One of the things I insist my clients do on a regular basis is practise self care. Taking time out of their day to day life and focus on themselves and this can be anything as long as they are focusing on care for themselves. I also am a massive believer in listening to your body and knowing when to stop, rest and relax , another thing I preach. Now personally … I’m great at the self care thing in terms of giving myself time, pampering, seeing friends, working out etc however I’m not always the best at switching off and relaxing. Like fully relaxing not just a little day off. Which is why last week I took the whole week off training and work and allowed myself to just enjoy the downtime. The proof that I needed it was the fact I am now much more energised and ready for action now than I was 2 weeks ago.
To kick start my whole week of relaxation I was invited to a spa day by my friend Holly which was incredible! I have never had a spa day so this was the perfect timing as it allowed me to do nothing but relax. The experience was at The Spa at The Midland Hotel which is a little oasis in the city centre and just walking into the place I felt at ease. We spent the morning having the Thermal Experience: chilling in the Jacuzzi, washing our troubles away in the relaxation pool and waking ourselves back up in the Aromatherapy Steam room.
Then came the treatments, Holly had what sounded like an incredible facial and I had a much needed Deep Tissue Massage. Now I know most people wouldn’t opt for a deep tissue but as I normally have sports massages I needed the pressure but also the relaxation. The therapist was incredible she got out the tension, focused on the areas I asked and made me feel at ease, I definitely fell asleep ha. As a sports massage therapist I know how beneficial it is to have regular massages – improves recovery, aids with muscle aches, can reduce the injury risks and allows the body to be more mobile. Another thing I need to be adding to my self care list 🙂
Post treatments came food which I was really impressed with as they nailed my dietary requirements without me feeling like I was missing out on anything – I even had cake! And what spa day would be complete without a glass of prosecco , it was our birthdays celebrations as well so it would have been rude not too.
The last 2 hours of the day were spent in the relaxation room where we started in the hanging pods, of which I so gracefully got in as you can see below, and ended tucked up in one of beds in the sleep chambers. It was a perfect day and I will 100% be back soon and may even try out the gym next time.
(this spa day was gifted to Holly but I was under no obligation to write anything I just wanted to share my thoughts as part of this post)
Following on from this I had a long weekend in Portugal and a week in Manchester and The Lakes making the perfect concoction on moments to fully relax and switch off. It allowed me to be in the moment to regroup all the thoughts in my head and think about where I can go from here. It was also great to not worry about things as nothing really goes away you can always come back to it which is exactly what I did and I am so glad.
We live in a society where it is go go go all of the time and it is very hard to switch off. We almost feel guilty for taking time off and saying no to things. When actually our health is literally the most important thing so we should be taking the steps to help be the healthiest we can. Yes exercise and nutrition are important so is allowing your body and your mind to rest and recover. If you are reading this and you can’t remember the last time you actually took time off or away … maybe it’s a sign that you should.
Love Vicki xxx
