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My god, where has the year gone eh? Halloween is now a thing of the past *albeit it will always be my favourite season* and we’re now into full on Winter. Get yourself cosy and perhaps your preferred hot drink of choice as this month’s newsletter is going to be a bit more hard hitting as we cover the topic of Stress.

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TRIGGER WARNING:

If you wish to steer clear of topics that involve depression & suicide then please skip our discussion on Emotional Stress below. We appreciate everyone that reads our newsletters and understand that everyone is at different places in their life and don’t wish to cause any harm to you.

We instead wish you well and we hope you enjoy the rest of our Instructor’ thoughts on other types of stress (Please start from Physical Stress). If you ever feel alone, lost or need a listening ear – please reach out to someone. We at Barratt Fitness are here for you regardless of whether we know you or not.

We’ll get the virtual kettle on: barrattfit@gmail.com

Alternatively, here are a few other anonymous helplines you can utilise if you need:

• MIND

• Samaritans: Available 24 hours - 116 123

• BetterHelp - an app based therapy service with minimal fees and 1000s of accredited therapists available!

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Now, looking into the topic of stress, shouldn’t then cause you to stress about what the causes of stress could be. The fact of the matter is, stress has many causes and everyone has different tolerances and is therefore difficult to compare how everyone treats and reacts to stress when the need arises. Stress however can be defined by some broad categories that indicate where the underlying stress comes from:

• Emotional

• Physical

• Mental

• Environmental

We told you they were pretty broad, right? So how do we ACTUALLY define them.

Emotional Stress

This is probably one of the most damaging types of stress there is that just isn’t really spoken about much (maybe even considered taboo to some).

Emotional stress is caused through a significant traumatic event which has left the person unable to handle their emotions, thoughts or general presence within reality. An example of a traumatic event could be the death of a significant family member, a horrendous breakdown of a relationship, or a traumatic event such as sexual assault that has left the person emotionally scarred.

Many of you may not know this but in my spare time (when I do get it), I volunteer as a Befriender caller for the charity Age UK. It’s when every week or two weeks, I phone an older person to have a half hour check in with them to see how they are and combat the epidemic of loneliness within the UK. Now my friend will tell you that I talk for England, so my calls always go over the half hour but I suspect they don’t mind. We’ve been speaking for 2 years this month and the growth I have seen has been astounding.

For context, this gentleman lost his wife in the height of the pandemic after nearly 60 years of marriage.

When I first started our calls, the emotional devastation I heard on the other end of the phone made me realise why this work is important. He was completely lost, alone and for the first time contemplating why life was allowing him to continue on in this manner. Our calls started off light, asking about events in the upcoming week, his children and extended family and where possible and felt right, I’d ask more questions about his wife.

My favourite story has been about how everyone was surprised to see his wife dressed in a ballerina style wedding dress and matching fascinator for the big day at the tender age of 17. I will say having seen the pictures, she looked stunning and every bit a beautiful bride as you could imagine and him beaming from ear to ear as any 19 Y/O would. Needless to say, since losing the love of his life, my friend suffered terribly, to the point where physiological issues such as blood clots in the lungs started to develop unexpectedely. Doctors couldn’t determine the root cause except maybe the anti-depressants he was taking, though this wasn’t ever actually proven and still is under scrutiny now.

The brain is a powerful thing, and couple that ingenious muscle with emotional stress can lead it to being one of the deadliest types of stress around. It, quite literally, can cause side effects in your body which if left unchecked, could lead to added complications in the future.

Combatting this type of stress is also extremely difficult; due to the nature of it. Really, outside influences can help treat symptoms but not the root cause. Root cause treatment must come from the growth of the individual suffering. Becoming an active listener and ‘being there’ for someone is often the best and only thing you as an outsider can do to help; as exampled personally with my ‘friends’ development over the last 2 years.

Nowadays, you’ll find him flourishing, going out to eat with new friendship groups, heading off on holidays again, taking more opportunities to try new things and overall enjoying life’s moments a bit more than before. Time is a great healer, as cliché as the saying is and through our calls, I have been witness to the things he has started to explore (with recommendations) including going regularly to the beauty salon for a fresh manicure!

For those of you experiencing emotional trauma at this time, we are truly sorry for what you have to handle at the moment and hope you have the right level of support available. If you ever need a listening ear but are stuck with who to speak to, we’re always open and available regardless of whether we know you or not.

• barrattfit@gmail.com

For those of you who are witness to someone else going through emotional trauma, don’t shy away from them because it is too difficult for you to handle. Speak to them if you are able to, even if it’s just light conversation - you may find given time that the person will open up to you more and even allow time to air out things off their chest.

Always make sure you’re ready to take on some of this emotional challenge, the last thing we need you doing is putting yourself in a place that becomes ultimately damaging. Respect your boundaries and respect the persons boundaries in conversation. Be a friend and as the classic Britishism goes, get the kettle on.

Physical Stress

Physical Stress is defined as when your body goes through trauma on an anatomical level. For this example, we’re only focusing on this part and not how emotional or mental stress could lead to physical stress although this is very poignant too. So let’s talk about what happens when you simply wear yourself out.

Everyone’s tired, I mean god, I feel exhausted all the time and realistically, I know that isn’t a healthy constant to be in. This level of tiredness will eventually lead to my body becoming physically stressed because its not getting the bare essentials it needs to run effectively. Thankfully, I have the mental capacity to realise that this is something that cannot be lived in for the long term and am actively pursuing a way to change that to ensure I don’t go down the rabbit hole further.

However, for many, it’s hard to realise just when you are reaching that point in ‘burn out’. The only reason I am able to get a handle on it more than usual is because I have gotten to the burn out point before and there was no turning back. In the end, it required intervention from a fellow colleague to help me recognise what I was experience and my daytime work giving me an Employee Assistance Program to work towards.

Some key factors that can lead to your body experiencing physical stress are:

• Tiredness / lack of sleep (as just discussed)

• Sudden Illness

• Injury / Surgical Procedures

• Long Term Medical Treatments

• Burn Out

• Pregnancy / Post-partum

• Menopause

• Poor Hygiene and Sanitation

Physical stress takes on many forms. When physiological symptoms cause a great impact to your body functioning as a whole, that is when we define it as problematic.

As burn out feels the most ambigious of all the factors listed, I think it deserves a moment in the spotlight. Burn Out is experienced when a person simply keeps going for the sake of it, normally because schedules take over or general life events just pile on top of one another and mean the individual has to keep stamina going for longer than what they are used to.

Burn out is always the thing that’s really hard to determine for both the person experiencing it as well as friends and family; as often it presents itself as just how probably most people feel from time to time.

This includes:

• Tiredness

• Aches and Pains

• Lack of Motivation or Emotion

• Lack of Interest or Passion

• Disinterest in things that used to excite you

• Reclusive

• Coordination Issues

• Continual Short Term Memory loss (e.g. struggling to formulate sentences)

• Frequent Headaches

• Frequent Illness (e.g. flu, colds etc)

• Frequent feelings of nausea or heart palpitations

Symptoms experienced through burn out become incrementally impactful to the individual if the causes of the burn out are not dealt with.

With the above in mind, you’re wondering now what you can do to determine whether you’re experiencing burn out or someone close to you is?

Ask yourself a few questions like the below:

1. Do you or have you shy’d away from social events you’d normally attend due to feeling disinterested or running low on the social meter?

2. Have you noticed yourself getting sick more frequently than usual? And yes, that includes catching COVID!

3. Do you feel if you don’t keep an eye on your schedule that everything will just fall apart?

4. Do you often work over time or take work home with you when realistically you don’t need to?

5. Do you feel tight in your jaw, cheeks and neck? Press your fingers around your neck and jawline whilst you’re next lying in bed; if, by adding pressure there, causes a bit of pain this could be early signs of grinding your teeth during your sleep.

6. Have you or has your significant other heard you have dreams which involve current events? (For instance, my husband knew something was going on with me when I woke up bolt upright in a cold sweat because I didn’t think I had enough laptops for a particular event at work, something that my brain had conjured up and not true at all)

If you answer yes to at least 4 then I suggest a little reassessment. Thankfully, you can talk to quite a few people about signs of burn out and what to do about them.

Your GP can help with any general symptoms if they’ve progressed to quite excessive levels and most modern workplaces should have an EAP in place (Employee Assistance Program), ask your HR if they can pass along the details for this. EAP’s are a way to get free advice for just this kind of thing! For everything else, a good friend who is willing to be that listening ear is a great thing to have, just make sure they’re ready to help discuss and not give you advice. Ultimately, combatting the problem yourself will be much more impactful and effective than being given unsolicited advice which may not be very relevant.

Get some more sleep too!

Make it an active mission to get the minimum 7 hours a night you should be giving your body and treat yourself to maybe a hot bath and some low impact movement prior to bed (such as our in person or online Stretch classes…. great shameless plug achieved, I’ll move on swiftly now)

I know it shouldn't have to be said, but I'm going to say it anyway. I'm NOT a medical professional. All the above is about what I have been witness to as well as what I have researched. This is not meant to be anything other than helping you figure out if you are experiencing the above and finding the right options moving forward to help you along.

Please, if you are ever worried about your health & wellbeing, go speak to a medical professional - nurse, doctor etc. and really hone in on what could be going on. We want you to make sure you keep yourself healthy and happy in whatever way we can!

Stick around for our December newsletter where we'll be exploring the next two types of stress - Environmental & Mental! You all out there look after yourselves with the holidays approaching and DON'T STRESS OUT (literally!)

Love as always 😘

Georgia x

Halloween is one of my favourite holidays, I'm a definite secret spook vibes kind of person even though I absolutely cannot cope watching horror movies sometimes. I much prefer a classic 80's slasher film over a gore filled modern rendition; my favourites being Michael Myers & Jason Voorhees.

We also take the opportunity to encourage our students to dress up on Halloween week to class, and the best costume may get a special prize from yours truly, but I won't spoil you yet with what that looks like!

I still need to sort out what I want to dress as, last year was a Stranger Things reference (for those who read last month's newsletter will understand my love for this franchise and yes, I dressed as Scoops Ahoy Robin!)

You get it, I enjoy a little bit of creep every now and again but what does that have to do with this month's theme? Well, I think our slasher film icons get a lot of bad press so instead, we're going to look at some of their positive qualities and how you can take their teachings into your everyday life!

(and no, I don't mean senselessly murdering civilians, but if that's your vibe, I'm not going to be held accountable.... let this be my legal disclaimer now!)

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Jason Voorhees - Friday 13th

Obviously I'd have to start off with one of my favourite icons of the 80s slasher genre.

Jason is a lot of things that are actually quite positive (if taken out of context)

• He's reliable

• He's committed to his family

• He is very persistent in getting what he wants

• He's a great listener and doesn't really argue very much

We'll just ignore the fact he's a slightly obsessed mommas boy.

So, what lessons can we take from Jason's lived experiences.

I'd like to focus on the family aspect.

Commitment to family can be a very hit or miss. I'm lucky in that I have a really loving family around me who care about the person I am and the person I choose to become.

For others though, this reality isn't so blissful, where sometimes connections have needed to be severed due to past trauma, abuse or neglect. This can lead to severe criticism including the 'you shouldn't walk away from family!' phrase.

But sometimes, it's just unavoidable.

If you are having to make this extremely difficult decision right now, just remember:

Stay committed to the people who value you the most.

Don't settle for anything less than those who simply champion your existence and all the wonderful things you do, and will achieve. (I'm always around ready to be adopted at any time!)

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Michael Myers - Halloween

Another classic - the recent Halloween reboots met every expectation and if you haven't watched them yet, I suggest you do!

What positives can we get from Michael?

• His commitment to one woman is astounding.

• He is persistent in getting what he wants, without being too pushy.

• He's the quiet type

• He's always there for you just at the right time.

Michael teaches us overall that the journey in life may not be smooth all the time, but rather than concentrating on where you need to get to, instead live a bit more in the present and enjoy where you currently find yourself.

Sample the opportunities that are out there on offer (just like Michael does with each of his kills) and try not to keep looking towards too much; otherwise you'll always be left with a sense of wanting more without being satisfied with what you have now.

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Ghost Face - Scream

Scream is one of those films that I think everyone has seen at some point in their lives. It's just a great slasher flick and has a pretty decent cast in it too.

Now you're probably wondering how I'm going to be able spin this one right?

Well:

• He's funny - big bonus

• He calls ahead before he arrives

• He is very active and enjoys running

• He is very clean when it comes to his utensils

• He is really good at problem solving

So let's focus in on the humour.

What is life without a bit of fun and laughter?

With so much going on in the world at the moment, coming out of the pandemic, the economy & our current political landscape, we need to find moments of fun where we can to alleviate some of the negativity.

When it comes to activities you introduce into your life, make sure you ENJOY THEM, otherwise what's the point? I find classes give the best of both worlds - a way to keep you physically moving but still have fun and learn something as time goes on.

Enjoy the process and make sure to laugh every now and again!

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Freddy Krueger - Nightmare on Elm Street

The final one in our Slasher movie villain teachings and how could we not include Freddy.

From killing Johnny Depp in the original movie to now having spin off show downs with Jason Voorhees, Freddy has simply dominated some of the slasher titles.

He's also got some good teachings:

• He's extremely patient. Like really.

• Incredibly creative

• Is the only person who rocks a Fedora

• Doesn't judge outward appearances

Here, Freddy's best trait is his patience. I mean, he spent YEARS waiting for that perfect opportunity to return to his sleepy neighbourhood.

Patience is something we lack in today's world of Reels, TikTok and constant mini serotonin boosts.

Attending your first exercise class, whether that be with us or elsewhere can be daunting. You'll likely marvel at how well other students in the group are doing compared to you; making things look effortless and generally how awesome they are.

Remember - this took time, practice, patience and a whole lot of self love and support from fellow students & instructors to achieve.

I often say to students to document their journey as much as they can.

It's a fantastic reality check when you need it and gives you that confidence boost everyone deserves every now and again.

Patience is a wonderful thing to master and you'll achieve everything you desire with commitment and time.

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We hope taking this slightly odd trip through the 80s horror genre has been of use, just keep in mind this spooky season:

• Stay committed to the people who value you the most.

• Live more in the present, not always looking to the future 'you'

• Enjoy the process and make sure to have fun!

• Patience is hard to master, but when you do, you'll realise you can achieve everything you desire.

Stay weird, you glorious ghoul 🎃

Georgia x

As I write this blog, I'm sitting in a little coffee shop blasting a bit of Kate Bush through my headphones (yes, it is Running Up that Hill and yes, I love Stranger Things. Hopper, Eddie and Steve for life ❤️) and wondering what to write about.

You see, I don't claim to have answers that will greatly change your life. In fact I don't think I'll ever stop learning... and in a way, that's why I love what I get to do as job! I'm constantly astounded by what I didn't know and then get to incorporate into future class preparation whether that be in person or online.

Ultimately, I have the freedom to be completely human in front of my students - reiterating that I am bettering myself whether that be in my skills or knowledge and in return, I hope they reap the rewards of all my hard-work and discipline.

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💫 As September is usually the start of the UK school term, we'll focus on learning and establishing successful routines.. ?...

Now, you're probably thinking this couldn't have come at a better time. Most of us are coming out of the holiday lull and trying to centre ourselves again in routine, especially for those who have children and school runs!

Questions are probably swirling around in your brains:

• Do I need to put on a laundry load for (insert SO / family)?

• Can we cope with the groceries we have?

• Where are the school books? Was there Summer homework?

• Does the car need a service?

• Do we need new uniforms?

But have you noticed the above questions have a common thread....No?

They all surround other people.

Not you.

As your little fairy godmother, I'm here to remind you that you are just as important - if not integral to the operations of YOUR life. You need to take authority in establishing a routine for yourself, not just for others.

Now, I know, I know - everyone else needs you, and you're integral to their lives too. Indeed you are, and that won't / shouldn't change if you don't want it to.

What I'm simply saying is in those list of questions you ask yourself, try adding something in that is solely for you.

For instance:

• Have you signed up to that new dance class you always wanted to try?

• Is there a sewing / knitting group that you wanted to drop a message to asking about their next meet?

This is just as much your opportunity to establish a new routine / habit into your life as it is getting everyone else back into the swing of things.

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Speaking with female presenting and non-binary friends; there is a distinct trend in how much reliance is put onto their shoulders, from simple tasks through to some significant decision making.

Why do we think that is?

Often, there is a societal overhead that lingers - the construct that, particularly with female presenting people, will take on a more 'maternal responsibility' in situations that require this. So that's caring for all, considering everything and working out the best solution from all angles. This doesn't just happen when children are involved either, in fact quite the contrary!

This can be with SO's, family, friends, anyone really you associate with.

People can often become lazy when they have someone reliable within their social circles. They take the opportunity to utilise that resource almost to the point of exhaustion because they fail to realise the other pressures that 'reliable person' has going on in their life.

And if you're saying to yourself, I don't do that or have that with my friends though. I may have some bad news for you...

Have a quick assessment and see if you have people who maybe rely on you a little too much to do things - because 'if you don't do it, it doesn't get done'

I've definitely said that phrase far too many times in my life.

I'm lucky to have a husband in my life who is very receptive to my feelings, thoughts and wishes - and when I told him I was feeling exhausted because of these pressures and explained my situation as carefully as I could, he completely got it.

Now, we have set up a system that works for us - in the form of a small whiteboard on the kitchen fridge. We write down tasks that need to be done so that way, we both equally know what tasks are outstanding and if one of us has capacity, we put an initial next to it to say to the other 'I've got that covered, don't you worry about it'

The relief this has brought has been strange. You don't realise it at first but you soon get into this state of blissful unawareness and its a breath of fresh air in the day to day.

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Now that we've taken all the above into consideration - how do we apply that into establishing new routines?

1. Is there a new habit or activity you want to add into your routine?

2. Keep new habits small and manageable.

3. Question whether you are being relied upon too much by SO's, family or friends. Or are you the person putting pressure on someone else without even realising it?

4. Write down some focuses, why are you wanting to make these changes? How will they impact you?

You matter. Please use this opportunity to focus a little bit more on your health and wellbeing - physically, emotionally and mentally.

Now go and conquer! 💫

I've seen a pattern emerge through talking with friends, family and colleagues over the years. It's the one where right after Christmas, when you're all toasty after enjoying your Christmas dinner and chocolates that the fun is over and now it's time to get ☀️ 'Summer Body Ready.' ☀️(Even just that phrase is giving me the ick!)

But when summer does arrive in all its splendour, we never actually get a chance to properly enjoy ourselves because we're disappointed that the goals we set out in January haven't been realised.

And with that, comes the guilt trips, the negative self-talk, the 'I'm never going to be able to look how I want' etc. etc. etc.

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I get it. I've fallen foul to this ever tricky cycle plenty of times and still do!

But here's something I'm going to ask you. What have you achieved since setting your goal?

• Were you able to add in a new healthy habit and be consistent?

• Have you been drinking more water than you normally have done?

• Did you opt to walk or bike somewhere instead of your car?

• How have you been feeling mentally and emotionally since starting your goal reaching?

• Have you introduced a new wardrobe item that makes you feel amazing?

• Were you able to get a 5 minute workout / meditation / calming breathing exercise in before or after taking the children to school?

• Did you make any new social connections along the way?

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It's really easy to focus in on things like that gym workout you promised to start in January and be consistent with 7 days a week to achieve that desired Michelle Lewin figure; but birthdays, weddings, parties, family, children, friends and just general life all kept getting in the way and the reason you are a failure is because you just didn't prioritise....

Okay, so I may have exaggerated but the point still stands - those are completely UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS (say it again louder for me) placed upon you by a systematic corporate ideology whose whole purpose and business structure is embedded in making you feel bad about yourself. That way, you'll spend money on products and services which don't actually help you and therefore catch you in this never-ending cycle of guilt, shame and hateful language.

Instead, I'm going to give you a bit of guidance - absolutely free of charge!

Start re-focusing and be more kind to yourself over the things you have done.

The questions I gave above are the starting point to help challenge your mindset.

Make sure whenever you ask questions to yourself to never focus on your physical appearance; instead focus on actions taken, emotions felt and things you have gained.

I'll give you an example:

'A student attends a Silks classes for the first time, they're desperate to reach a certain weight before their holidays in September and the thought of learning something whilst exercising appealed to them instead of going to a standard gym.'

So already, we're off to a pretty good start, they'e interested in classes because it's a different angle than what they're used to - learning whilst exercising. However, we need to be careful about the potential unrealistic expectations this person has put onto themselves. This could become a de-motivating factor in the future if they don't 'achieve'.

'The student speaks to the instructor at the beginning of class about their goals and what is the best way to achieve them quickly. The instructor is very understanding and tells the student how many people come to class with that initial goal too but often finds that students get other benefits than just that out of class too! The student doesn't quite understand what they mean and is advised to reflect or even write down everything that happened in todays session and see if there is anything they enjoyed more than just the physical activity itself!'

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So, let's look at what the student wrote down after class using the lens of actions taken, emotions felt and things gained:

1. They've stepped out of the comfort zone by attending a group activity when they're not so confident in social settings. (action taken, emotion felt)

2. They had a really fun experience and got a lot of laughter in. (emotion felt)

3. They met someone in class who lives 10 minutes away and have children who attend the same school. They have now arranged a coffee date for next week. (actions taken, things gained)

4. They posted the photos from class instantly to social media - without a second thought about 'how they looked' - they were instead proud of the new activity they tried. (actions taken, emotion felt)

5. They have taken the first step to introducing a new healthy habit. (action taken, emotion felt, things gained)

This student has now seen a lovely balance classes can bring, whilst yes they will still help you towards your fitness goals - whether that be strength, flexibility or weight based, but they can also offer lots of other (often overlooked) benefits too.

Give it a try next time you're not feeling great about something - take a deep breath, grab a pen and paper if you want and ask yourself some questions surrounding the negative scenario.

You've got this!!