My word of the year: NOW

Did I ever mention my habit of procrastination? My ability to decide something doesn't have to be done today when I can easily do it tomorrow. I'm guessing that you can see which way I'm heading in my search for a suitable Word of the Year? Yes, that's why I've decided on NOW for my word of the year 2023.

 If you appreciate irony, you might smile at the fact that I started this post several days ago! However I am working on it NOW and intend to finish it today.

I think the COVID years have made us all appreciate that it's more difficult to plan for the future, and we don't want to get stuck in the past - talking about the way things used to be - so living in the present is the way to go.

If I made New Year's resolutions, I think it would have to be to "live in the present". Memories are wonderful (and I'm slightly addicted to Facebook's Memories) but we all need to move forward. Planning for the future is also positive, though nothing can be certain nowadays. The answer to true happiness is to enjoy each day as it happens.

Make the most of each moment. If you're meeting friends for coffee, appreciate their friendship, listen to what they say and have a good time with them. If you're out for a walk with your dog, look around you and enjoy the trees, flowers and birds that you see, as well as the company of your pet. If you're at home having a meal, realise how lucky you are to be able to buy food and cook it, as well as savouring each mouthful. 

My overall theme for this year is to be healthy in mind. body and spirit. I am starting by eating more natural foods, which for January will be purely vegetarian and exclude fish, and to avoid processed food. I am also not drinking alcohol for the rest of the month, even though I live in a town that is renowned for its wine! I already take part in several online exercise classes, including Tai Chi and dancing, which I love doing so it's no hardship to continue with them. Finally I am starting to practise EFT/tapping and meditation. I believe that living in the present, concentrating on what is happening NOW, will add to my healthier lifestyle.

Do you have a word of the year? Have you made any New Year's resolutions? Please leave your comments below.

Finally, I'd like to wish you all a very happy and healthy 2023!

New Year. New beginnings. New hope.

2020 was a year that none of us will forget, although sadly it was a year that many people would like to forget, for obvious reasons. I'm fortunate in having a few happy memories of 2020, such as being able to spend some time with my family in London in August and meet my new granddaughter Edie in real life, after only seeing her in Zoom calls . I hope that you also have some happy memories.

We have already started a new year, which I believe should be a year of hope after everything we have experienced recently. I am hoping that we will receive our vaccines sooner rather than later and eventually return to a "normal" life. I am also hoping that I will then be able to travel again and ideally be in London to celebrate Edie's first birthday. 

I must admit that I have given up on New Year's Resolutions, though I do think a new year is a good opportunity to start new challenges. I have missed writing my blog posts, but it never seemed to be the right time to do so. This is the beginning of my new determination to continue with my blog, so please suggest any topics that you would like me to write about. 

I joined a new gym last year, where I've been going to Tai Chi, Yoga and Zumba classes - all with health and safety measures in place. I will continue going whenever possible as I believe these classes help me mentally as well as physically. I have also started experimenting more in the kitchen during lockdown and have become a fan of Dr Rupy Aujla's healthy eating recipes, which you can find on The Doctor's Kitchen website. Trust me, as well as being healthy, his recipes are absolutely delicious!

I'm also beginning to declutter my home, which will include every room and not just the contents of my overflowing wardrobe. I will be following the principles of Project 333, which I first heard about on one of my favourite blogs The Vivienne Files. I've just bought Courtney's new book about Project 333, so that will help to motivate me. For those of you who don't know, the idea behind Project 333 is to limit your wardrobe to 33 pieces of clothing to last you for the following 3 months. 

My final hope is that 2021 proves to be a happy and healthy year for all of us. 

Have you been inspired by the Olympics?

According to the organisers of the Active Ageing Congress, as reported on the BBC website, over 70s should be inspired by the Olympics to take up competitive sport.  I have long been an advocate of the importance of taking regular exercise for adults of all ages, but the prospect of hoards of over 70s signing up to play squash or even tennis does set a few alarm bells ringing.  If said over 70s have been sitting on their backsides for 50 years or more, a sudden burst of energy could do more harm than good.  Let's preach caution here please: anyone over 40, overweight and/or with health problems should seek advice from their doctor before undertaking any form of exercise.

However I would like to think that the Olympics has inspired a generation of young people to take up sport instead of playing the latest video games, and if it motivates older people to get fitter that is also a very good thing.  Our parents and our grandparents didn't have it as easy as we do, with all our labour-saving devices.  Housework and gardening alone were enough to maintain their fitness levels.  Many of us drive everywhere during the daytime and spend our evenings slumped in front of the TV - and with a remote control we don't even need to get up to change channels.

John and I are both over 60 and we have a dog to exercise, so going for several walks a day is a necessity rather than just choice.  Before moving to Spain however we ran several times a week as well as walking everywhere.  Many friends in the same age group as us who live over here drive everywhere and seldom walk.  They all suffer from a variety of health problems, many of which I am convinced would be helped by them exercising regularly.

The experts say that we should get 2.5 hours moderate exercise a week, which is less than half an hour a day.  Not an impossible target, and it doesn't require the hard work and sacrifice that Olympic athletes have undertaken over the last 4 years, so why not switch off your PC and go for a brisk walk now?