What does it mean?

Self care is an expression that is bandied around and discussed a lot on daytime TV shows but without much explanation. Maybe it doesn’t need explanation, or does it?

What do you regard as self-care, how would you define it and how do you do it, do you do it?

The WHO views it from a health perspective and defines self-care as: “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.”

According to the Global Self Care Federation, self-care is the practice of individuals looking after their own health using the knowledge and information available to them. It is a decision-making process that empowers individuals to look after their own health efficiently and conveniently, in collaboration with health and social care professionals as needed.

And the NHS says that it is taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health.

Apart from stating the “bleedin’ obvious” I actually don’t think these definitions really help us discover what self care really is, or how it feels when we actually achieve it?

For me, it’s finding the balance across all aspects of my life – that doesn’t mean perfect in all areas but rather optimal, resulting in an over all sense of wellbeing physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, professionally and environmentally.

As a Life coach I often work with clients who would score their professional and financial life as 10 out of 10, could not be better, but their personal life, relationships, physical and mental health are 4 or below. They are unhappy although from the outside they look to be successful and have it all.

There are folks who work long hours and and sacrifice time with family, loved ones and relationships and their own health and fitness, their environment, personal development and so on yet still they don’t have enough money to live comfortably or take time out for that which in their heart they know is essential.

For me (and all of us)  there is a sweet spot where I have enough work to meet my financial needs and when I work longer hours I slip in to being time poor, I become wasteful financially, not staying on top of my accounts, finding the best deals, paying bills late etc. I find that my home environment gets out of hand, disorganised, untidy, I don’t have the best food in the cupboards to eat nourishing meals so my nutrition derails, I don’t make time for my own hobbies, interests or personal fitness and mindfulness activities – we all know the consequences of that!

Side note – sometimes I’m busying myself doing non essential things too… you know, busy for the sake of busy so that I don’t crack on with what I truly need. Does that sound familiar?

Irrespective of the reason, imbalance is not sustainable and will result in physical, mental, emotional, professional, environmental and relationship breakdown.

I would love to know your thoughts, how do you achieve self care?

I thought I would share something a colleague posted over the weekend. Something to think about!

Why pre-book your classes?

• Because it gives your workout priority in your week.
• Because it carves out some time just for you and your body.
• Because it sets a routine in your week and a time in your diary you’ve committed to.
•  It can be HARD to allocate time to something that isn’t work or family but looking after your physical and mental health is a top priority… and booking a class can be that start to putting yourself as a priority.

Book your classes and training because your health and fitness isn’t something you can take a break from and nothing, absolutely nothing is more important!

So to the week ahead…

WE will be ‘bustin’ moves’, sweating, strengthening, firming, huffing & puffing, lengthening, stretching, releasing and relaxing…. we cover it all, everything you need to be happy, healthy and fit in mind and body delivered with fun, laughter, support and friendship. Together we all create the unique and magical DYBO experience!

ALL CLASSES MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE.

IndepenDANCE

Just one week left – book now for early discount!

Gut Friendly Breakfast, Brunch or Lunch!

Packed with fibre, protein, and micronutrients. You can prep the night before if you are short on time, although it doesn’t take long to make.

• 12 asparagus tips
• 100g peas
• 100g broad beans
• 200g spinach, shredded
• Vegetable oil
• butter
• 6 baby leeks, sliced (I’m not a fan so spring onions are my alternative)
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4-6 eggs
• a handful dill, chopped
• a pinch chilli flakes, (optional)

• STEP 1

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil then add the asparagus and cook for 30 seconds. Add the peas and beans and cook for another 30 seconds, then add in the spinach and cook for 2 seconds more before tipping everything out into a colander to drain.

• STEP 2

Heat 2 tbsp oil and a knob of butter in a large frying pan. Cook the leeks and garlic until soft, then add the cumin seeds. Stir in the blanched veg and cook for 3-4 minutes. Season, then make holes for as many eggs as you want and crack an egg into each space.

• STEP 3

Keep cooking gently on the hob until the eggs are done how you like them (cover with a lid if you want to speed things up). Scatter over dill and chilli flakes before serving.

I’d love to hear from you what self care means to you and how you achieve it?

See you at class and training.

Love ya,

Helen xx

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DYBO Live & Online – This week’s Classes are as follows:.

At All Hallows, Farnham & DYBO Studio, Church Crookham (Book in Advance only): Zoom class details further down the page.

Monday (AH)

6.30-7.15pm: Boogie Fit – Old School Disco!

7.30-8.15pm: Total Tone – with bands, handweights and mat.

Tuesday (AH)

6.30-7.15pm: 5 in 1 Fitness – with bands, handweights and mat.

7.30-8.15pm: Funky Dance Fit

Wednesday (DYBO Studio)

6.30pm Old Skool, Step & Strength – Step, hand weights and band.

7.15pm Barre Fit – Something to assist balance like a barre, eg. chair, worktop, mantlepiece etc.

Thursday (AH)

6.15-7.20pm: Contemporary Stretch – various equipment used at each class, contact me for info.

7.30-8.30pm: Dancespiration – Dancer’s Choice!

Friday (DYBO Studio)

6.30pm Freestyle Fitness Yoga Express – Release, Restore, Recover and Deep Stretch.

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Joining us at All Hallows? – Protocols and information

I’m so happy to be able to run Face to Face classes at All Hallows and at the DYBO Studio in Church Crookham. My primary objective is to ensure that we all have a wonderful time with effective and fun classes that are engaging, relaxed and of course, safe.

To ensure that is the case I just want to share with you our class protocols to inform and reassure everyone. Not everyone has been out and about much over the past, almost 3 years, and some of us are more anxious than others about getting back to ‘normal’ life and activities since restrictions have been lifted. Please be patient with each other and me – I have the responsibility of keeping you all happy and safe whilst complying with governing body guidelines and providing the best experience possible.

*Denotes for you to do, the rest is just info…

Preparation 

1) *Firstly ensure that you have booked by sending us an email info@dybo.co.uk confirming all the classes you wish to attend plus your payment method, be it as a member, using your voucher, or pay as you go.

No on the door bookings or payments can be taken. Bookings are not refundable or transferable. I will keep records of all attending.

2) *Preparing your kit bag/box. This depends upon the class you are attending.

Boogie Fit, Dance Fit and Dancespiration crew will only require your indoor trainers/dance shoes to change in to, sweat towel, and drink.

Total Tone and 5 in 1 crew – currently I am not sharing equipment in a group exercise setting so you will need your mat, a resistance band and light hand weights/equivalent in addition to your trainers, sweat towel and drink.

Contemporary Stretch crew need a mat, band, chi ball and at times 2 x tennis balls and a sock!

3) Re borrowing equipment – if you would like to try a class or have forgotten equipment then you may borrow equipment on that occasion and please ensure that you sanitise it before and afterwards (sanitising products supplied). I can assist you with sourcing your own equipment

On the night

*Please park in the playing courts and walk between the old school building and new sports hall, up a few steps on to the outside seating area, the studio door is to your right.

*Participants are required to arrive, enter and be in their personal exercise space between 5 and 10 mins before the class,

*Please change into your clean trainers for indoor activity as you enter, e.g. slip off your outdoor shoes, place in your bag, walk to activity area then put indoor shoes on, the same in reverse to leave. This is to maintain the hygiene and cleanliness of the space, avoiding stones and glass being walked in and potentially causing injury and to protect the lovely new wood floor.

*The toilets are open to use but please arrive changed, ready for activity so as to keep use time minimal and avoiding cues.

I will be sticking to class times for sanitising and ventilation purposes. Doors and windows will be open for ventilation, unless the weather is very cold, and if it’s hot, fans will be used to blow air forwards out of the windows and open door for maximum and safe ventilation. Our exercise space is much larger than the governing body requirements (more than double in fact) indeed the government have lifted all guidelines, so it will be easy to maintain 2m social distance but please do keep your distance as some of our clients are more vulnerable to infection and wary .

I will maintain social distance, however I will have a visor/mask if I have to come close to provide first aid etc.

After an entire teaching career facing my class participants with my back to the mirrors I have made the change (for now) to face the mirrors, this is for my safety in this strange Covid world, but I assure you that I will still be able to see everything you get up to and will coach, encourage and nag as effectively as usual!!!

*After a wonderful class and virtual hugs, change from your indoor trainers to outdoor shoes and sanitise your hands again if you wish.

*Please tell friends and family about our wonderful classes, I now have to rebuild my group exercise business after months away from face to face teaching due to the pandemic and more recently these flu and cold bugs.

When joining me at the DYBO Studio (No.42, GU52 0YA) I will send information directly including entrance code for the Studio and please note, advanced booking is required.

Fees, you have THREE options!

Please note that all Classes must be booked and paid for in advance and are non transferable or refundable.

Online payments only.

£7.50 per class.

10 Class Voucher: £65 (to be used within 12 weeks of purchase).

Membership: £50, unlimited classes, plus a bonus of free access to all class recordings on our DYBO TV channel, and another bonus of a £5 discount for one to one services for current membership holders.

To be paid by the 1^st day of the month and is valid from the first to last day of calendar month,

One full month’s notice of membership suspension/cancellation is required with one membership restart permitted within a 12 month period.

Bank details are UK Fitness Academy Ltd.

Sort Code 09-01-28, Acc No. 04284324

Please email me when you have made a payment and use your name and what it’s for as a reference. eg. Jane Smith Class Voucher

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Joining us on Zoom? – Links and Information

Monday

https://zoom.us/j/93817898799

6.30pm Boogie Fit
7.30pm Total Tone

Tuesday

https://zoom.us/j/94370544053

6.30pm 5 in 1 Fitness Class
7.30pm Dance Fit

Wednesday

https://zoom.us/j/95899675041

6.30pm Old Skool, Step & Strength – Step, hand weights and band.
7.15pm Barre Fit – Something to assist balance like a barre, eg. chair, worktop, mantlepiece etc.

Thursday 

https://zoom.us/j/95416823519

6.15pm Contemporary Stretch 

7.30pm Dancespiration

Friday

https://zoom.us/j/92666213498

6.30pm Freestyle Fitness Yoga – Release, Restore, Recover and Deep Stretch.

****** All the above classes change and vary weekly! *****

How to prepare your Zoom environment

1. You need space to move 2 side steps, 4 walks forward, 4 backward. Move trip hazards and furniture as much as you can (get help, be careful!) to give you maximum space for upper and lower body movement. Roll up rugs or secure them so they don’t slip or cause you to trip.
2. Plugging your device in to your TV with an HDMI cable is brilliant as it gives you a good picture of you (like a mirror) and me – as well as boosting the sound if you go through the TV/Hi-Fi sound system. If you can place your device under the TV, then even better.
3. I know some of you are using your phones – try to plug in to a speaker system (even those little speakers we have when we go on holiday would help) so that you can hear better as you move back from the phone. Angie has tried Bluetooth earphones and it worked well.
4. Ensure you have maximum access to your Wi-Fi in the house and as close to the router as is feasible. Take phones off the Wi-Fi system and pop them on to your 4/5G network or place on airplane mode, unless that’s what you are using to join us, obviously. Ask family to do the same for the duration of your class – keep them off the internet whilst you need the bandwidth. The more bandwidth you have, the better the picture and sound and the less likely you are to lose the feed. Your health is a priority at this time and I’m sure they can do something else for that short time!
5. Ventilate your exercise space, have plenty of water and towels to hand, keep your exercise equipment close – if you need anything, let me know.
6. Wear correct footwear for your activity – putting an old pair of socks over the toes and ball of your trainers will help reduce friction when exercising on carpet (if they are a really old pair, cutting the toes open and then just having them over the ball of the foot is even better). It’s up to you if you want to dance or train in bare feet but be careful if you don’t usually do this as it takes time for the muscles and connective tissue of the feet and rest of the body to adapt to barefoot training.
7. Make your own gym equipment. Save laundry liquid or milk bottles – you can fill them with water or wet sand/rice etc. to add weight and make a dumbell/kettlebell. I recommend you make a few in differing weights and you have written on them so you know what they weigh and seal the caps with tape to prevent leakage. Get a heavy duty shopping bag and put weighty items in it, check they can’t fall out and you have a kettlebell alternative. Make your own hurdles, put cushions, pillows, boxes, books on the floor to jump over. Use household items as floor markers for circuit activities. The stairs and outdoor steps are great temporary steps/benches for cardio and upper body work. The garden is a great open space to make an assault course or if you can get a signal, take your class or PT session outside, but do make it safe.

Disclaimer

I declare that all of the information I have given (both written and verbal) is accurate and truthful. I know of no reason why I cannot participate fully in any exercise programme and I do not deem it necessary to consult my medical Practitioner/GP/specialist. I undertake to inform my instructor should any information change.

I understand that I participate at my own risk and that any information given is not intended to replace or represent medical advice. I agree to comply with all terms conditions and class protocols and instructions as outlined above and whilst attending DYBO classes/training. 

Do not attend classes if experiencing symptoms of Covid 19, Flu or airborne transmissible infection or have tested positive.

Attending any DYBO class will assume agreement with above terms and disclaimer.