Beth Hingston 27/04/2024 Beth Hingston 27/04/2024

10 things to know about your body

If I had a pound for every time I heard : “I feel like my body is falling apart”. …10 things to know about your body.

If I had a pound for every time I heard : “I feel like my body is falling apart”. I would be gathering a welcome little bonus.

Knowledge empowers. Here, I will share 10 simple thing to know about your body. There is much more to know but this could be the start of a journey of being more considerate of your body.

Your body is with you for life, not just for youth. Our bodies are with us are whole lives. How much do we really know about them? And how much do we really know them?

We spend our lives learning; educating ourselves about different topics, being informed, developing our intellectual abilities but what about our bodies that are serving us day in in day out? Even if you are amongst the few people who are very familiar with the functioning of your physical body…what are you doing to care for them? If you have an illness, a disability, have had an injury or are an athlete the chances are you are more familiar with your body. At least in part because you’ve needed to invest time and learning in order to overcome a limitation and to develop your potential. But then what of your inner self and your emotions? How connected and caring are you of those? We are mind, body and spirit after all.

In my mindful moments in Pilates classes, I get people to focus on their breathing, notice their body, notice their mind, notice their emotions and their spirit. I sometimes ask my clients to consider how connected these three are.

Have you ever spent time noticing this? Have you ever thought about it? Is being integrated in mind, body and soul something you’re even aware of as a possibility?!

Perhaps a first step to connecting with your body, is spending a moment each day being thankful for your body and what it has allowed you to do.

I’d like to suggest that for many people, we spend our first 10 years of life pretty oblivious to our bodies having fun and playing. The next 10 or so is spent being self-conscious and possibliy self-loathing of our bodies through puberty and adolescence. The 10 years after our bodies are exploited with fast-paced and indulgent living to varying degrees. The next 10 years we stretch them and I don’t mean with muscle stretches(!) but with the demands of carrying and caring for babies and children, burning the candle at both ends whilst we be all that we can be in work and social circles and for our young families too. And so, we wake up in our 40s and realise our bodies are not as strong or resilient as they used to be, and maybe our emotions too. That we can no longer run a half marathon with very little training without developing injuries. That niggles appear with a little extra demand, that it feels like our bodies are tiring. We realise we have taken our bodies for granted and we wonder where to start to take care of them? We wonder if it’s too late. I so often hear, from young 40 year olds.. “I feel like my body is falling apart”. Do not despair! Your body is not falling apart. But it needs some TLC and some understanding. Here’s a place to start – get to know your body. Clara Pilates, wife of Joseph Pilates said “Know all that you are and all that you can become”.

10 things to know about your body. Some are obvious, but worth stating.

1. Bodies are made to move..and regularly How long are you sat/stood without changing position and moving around? Think every 20 minutes to move as a guide. How often do you move your joints through their full ranges?

2. The brain needs movement of the body to function well and process the information it receives

3. Movements (some in particular - weighted/resistance movement, linear movement) help regulate our emotions

4. Good posture is a line not a dot i.e it is not the same for everyone, and changes with demand: it’s about alignment of your body for efficient muscle function. Muscles that have to work repeatedly from poor alignment often end up being imbalanced and having pain

5. Muscles do not work in isolation, but in partnerships and synergist groups connected through fascia- so to rehab an injury or weakness needs a wider approach than working with one muscle

6. Your inner core is made up of your diaphragm your pelvic floor muscles, your deep spinal muscle – multifidus, and your deep abdominal muscle (transversus abodominus) (not your 6 pack muscle, the rectus abdominus!!) It is the coordinated working of these muscles that stabilises spine and pelvis and allows limb movement to happen efficiently

7. Pain inhibits (prevents/reduces) the work of muscles – so pushing through acute sharp pain can limit the function of that muscle

8. Working a muscle to fatigue ( achey and shakey) means it will get stronger

9. Our bodies function in 3 dimensions, which includes a rotation element, so our training/ rehab needs to reflect this. Eg lunges in different directions, not just straight back and forward

10. Breathing is key to life (obvious) but also to having a well functioning physical body. Stability is created through the coordinated working of the inner core ( of which the diaphragm is part), and impacts on the parasympathetic nervous system effecting our levels of anxiety, how we manage stress and how we experience pain

I mentioned that muscles get stronger when they are worked to fatigue - you heal stronger after the micro damage that happens to the fibres. It's interesting isn’t it how this can happen in the emotional realm as well. Limitations often result in greater understanding and an improved status in some way or other. I can certainly speak from experience of being a more whole person, and more emotionally healed because of challenging times that I have faced that have come near to breaking me,( I also have a stronger body now because of imbalances that resulted in pain). These resulted in me facing into the deep and difficult places and finding support and healing from beyond myself that has made me more whole. I think it’s mirrored spiritually as well, when we accept that we are weak then it makes room to be strengthened from beyond ourselves. I am stronger because of the acceptance of my weakness. God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness.

I love trail running. It is my weekend treat, in this busy small-child phase of life, to go for early morning trail runs. I do this as much for my mind and spirit as I do for my body. I love being out doors in the countryside it refreshes and inspires me. I pause sometimes and just enjoy the view, or the wildlife, -barn owls, foxes, red kites and king fishers. Sometimes I walk for a bit, simply to soak it all up or to pray and reflect. I find God talks to me through nature. It gives me perspective, of God’s greatness, and my smallness, and that although I am precious to Him, it’s not all about me. This is so freeing. Pilates which I practice frequently is the time for being mindful, focussing on and connecting with my body. Trail running is my macro time, getting perspective, feeling small, although not insignificant, in an intricate world that is so much bigger than myself. Both of these are necessary for keeping me healthy and grounded.

For a practical step for caring for you body – something that impacts mind, body and spirit, watch this video on how to breath.

https://fb.watch/ryinTBBY1Y/

Beth Hingston 19/03/2024 Beth Hingston 19/03/2024

For the love of trees

A tree planted for each new client.

My family will plant a tree for every new client that I see. Why?

As a family we have planted over 100 trees in the last year alone. This continues the long-held and inspiring example of my parents. They have spent a life-time pouring time, money and energy into managing and restoring degraded woodland; removing invasive species and planting native species such as beech and oak. Over 60 years they have planted thousands of trees at Silverwood. Their hard work and dedication has resulted in multiple night jar pairs migrating to nest in the woods every year and the return of the nightingale. Just a couple of the delights to be found. This lifetime’s work has been solely for the preservation and enjoyment of nature.

I unashamedly love trees, they have been an important thread through my life. A slightly feral childhood full of tree climbing, sharpening sticks and having bonfires. Similar to many of my weekends these days only now I get to do it all with my husband and kids, and love that they love it as much as me! Much of my 20s was spent in Wales, was rock climbing, camping in caves and mountain biking in forests. Later I enjoyed the exotic red flowers of the hibiscus and amazing jacaranda trees in South Africa. Who’d have thought - purple trees?!

Jacaranda trees - I love d the purple of them whilst in South Africa; Photo by Tim Cooper on Unsplash

Cycling through Rwanda - the valley of a thousand hills (it’s no joke), with my sister and brother-in-law I was particularly amazed by the lush jungle rainforests. After cycling through lush green Uganda, the expansive views afforded by the Rift valley in Kenya were breathtaking. It was a fair while ago now but you can read their inspiring accounts at Uganda - LongWayHome (travellerspoint.com)

Nyungwe Park, Rwanda Photo by Faustin T on Unsplash

Living at over 2,000 metres in Tajikistan, trees were scarce and the passing of the seasons so short. Though the landscape of soaring mountains was inspiring I noticed their absence. I delighted in Autumn with the abundance of mulberries and plums and the golden yellow of the poplars, reflective of the bright sun against the pure blue sky. The gold to rusty red of the sallow willows I appreciated too, but Spring was over in the blink of an eye. The region held it’s own wonders with weeks of roaring avalanches followed by devastating mudslides as the weather warmed. With the passing of just a day or two of sun the few trees were fully clothed in green once again and Spring heralded by the arrival of the golden oriole birds. There was none of the long anticipation of buds slowly developing and eventually opening to a lush pale, translucent green. Or the slow progression to a deep constant green leaf over months that I look forward to through the dark dreary days of Winter here in the UK.

Golden poplars, Hofak hamlet above Khorog

A weekend away took us a bumpy 5 hours to the end of the Vanj valley including my first riverbed driving; it was flowing, fairly deep in places. We hiked through this valley to the foot of a glacier.

In the tiny village at the end of the road where we stayed walnut trees grew.

When I saw a wide girthed walnut tree I was so happy to see it! So happy I had to hug it! Until this moment I hadn’t quite realised how much I had missed trees that didn’t bend in the wind but that stood solid and strong with their wide trunks; trees like the sturdy oaks and beautiful beeches of home. There we have it, it’s out.. my love of trees! It was fitting then that my Aunt gave us a walnut tree to celebrate our daughter’s dedication. A walnut tree to remind us of our connection with Tajikistan and that our daughter Yasmina (Persian for Jasmine) started life out there and that her roots went deep into the beautiful community into which we were welcomed.

Our most recent planting, just a few weeks ago was a copper beech tree. We planted it during our woodland celebration of my dear Dad’s 90th birthday. A tree that will give shelter, fun and delight long into the future. Silverwood is full of childhood and present day memories for me. I have photos with my husband up trees from both our engagement and our wedding day. I have celebrated our wedding, countless birthdays of my own and now my children’s birthdays there too. A place that is peaceful, a place that goes along way to restoring the soul. This is where I invite people to join me in for my Refresh Woodland Pilates Retreats, to be restored by doing Pilates and having community in nature: REFRESH — Simply Thrive

I feel most alive when I’m in nature, it’s good for my mind, body and soul and I love to share that with others. Understanding of the benefits of being in nature to us physically and emotionally is growing all the time, something I’ll explore more with you over time. Have a look here for now: How nature benefits mental health - Mind.

So why plant trees? In brief planting trees is one small way we can give back to the wonderful world that we are living in, from which we take so much, and have a responsibility to steward.