Peace in a Pod

(I am crawling out of the void to come at you with a piece that dawned on me today while I was working out - cue me pausing mid-glute-bridge to type furiously in my Notes app. The main idea I want to put across here is how empowering exercising feels, and why meaningful movement of any and every kind needs to be a priority for all of us.) ‘Meaningful movement’ is how I’ve recently begun rebranding ‘exercise’. While all of us come to fitness with different experiences, feelings, and self-perceptions, as long as you schedule different types of meaningful movement throughout the week, job’s a good’un. Think of it like making an appointment for future you. Movement for me varies between traditional weight-bearing gym workouts, 20-minute HIIT sessions in the comfort of my apartment, yoga, a stroll outdoors, an incline walk or run on a treadmill, or a cycle. Living in the desert means that outdoor exercise, for me anyway, occurs between October and May, as anything outside of that is just u...

Please, please - don’t X out of this after reading the title, I swear this has absolutely nothing to do with Covid, lockdowns and all those other sweat-inducing trigger words. But the hack I want to speak to today is a really valuable one I’ve been practicing in the last few months, and it involves liberal use of the word ‘zoom’, so consider yourselves warned. Don’t worry - there isn’t a quiz at the end. Tapestries are huge works of art that stretch across walls, and when you put all the pieces together, they tell a story. An overall narrative. Consider the tapestry as a metaphor for life. Oftentimes we are so guilty of fixating on one tiny chunk of that tapestry, like maybe a 10x10 inch piece out of the top corner, and magnifying it and wrapping ourselves up in it so much until it’s all we can see. Nothing else has come before this vignette and nothing else shall come after. This A3-sized nugget IS my whole life. This cognitive glitch is what I have begun to refer to as zooming in . ...

I am taking inspiration for this week’s blog from the 140km of cycling I somehow managed to put up this week (yes, yes, I know, hold the applause, please). This included the Limerick Greenway, from Barna to Rathkeale, and the entirety of the Waterford Greenway - both of which I would highly recommend for your summer staycations as they are flat for the most part and have many scenic stops along the way as well as an abundance of amenities. The weather was dry for all 3 of my days out, bordering on hot at times, but overall the cycling was enjoyable and manageable. There were moments, however, where the going got tough - mainly, dealing with that chronic ache that slowly develops in your behind from sitting on an uncomfortable piece of rubber for 6 hours on end, as well as battling the heat of the last few days, something to which we Irish are sadly not acclimatised.  Coping with these physical discomforts was made a lot easier, mind you, by employing some of the mindfulness and gra...

(I would like to preface this opinion piece by stating simply that: this is my opinion, on what is clearly a sensitive and nuanced issue, and it is subject to change as I change. My intention is never to preach, to hurt, or to make anyone feel bad, and I hope I can address this particular topic with sensitivity and respect. After you read this blog post, I would be more than happy to engage in conversation with you should you wish to discuss any point in further detail.) The idea for this post was sparked by a conversation I had recently with a group of friends in which the topic of cosmetic surgery was mentioned. Not gonna lie - I was a bit taken aback as the conversation continued and I discovered just how polarised our opinions were. I personally don’t feel any draw towards lip fillers, Botox or anything of the sort, but I support bodily autonomy and everyone’s right to choose. That said, it made me wonder why we as a society are so taken up with physical appearance and what this fi...