at 11.20am. We couldn't have asked for a smoother and more relaxing, stress free start to the day.

Pre-flight Starbucks

Our plane on a grey and wet day in London

And we are ready for take-off

Best get comfy!!

Our flight left on time and a mere nine and a quarter hours later we landed at terminal C at Orlando International airport. With thanks to my friend Michelle we had downloaded the MPC app which meant that we could 'skip' the border control main line once we had our bags and we sailed through with ease. We made our way down a few levels and found the Mears Connect reception and checked in for the transportation to the first Disney hotel of our trip; Coronado Springs. 

On the bus to Coronado Springs

Back in 2013 we were booked to stay at Coronado Springs but upon arrival we found ourselves upgraded to the Wilderness Lodge! So when planning this trip we decided that for the first couple of nights we would stay at the place that we'd planned to stay at all those years previous. 

Arriving around 6pm we took the evening to get settled into our room, grab some food and explore the resort. It had changed a fair amount since 2013 with the addition of the Gran Destino Tower, new restaurants and lounges and the landscaping was much more vibrant and plentiful than back in 2013. It is a truly beautiful resort.

New to us on this trip was the 'My Disney Experience' app and all that that entailed. This meant that prior to arriving at the hotel (in fact prior to leaving the UK) we had completed an online check-in so when we arrived we received a notification telling us our room was ready. We were also able to magically open our hotel door via the app as well. Although more on this in a later post!!

Our first full day started rather early as our body clocks adjusted to the 5 hour time difference and we found ourselves awake at 5.30am. Simon decided to go out for an early morning run completing 5 km by running four laps of Lago Dorado. We then both made use of the resorts gym, which happened to be quite close to where our room was. 

Up and about bright and early

After grabbing some quick service breakfast at 'El Mercado de Coronado' we headed out for the day jumping on a Disney bus to Disney Springs.

This is when I had 'a moment'...one of those 'I'm home' moments...one of those moments that catch you unawares and before you know it you're getting all misty eyed and choked up. We were on the bus making our way to Disney Springs and I was taking in the scenery around me and experiencing a deep feeling of familiarity as I watched the roads pass by and then I saw something that I'd never seen in person and it triggered a surprising reaction. What was it?...the Skyliner (Disney's cable car system that links a number of hotels and a couple of the parks). And as I looked out the window I felt all the emotions come over me and I began to tear up! And I knew then I was home and in my happy place.

Back in 2013 Disney Springs was called Downtown Disney and in the intervening 12 years had undergone an extensive expansion and while some areas were very familiar others were all brand new to us. We had a lovely day exploring all that the Springs had to offer and ended up spending much more time there than I think we had imagined.

We enjoyed some quiet time drinking iced coffee in Starbucks (just days before it closed for a refurbishment) while Simon created one of his many drawings that he completed over the course of the trip (we will devote a post to his art at a later date). Bargains were purchased at Zara! Shops were perused and lots of money was spent in my head! We enjoyed a salad from Earl of Sandwich and then later in the day discovered D-Luxe Burger and enjoyed a French Onion Soup burger, which was delicious!

As we waited for our bus back to Coronado Springs we discovered the magic of bus wraps! A good percentage of the Disney bus fleet have been wrapped in different themes and we rode our first one back to the hotel; it was Frozen themed.

I then gave myself the challenge of photographing as many of the bus wraps as possible over the next few weeks! Another post I think will be devoted to my collection of bus wraps and more!

Arriving back at the hotel we dumped our shopping bags in the room and headed out for another explore of the hotel. We grabbed some decaf coffee and enjoyed the resort as the light faded and the hotel lit up. 

Once back in our room we had the task of making sure we were packed and ready for the following days adventure...

Where to next?

A couple of links that may help to explain my love of Disney (plus there are lots of other posts talking about Disney, as well as those documenting past trips!);

About this Blog

Why Disney

Disney Time Again!

After many years away from Walt Disney World we've just returned from the most amazing time away fully immersed inside the Disney bubble.

So let me fill you in.

Back in 2020 things started to align that meant a visit to Walt Disney World was on the cards...but then we all know what happened that year! Our plans and dreams were once again put on an indefinite hold while we waited for the world to get back to some semblance of normal. Fast forward to September of 2023 when in an attempt to get a little Disney fix we embarked on our first Disney cruise (and first cruise ever!) aboard the Disney Dream. Not only did this give us that Disney magic we'd been looking for but it also gave us a whole new way of 'doing' Disney, which we fell in love with! So much so that we made new friends while aboard and were booked for the following year (dragging the kids with us!) almost as soon as our feet touched land!

So after our second cruise in September of 2024, and with Simon joining me in retirement nine months earlier, our thoughts turned once more towards Walt Disney World. When our new friends from our cruise in 2023 mentioned that they too were hoping to visit WDW in early 2025 we vowed to meet up and set about coordinating diaries. As soon as dates were confirmed we were able to sort flights, hotels, tickets and more.

Our itinerary ultimately involved a couple of nights staying at Disney's Coronado Springs resort, followed by a 3 night Disney cruise aboard the Disney Wish, returning to Walt Disney World for a 19 night stay at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter resort, with a 14 day park ticket to experience all that the parks had to offer!

Suffice to say we had the best time and have lots to tell...so stay tuned as I try over the course of the next few posts to recount our travels.

So what do you do?

Back in 2014 my journey to better health and wellbeing began. I didn't know it at the time but that desire to simply 'lose some weight' would cause a complete new way of life for me that has evolved, and continues to evolve, ever since. And because of those changes, along with my passion for knowing and understanding more, I often get asked the question 'so what do you do?'...well this is what I do!

Where shall we start? Well let's go with the obvious...food! Back in 2014 I started off with a low carb/keto approach to eating which gave me the weight loss I'd been wanting for so many years, but since then my approach has changed as I learned more and more. So whilst the ethos of low carb/keto is still there I think the easiest way to describe the food I eat today would be to simply say 'real food'. By which I mean we cook whole foods all the time. We avoid ultra processed food (I urge everyone to read Ultra Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken it is eye opening and will put you off packaged foods for life!). If we do occasionally buy any packaged foods then we follow these simple rules...does it have more than 5 ingredients? If the answer is yes put it back! Does it contain ingredients that you have never heard of or that you wouldn't find in a kitchen cupboard? Again if the answer is yes put it back!

So what do you eat I can hear being asked? Well a typical day for me can look something like this;

I'll start the day with a black coffee (fully caffeinated) and will usually have my first meal of the day around late morning/lunchtime which tends to be bacon, eggs and mushrooms (breakfast foods are my favourite!). Dinner is around late afternoon/early evening and will be some type of animal protein (chicken, ground beef, steak, salmon etc) with either green veggies (stick to veggies grown above ground) or salad. To round out the day I will have an evening dessert/snack of greek yogurt & berries (raspberries & blueberries are my go to) with a drizzle of honey. If I do feel the need for a snack at any point then this is where my favourite dark chocolate comes in, I prefer 90% cocoa but will always aim for a minimum of 70%. But other options can include a couple of dates, an apple, small amount of cheese, hard boiled egg, small amount of nuts or deli meats. And for drinks I will stick to black coffee or black tea which after our first morning coffee will mostly be decaffeinated.

A couple of caveats to the above;

Protein (animal based is preferable...more satiating and more nutrient dense) should be your primary source of food, not only does this keep us satiated it helps to maintain our muscle mass which becomes so important the older you get.

Alcohol - I try to avoid alcohol and only have a small glass of red wine occasionally. To be honest I like the taste of red wine but I don't like the effects of over indulging and the less I drink the less I want it.

Treats or cheats - these do happen occasionally and we aim to stick to the rule of 80/20...as in 80% of the time we keep to our regular foods and routines (although I suspect this is probably closer to 90%). Treats may involve indulging in something carb focused like bread or potatoes if out for a meal or maybe having a sweet treat with a coffee (but we do tend to buy just one thing and share it between us!). We make sure to really enjoy any treats that we have while at the same time not letting those treats define us...all too often I hear people indulge in something they know they perhaps shouldn't have which then gives them the green light to throw all their good work away and revert back to their old habits. Have a treat, enjoy it and then get back to what you know you should be doing.

So with food covered let's move onto exercise. Now I need to start this by saying that I have never been sporty; poor coordination, lack of confidence and an aversion to getting sweaty and out of breath always meant that I just simply didn't have any interest or desire to do any sort of exercise. In the early 1990's we started going to a local gym; this was in the days before big franchised gyms, it was relatively small, friendly, supportive and non-judgemental. We made a great group of friends and we sustained going for a good number of years (even during both my pregnancies)...although I would often remark that sometimes the muscle that got the most exercise was my jaw muscle from all the talking I would do! But at that time our diet wasn't great and so all the effort I put in down the gym had very little effect on my weight or body composition.

With the addition of children and Simon working away from home we gradually slipped out of our gym routine. In 2014 when I started my initial weight loss journey I was introduced to body weight exercises - squats, lunges, press-ups etc - and along with my new way of eating I began to see a change in how my body looked and felt. Fast forward to around 2018/2019 and we re-joined our old gym (although by now it was much, much bigger and much busier) and we were even able to enrol the kids along with us. Then the pandemic and all the various lockdowns hit; having no gym to go to we invested in some basic equipment and converted our garage into our home gym, and it was the best thing we ever did - no more gym subscriptions, no more having to drive to get to the gym, no more looking for some where to park, no more having to turn out in all sorts of weather, no more excuses on why we couldn't get to the gym and no more waiting around for machines. 

We still use our garage as a garage but have bought equipment that we can store easily and make the best use of. This means we now workout with weights three times a week for about an hour each time...and the 'non-sporty me' now schedules gym time into our calendar so that we never miss a session! But the other thing that we do is walk; we aim to get in excess of 10,000 steps per day and it is very rare that we don't get outside and get our steps in. It has become an integral part of our routine so much so that the day just doesn't feel right if we have not gotten those steps in. The effects of walking are tremendous; it is low impact, it is free, it keeps you mobile and active, getting outside you get the benefits of sunlight, the therapeutic affect of being outside and the chance to 'blow those cobwebs away' as well as a chance to destress and re-connect with nature. For Simon and I it is a great opportunity for us to connect, to chat about our plans, to have the time to talk and simply be together. Walking in our local community means that we have made connections with local businesses and with people we see on a regular basis, and simply seeing others out and about and saying 'hello' provides those social interactions which are so important.

In addition to food and exercise we try to ensure that our sleep patterns are consistent. I'd like to say that we aim to get good quality sleep but I'm not really sure how you do that and how you would prove it?! As a menopausal woman I will suffer from night sweats (although these are a lot better and much less frequent than they have been!) and these will obviously disrupt my sleep.  But we try and have a regular(ish) bedtime routine and are pretty consistent with the times we go to bed and the time we get up in the morning. 

We are also very fortunate to have our own infra-red sauna and try to use it for 30 minutes every day. We may even use the time getting sweaty to meditate as well...after all we have no where to go so why not multi-task and make best use of the time!

But with all of this the key to success is consistency. Almost 11 years after my initial weight loss I have kept the weight off and continue to learn more and adjust but I keep on going. I keep on doing what works.

My goal is to live as long as I can, to be as healthy as I can and to be in the best physical shape I can be. I want to be able to enjoy the life that I have ahead of me in the best way possible for the longest time possible. To live my life to its fullest unencumbered.

So, to sun it all up eat real food, lift some weights, walk, connect with others, sleep well and repeat!

Welcome to 2025...

A new year begins and as we reflect on the previous 12 months we look forward to what the coming months may hold.

It is also that time of year when resolutions and pledges are aplenty and the mantra of 'new year new me' can be heard ringing along with the bells chiming midnight!

But how many of those resolutions and pledges actually come to fruition over the year ahead? Why do we always use the ringing in of a new year as the time to make that change...well we say we're going to make that change!!

And while the start of a new year, or maybe the start of a new week, or perhaps the beginning of a month or even a point in the future that links to current plans (you know the 'when I get back from...') all sound amazing and may even feel great they very rarely even happen. The problem is that by telling ourselves that we will do something at a certain point gives us a feeling of positivity, a feeling that we are in charge, a feeling that we are moving forward and will achieve our goals because we now have a 'plan' and unfortunately that is where it all falls apart. That feeling of achievement because we have said we will do something on a certain date is enough for us to feel good about ourselves and it tricks our brain into thinking we've 'done something' when actually all we've done is thought about doing something. This in turn means that when that date rolls around we often find an excuse for the 'plan' to not happen or get delayed or only last for a few days until something comes along to derail us. We feel good about ourselves for thinking and planning about making a change but that feeling wains and our desire to make the change wains with it. Something else more important comes along and gives us the excuse to 'start next week' and the whole process repeats itself.

We've all been there, I know I have. I've lost count of the times I thought about starting a diet to lose a few pounds for that holiday, or before Christmas or for a special event only to find that before I knew it my starting point had moved so many times that 'the event' was suddenly upon me and I'd missed my opportunity. Which of course at that point made me feel like a failure and I would just give up, throw my rattle out of my pram and convince myself that I was always going to be this way and there was nothing I could do about it. Rinse and repeat this process over and over, for years and years.

You know that old mantra of 'don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today' actually rings true. If you want to make a change, if you want to try something new, if you want to lose a few pounds or get fitter then why wait for a 'date in the future'? Why not just start today? What's stopping you?

If you want to make a change in whatever aspect of your life then the best time to start is now, today, this minute. Waiting until Monday, or the new year, is only delaying you becoming the person you want to be. That better version you want to be will only happen if you make the changes you need when you decide to be that better version.

So the question you have to ask yourself is that if you are waiting for that specific date in the future to make those changes do you really want to make that change? If you can't start now, right this minute,  then why? Surely if the change you need to make is important enough, or wanted enough, then starting now is the only option.

Remember the only person you have to please is you, and the only person who can make the changes you want is you and the only person stopping you from starting is you! So don't wait till tomorrow start now. You don't have to start big, you don't have to start perfectly, you just have to start and each day you just keep on going until before you know it the thing that you wanted to achieve is happening. It may not happen as quick as you would like but it will be happening and if you miss a day or mess up then just start again the next day. No-one is perfect, we all have bad days and the trick is not letting those less than perfect days derail you. Simply dust yourself off, get back up and get straight back on with what you should be doing. Don't berate yourself, just chalk it up to experience and start again. 

So instead of reading this, you know what you need to do...start NOW!

I'm not a morning person...or am I?

So for as long as I can remember I've always described myself as being 'not a morning person'. You know that person who struggles to get out of bed and who simply doesn't function all that well at the beginning of the day and who needs a few hours to 'get going'. But lately I've been questioning that belief.

And it is a belief...and one that I don't think was ever truly mine.

I had always been told, since a very young age, 'you're not a morning person' or heard things like 'don't talk to Jayne first thing she's grumpy in the morning'. But I've now come to realise, after decades of believing this particular thing about myself, that it may not be true, and that just because I believe something about myself then it must be set in stone and cannot be changed...or can it?

It is proof that decades of something being said to you on repeat by your nearest and dearest can have a staggering impact on your own self belief and esteem. The repetition of the mantra that 'Jayne doesn't do mornings', that 'Jayne wakes up grumpy' had convinced me that that was just the way I was. Because if everyone was telling me that then it must be true and I simply had to accept that me and mornings just didn't mix.

But you know what? Me and mornings actually get on pretty well...in fact I'd go so far as to say that getting up early and embracing the day is one of my favourite things! So what has changed? Why has that belief changed?

So I think we all have things that we believe about ourselves that tend to err on the negative...after all it's easier to believe in the negative than see the positive about ourselves. We live in a world where we are bombarded by idealised images that we think we ought to be like, we have expectations thrust upon us by family, teachers, friends and employers. And so all the time we are trying to live up to everyone else's expectations except our own and as a result we focus on the negative, we quiet the positive and we let other peoples thoughts and opinions dictate who we should be.

I'm sure we've all had the boss who's constantly criticised something or the teacher who told us we wouldn't make it in life or the friend who always seemed to belittle you or the parent who failed to say 'well done'. And when we hear the negative often enough, and especially if we encounter it at a young age, we begin to believe that we must be that person, that we must display those traits and that is just who we are. But these are not who we are, we can be whoever we want to be; we just have to take the time, and effort, to change those beliefs about us.

We can be the person we would like to be, the person we deserve to be, we can be the person that we have always been rather than the person that we have become to believe we are.

A belief is just something we tell ourselves so why not tell ourselves a different story? 

And that is just what I've been doing of late. By taking the time to evaluate what I want my life to be, and who I want to be, I am beginning to discover that there is more to me than what I believed and being a morning person is just the beginning. 

I now embrace the morning, I enjoy starting the day early so that I can make the most of every minute, I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment at getting things done and I look forward to what the day has to offer. So I suppose you could say that I AM a morning person!

And early mornings mean I get to experience sunrises like this!

This realisation didn't happen overnight and in fact it kind of crept up on me. Through being willing to delve into what makes me me, to question who I am and coupled with a desire to want to learn and know more changes are beginning to happen. And I am here for whatever those changes may be. 

I've even discovered that the girl who didn't like exercising actually enjoys getting down the gym a few times a week and throwing some weights about!

Early mornings mean we hit the home gym in our garage
(this was at the very end of my workout so excuse the face I'm pulling!)

At almost 57 years of age I want to be the best version of myself both mentally and physically so that I can enjoy and experience whatever the future may hold. I want to grab life with two hands, give it a massive hug and see where we will go!